THE PECAN SHELLER Lupe Ruiz-Flores CAROLRHODA BOOKS MINNEAPOLIS
In memory of my mother Victoria a former pecan sheller
CHAPTER 1 WORK SAN ANTONIO TEXAS JANUARY 1937 Something different was in the air that day An uneasy feeling chased Petra as she hurried home from school Ominous clouds loomed over-head over-head Heavy gusts of wind whipped her long black hair against her face as she maneuvered through the barrio’s unpaved streets which turned into a muddy mess every time it rained She kept her head down hugging her school-books school-books to her chest When the skies opened up she ran for cover sheltering her books from the rain as best she could At home Petra helped her stepmother Amá get supper ready Her half-siblings were their usual selves nine-year-old Samuel chattering nonstop 1
