The little girl wasn't anxious at all upon hearing this. She replied slowly, "It doesn't work like that, Miss! How can you compare last year's prices to this year's? I bet you're earning more money this year than you did last year too, so it's perfectly normal for it to cost five dollars more."
Shalma had to admit the little girl was quite a smooth talker. Since she didn't even know how to argue with that logic, she supposed she'd just have to buy a skewer.
But just as she reached into her bag, pulled out her wallet, and prepared to pay, another hand beat her to it. Surprisingly, the person handed over a crisp hundred-dollar bill.
Shalma's gaze froze. Following the hand, she looked up and found the man staring right back at her with deep, intense eyes.
The little girl took the bill, her small face scrunching up in a conflicted frown. "Mister, this is my first sale of the day, so I don't have any change. Could you wait a moment? I'll go get some change and come right back."
