Extended reading read the short story about her mother's love for her children. mama and her bank account. Every saturday night, mama would sit down by the kitchen table and count out the money papa had brought home for the rent. Mama would count out the big silver pieces for the groceries, another group of coins, i'll need a notebook that would be my sister Christine, my brother knows, or me. Mom would put one or two coins to the side. We would watch with anxious interest. At last, pa would ask, is that all? And when mama noted we could relax a little, mama would look up and smile, good, we do not have to go to the bank. We were also proud of mama's bank account. IT gave us such a warm, secure feeling. When else graduated from grammar school, he wanted to go on to high school. IT will cost a little money, he said eagerly. We gathered around the table. I took down a box and laid IT carefully in front of mama. This was the little bank. IT was used for sudden emergencies, such as the time when Christine broke her ARM and had to be taken to a doctor, knows, listed the costs of the things he would need. Mama accounted out the money in the little bank. There was not enough. We do not want to go to the bank, SHE reminded. We all shook our heads. I will work in dill's grocery. After school, nails volunteered. Mama gave him a bright smile and wrote down a number that's not enough, paper said. Then he took his pipe out of his mouth and looked at IT for a long time. I will give up smoking, he said. Suddenly, mama reached across the table and touched poppas ARM. Then SHE wrote down another figure, I will look after the ellington children every friday night. I said, Christine can help me now. There was enough money. We all felt very good because we did not have to go downtown and draw money out of mamma's bnk account. So many things came out of the little bank that year, Christine's dress for the school play, my little sister dagmar's Operation. Whatever happened, we always knew we still had the bank to depend upon. That was twenty years ago. Last year, I sold my first story. When the check came, I heard IT over to mamas and put IT in her lap for you. I said to put in your bank account, I noticed for the first time how old mama and poa papa seemed shorter and MaaS hair with silver. Now tomorrow, I told mama, you must take IT to the bank. You will go with me. Catron, that won't be necessary. Just hand IT to the teller. He'll pay IT into your account. Mama looked at me, there is no account. He said, in all my life, i've never been inside a bank, and when I didn't, couldn't answer, mama said, seriously, IT is not good for little ones to be afraid, to not feel secure. Adapted from Catherine forbes mama's bank account, which has seventeen short stories and describes the struggles and dreams of a family in san Francisco in the early nineteen hundreds.