"Dad, are you going out to work?"
"Yes, Tessa. Be good and stay home. Don't give your mother any trouble."
"Are there fruit candies today?"
"If you behave."
In front of an old-fashioned apartment building, its facade streaked with rain stains, Martin was saying goodbye to his six-year-old daughter, Tessa.
Seeing the look of eager delight on his daughter's face, he felt a pang of guilt as a father.
Before, the family's income had barely been enough to afford food and lodging in Falim's slums. Under those circumstances, candy was naturally a luxury.
It was no exaggeration to say that from the day she was born until now, his daughter had only gotten candy a handful of times, and only on holidays.
She was at just the age when children craved sweets.
He placed his daughter's hand in his wife's, waved goodbye, and headed down the alley toward the main road.
Spring had yet to fully warm Falim.
He hunched his shoulders and blew warm air into his hands.
"Things will get better."
Martin had only recently changed jobs, and he was very pleased with the new one.
Compared to his previous job, which paid around 25 copper coins a day, his current income had risen to 35 copper coins. If he worked late overtime, he could even make 40 or more.
In a remote town, that kind of pay would even count as a high wage.
Unfortunately, the cost of living in Falim was too high, and his income still left him near the bottom.
But Martin was already very satisfied.
At least now, after paying rent and covering essential expenses like food and coal, he could slowly put away a little savings. He wasn't under as much pressure as before, either.
That was why he'd bought his daughter