"Forget it. I'm still barefoot, and it's a little cold." His mother had always been a gentle woman who loved to smile. Barry knew that, but he still had no intention of actually selling shoes in the future. He realized he might not like shoes that much after all.
His mother looked at the dark circles beneath his eyes and couldn't help covering her mouth as she laughed. She stroked her son's cheek and said:
"You'll have new shoes, good boy. As for boys roughhousing with each other, that's perfectly normal. Maybe you can be friends with them someday."
The windshield wipers sped up. The rain was still pouring, but the little red car was warm.
"No way." Barry protested, shaking his head as he looked out the window. "I'll never be friends with people who ganged up on me."
The young Barry knew nothing about The Law of 'It Smells So Good,' nor did he know that he would one day become close with the Rogues. So he was being especially stubborn now, unable even to understand his mother's words.
"All right, don't be sad. I know you're a good boy, and that you considered Albert a friend, so you felt betrayed. But Mommy will take you somewhere nice. I guarantee it'll cheer you up."
The woman turned on the signal light and gave her son a playful wink, gesturing for him to guess.
"Are we going to buy shoes?" Barry took a deep breath and pulled himself together. After all, being barefoot was uncomfortable.
But his mother merely smiled and shook her head. Clearly, that was not the right answer.
The boy couldn't tell whether the car was moving or not. He only felt time passing quickly. In the blink of an eye, the car had stopped outside