“He’d much rather see those twenty-three kids get hot lunches.”

At two minutes after two, Marge stopped the electric counter to change the long roll of paper tape.

She tore off the printed white strip and held it up toward the bright fluorescent lights overhead.

“Three thousand dollars,” Marge announced, her crisp voice slicing through the noise in the room.

“Three thousand fourteen dollars in three hours.”

Irene patted her apron pockets and looked out over the packed cafeteria.

“That pays off every overdue lunch account in this district for three whole years,” Irene said.