My Lifesaving Money, My Last Straw

"Mom's in the hospital."

After saying that, Leonel paused, as if waiting to see my reaction. "She has high blood pressure. The doctor says it's pretty serious."

The wallpaper came out crooked. I set down the cutter.

"Oh," I simply replied.

"Aren't you going to visit her?" Leonel's voice went up a notch. "We're short three grand on the medical bills. I'm really tight on cash…"

I stared at the ruined wallpaper and suddenly smiled. "Leonel, how much is your mortgage for the new house?"

"5,600 dollars. Why are you asking that?" He sounded impatient.

"I'm renting this place for 800 bucks a month."

I slowly peeled the crooked wallpaper off the wall. "Mom has health insurance. After reimbursement, her out-of-pocket costs won't be over one grand. You can't even scrape together one grand?"

There was silence on the other end.

I heard the sound of a lighter flicking.

"Julia, I know you're mad." Leonel changed his tone. "But it wasn't easy for Mom and Dad to raise us. Now that Mom's lying in the hospital, all she wants is to see you."

"Does she want to see me or my money?"

I crumpled the torn wallpaper into a ball. "Wasn't Dad talking about suing me last time? Tell Mom to get her medical records ready. I'll meet her in court."

"Julia Herring! Don't you have any conscience left?"

"Conscience?" I walked over to the window and watched the neighbor's bedsheet fluttering in the wind.

"My conscience was priced a long time ago. 68 grand, the down payment for your new house. Don't you remember?"

I hung up the phone and went back to wallpapering.

The next day, I went to a labor agency to find temporary work.

After the divorce, I'd quit my old job. The company was too close to Carl's house.

Now, I had to take whatever odd jobs I could find—handing out flyers, washing dishes, cleaning houses.

"Full-time housekeeper! 150 bucks a day! Must know how to clean windows!" the agent shouted from behind the iron gate.

I pushed through the crowd and raised my hand.

The agent eyed me up and down. "You're so skinny. Can you really clean windows?"

"Yes," I said, pulling down my mask to show the scars on my face. "I've even cleaned the exterior walls."

She hesitated for a moment before handing me a slip. "Riverside Gardens. Go now."

The client was an elderly woman living alone. Her place was packed with boxes she'd scavenged.

She directed me to scrub the kitchen tiles. "Use a toothbrush to clean the grout. Get all the grease out."

I was kneeling on the floor, scrubbing, when my phone rang again.

It was Dad.

"Your mom's been diagnosed with coronary artery disease," he rasped. "The doctor says she needs a stent. We need 28 grand."

The toothbrush got stuck in the grout.

I slowly stood up. "So?"

"So you need to send the money right away!" He sounded frantic. "Your mom's almost gone, and you're still dragging your feet?"

The old lady looked over at me curiously.

I walked to the balcony. "Dad, I just paid six months' rent yesterday. I only have 500 bucks left."

"Go borrow it! Ask your friends!"

"I've already borrowed from all of them."

I glanced down at the people walking their dogs below. "Ever since you took that 68 grand, I haven't been able to bring myself to ask anyone for another cent.

"I originally planned to give that 68 grand to Carl, and then work hard to earn money so you'd live a better life. But you spent it without a word. So now all I can do is work to pay Carl back."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"You guys chose this path," I added calmly.