---- Book 1 Chapter 6 Our house sometimes felt like walking into a shrine of our memories of happier times. Yet it was home. My mother always said you could turn any house into a home, and she was right. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. So, when we nearly lost the place after my father died while away on work, my mother, sister, and I worked our asses off to make sure we didn't lose it because he had no life insurance. My sister and I were working three jobs, and my mother was pulling extra shifts at the hospital to cover all the bills. We struggled for years between school and working so much, but we survived it until my sister went off the rails and then got pregnant with Maya, leaving us with an extra mouth to feed and trying to get her sober again. Walking down the hallway to the kitchen, I found my mother busily making dinner. I sat at the island bench on a stool, dumping my bag on the bench. Bad day? my mother asked. I ran my fingers through my hair before gripping it. The worst, I told her. And she stopped what she was doing, turning around to look at me. Maya handed me one of her cookies, and I bit a piece off. 2/5 ---- Book 1 Chapter 6 So good, Maya. You did a great job, I told her, popping the rest of the cookie into my mouth. It was a little chewy, and the center wasnt quite cooked all the way through, but she made it, so I didnt care. Maya beamed up at me, and I returned her smile. You really think so? she asked. The best cookies ever, I told her, pinching her nose as she ran off happily toward the living room, where I could hear her favorite cartoon playing on the TV. What happened? my mother asked, looking at me. Her light-blue eyes intensely stared at me, a worried expression gracing her aging face. My mother used to be gorgeous and always looked younger than her age, but since losing my father and the stress of my sister, she has aged terribly. Her once clear porcelain skin was no longer vibrant, now gray, and she had lines etched on her face. Nothing really. I have been moved. I am now working for the two owners who are a nightmare to work for, I told her. So, you got promoted? she asked excitedly, trying to figure out why that was a bad thing. If she actually 3/5 ---- Book 1 Chapter 6 met them, she would understand. Yes, but no, I dont know. It was a punishment, I think. But the hours are hectic. They need me to start at 7AM, I told her. She huffed, seeing the dilemma. Okay, we will figure it out. We cant afford for you to get fired right now. We'll just have to enroll Maya in before-school care. Great, another bill to pay for. Though it was convenient. They would drop her to school for us, but then I still had the problem of after school. My mother didnt finish work till an hour after she finished school, so Maya usually waited with me at work till I left. What about after school? After school? she asked, her eyes snapping back to mine, and I nodded. T won't be finished till 7PM. She groaned, gripping her hair, trying to come up with a solution. Just drop her to me at the surgery, and we will work something out. Have you heard from her? I shook my head. I hadn't heard a single word from 4/5 ---- Book 1 Chapter 6 my sister since she bailed from the rehab clinic. My mother and I painstakingly got her into using every bit of my and my mothers savings. I wonder where she is, my mother muttered to herself. I could hear the sadness in her voice, the worry for her child. My sister was a constant worry for her. She was for me, too, but it was what it was, and now we just had to deal with it. I looked away, not wanting to see her break. If she cried, I cried, and both of us crying meant neither of us was fit to deal with Maya. The last thing we needed was for Maya to start asking questions we didnt have the answers for. She didnt need adult stress; she was just a child. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!