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Picking up my phone, I pace into the living room. I recognize the bright purple couch as something we had all throughout my childhood, but the rest of the furniture looks new. I run a hand over the pristine coffee table.
Why would my parents have gone out shopping for new furniture when they already had tens of thousands in debt?
How had they even been approved for another credit card?
I’m starting to learn their methods, unfortunately. Store credit cards are the worst offender. They would be approved for those on the spot, buy as much as they could, then never pay the store.
I take out my phone and start taking pictures of the living room set. I might be able to get a few hundred for it on Facebook marketplace, and I don’t need more than one couch anyway. The purple one that has lived through movie nights and stinky feet after cheerleading practice will stay with me.
Once I’ve listed everything in the living room that looks like it’s worth something, I call Vivi.
“Breanna!” she practically screams into the phone. “Ohmygod. I was about to report you as a missing person. I haven’t heard from you in a week. Did you end up leaving…”
“Yeah, I left him. We’re not going to get married, and…” I don’t want to open up about my ex. Vivi knows only half of what happened, and if I start talking about him, I’ll get emotional. “I’m not calling to vent,” I tell her. “I’m calling because I need some cheering up. You know that my parents passed away four months ago, right?”
“Yes, Breanna. Did you go back to the house they left you?”
“Yeah, I thought it would be a good place to put my life back together, especially if I’m not paying a mortgage. Well, it turns out that they may have originally paid off the mortgage, but then, they took out another one. They’ve borrowed against their home multiple times, and the credit cards, and…” I stop myself because if I start spiraling downward, I don’t know if I’ll even be able to figure out how to breathe again.
“Bree, are you okay? Do you need me to come there and help you sort through things?”
As much as I would love the idea of having Vivi take charge and handle everything, I’m embarrassed about how overwhelming everything is. My parents made a lot of stupid decisions, and this isn’t on me. But it feels like I somehow should have known and stopped them.
“No, it’s not that bad. It was just a huge surprise.”
“So you have to pay back some debt?”
I shrug, like we’re talking about a thousand dollars or something. “Yeah, I’ll figure out a good payment plan and get it taken care of.”
“You shouldn’t have to anyway. It’s not fair.”
“It’s not. But I know if my mom was here, she would say that I never complained while I was living with them.” Before Vivi can go down a rabbit trail of exactly what she thinks of my mom, I change the subject. “Anyway, I need a job, preferably one that doesn’t require a lot of experience but pays bank.”
Vivi snorts. “What kind of jobs do you want to apply for?”
“You know I went to school to be a teacher, but I didn’t get to finish my graduate degree.”
Neither one of us mentions why that is, though I know the reason is on both of our minds. “Maybe I can find a teaching position.”
“But it’s almost April. A real teaching position wouldn’t start until August.”
I hate the reality of what Vivi is saying. “Yeah, but I can at least start applying. And maybe until then… I could look for something temporary.”
“You know, Bree, you would make a good nanny. Don’t a lot of people need summer nannies? Maybe something like that. Just make sure it’s for a rich family, and you’re set.”
“Well, there’s no lack of those around here. I took a walk down the street the other day when it was nice and warm. Every other house on this street has a three car garage.”
Vivi laughs. “Is that your indication that someone is rich?”
“I’m just saying. I don’t know how the shack I’m living in was saved from being scrapped and built over.”
“So you live in a rich neighborhood. Good, you can get side jobs babysitting in the evenings and nannying during the day. Boom! Problem solved.”
I wish it was solved this easily, but I appreciate Vivian’s optimism. The idea of applying for a nannying job is actually not a bad one, and I want to get started right away.
“Okay, I’m going to get on some job boards in the area and see what I can find.”
“Does this mean you’re about to disappear on me for another week?”
