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“I see...”
“It’ll definitely happen, though!” I say. “But I wanted to give a head’s up and to let you all know that I will do whatever it takes to make sure she can stay here while I… find new employment.”
“Well...” Maureen turns and opens the file cabinet again. “Let’s look and see what we can do. She’s paid through the quarter, you said?”
“Yes, until April.”
She sifts through to the Ls and withdraws a file. I bite my lip as every horrible outcome blazes through my mind.
Nope. Sorry.
They ended your employment, therefore allowing your mother to stay here would be a liability.
You’re a horrible, rotten loser.
Your change of employment status is not our problem.
Pay up or she’s out on the street.
Kicked out.
Evicted.
Did we mention you’re a horrible, rotten loser?
“You’re all taken care of, Paige.”
I blink out of it. “What?”
Maureen skims the paper in her hands. “According to this, you’re paid through until the end of the year,” she says.
My jaw drops. “What? No, I didn’t pay...”
“Someone did.”
She sets the file down on the counter in front of me. There’s a page attached to my mother’s paperwork that wasn’t there before; a photocopy of a check made out to the facility for... a heck of a lot more money than I have to spend at the moment.
The memo line reads: for something special.
“Oliver,” I whisper.
Maureen leans forward on the counter. “Who’s Oliver?” she asks, ready for gossip.
“Oh, just...” I close the file and hand it back to her. “A guy who doesn’t know when to quit.”
She grins. “Sounds like a keeper to me.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” I step back. “Anyway, sorry about all that. I’m going to go see her now.”
“Have a good day.”
“Thanks. You, too.”
I walk down the hallway toward her room. With each step, a little more weight slides off my shoulders. My current batch of problems are far from over with, but being able to mark this off my morning checklist feels a little more satisfying than usual.
Stop Mom from becoming homeless? Check!
I pause outside of her open doorway and poke my head inside. She lies alone on her bed, snoozing away. She always does like to sleep in.
