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Raelynn
My eyes opened and I stared at the ceiling with a smile already falling across my face. Monday morning never felt this good, and my heart soared with joy. Last night with my mother was fantastic. I held her while she cried. I told her how proud I was of her. And after venting to me about how stupid she’d been for so many years, we sat down and took stock
of her life. We cuddled up on the couch together and came up with a budget. We looked up the exact totals of all our bills and searched around for all sorts of services in the area. Mom was eligible for a great deal of help, from food stamps to free resume services to help her nail down jobs. We created a vague outline of what needed to happen. What bills were due when. How much money we needed a month in order to keep our heads afloat.
Then we figured out where we could cut back.
To an outsider, it sounded boring as fuck. But, to me, it was the proof I needed to know Mom really was turning over a new leaf. We looked up jobs online she was already eligible for and jotted them down. Most part-time work. But part-time was better than no time at all. With the last of the money D.J. had offered Mom, we figured we had three more months of smooth sailing until we hit an issue. Because even though my paycheck from the grocery store could cover most things, it couldn't cover everything.
By the time we were done, we had a very confusing outline of what needed to happen. Ways we could cut back our bills. Things we could get rid of completely to save money. I promised her I’d research cheap meals for two and she promised me she’d put in two job applications every day from now until she snagged one.
And as I slipped out of bed, I felt the dawning of a new day upon us.
My feet planted into the ground and my body didn’t feel so heavy. Getting dressed didn’t feel like such a burden. I didn’t bust a sweat taking a shower because I had to move around to get myself clean. I even took the steps downstairs two by two, jumping at the end before scooping up my backpack. I felt great. I felt alive. For the first time since Clint and I came together as one, I didn’t feel burdened. Or stressed. The hopelessness that had plagued me no longer reared its head.
What a damn good feeling for a Monday morning.
Things were finally back on track. I made sure I had all my books in my bag, then double-checked my purse. I had my wallet, my keys, my phone. I had some snacks and some chewing gum. I even had some lip gloss in here, in case I wanted to spruce up a bit.
All I needed was something to snack on for breakfast.
“Rae?”
Mom’s voice pulled me into the kitchen.
“Rae, you got a second?”
I plucked an apple from the fruit bowl. “Not much more than that. Gotta get to Clint and everyone.”
“About that.”
I paused. “Everything okay?”
Mom’s face looked worried. That is, until a grin slowly slid across her face. I sighed as I bit into the apple, ready to chuck it at her for worrying me like that.
“Come on. Spit it out. What are you hiding, Mom?”
She sipped her coffee. “I called your school this morning.”
“Oh? Why?”
“To tell them you aren’t coming in today.”
I paused. “Wait, why?”
She grinned. “Because we’re going shopping for accessories to go with your graduation dress.”
“We are?”
“Mm-hmm. I take it you probably didn’t get any while you were out?”
“I mean, I have a pair of shoes that probably match.”
“You know good and well ‘probably’ isn’t good enough for an accomplishment like this. And plus, you have your ears pierced. I hardly see you wearing earrings. Is the dress low-cut?”
“No, but it’s strapless.”
“I’ll need to see the colors of it so we can pick something out accordingly. But if it’s strapless, a nice bracelet will accent things well.”
