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7
Amber couldn’t believe it. Staring at the blank screen of her phone the words swam around in her brain. Crashing into her skull in concussive nightmares. The clinic manager apologizing, but they had no choice. She’d been laid off. Had she not noticed the slip in patient volume? Or was it the call-ins last month when Callum relapsed a bit. They’d seemed fine and understanding at the time. If she would have known it was an issue, at least she could have prepared. She still would have chosen her son over the job, but for her, this had come with no warning and at a time when she wasn’t ready. Her savings account was nearly drained from having to buy her kids school clothes and supplies. Not to mention the soccer fees.
What the hell was she going to do? The only silver lining came from the fact she no longer had conflicts if Mountain called back. Heck, the man may have given up on her at this point.
Sitting at the kitchen table, she scribbled in the notebook in front of her. The first thing she had to do was figure out how much time before she was begging on the street corner or worse, calling Kevin and taking him up on his offer to move home. The numbers were bleak with her needing a job to start in the next few weeks. Even with a severance, a choice on health insurance for the kids and herself would have to be made. Again, a desperate call to Kevin was looming in the back of her mind. Here, she thought she would be safe, as nurses were needed in rural Montana almost as much as a teachers. Yet, here she sat. Unable to write her own ticket and get hours that worked for her small family. There were a few hospitals closer than Billings, but that meant a commute. Either way, she had to get online and dust off her resume, as this job search would have to be expanded. Sadly, it might mean having to take a job outside of her chosen career.
“Hey Mommy, can I play penguins?” Callum asked as he pulled up a chair next to her at the table.
The cute game had been a compromise since a few of the kids at school played it. A simple world with penguins where the players earn points to decorate the home, clothes and open levels with harder games. It had some social interaction, direct messages and sharing of items. If nothing else, she was teaching her son about online safety as each message had to be reviewed before he responded. Even if it was just emojis, which were the easiest way for the first graders.
“Mommy’s doing a little work from home today,” she replied as she clicked careers.
“You can give shots over the computer?” he questioned.
Maisie wandered into the kitchen finding a box of Kix. “Mom, milk,” Maisie said as she moved the step stool over to where the bowls are and got her own. Pouring the cereal with only a few falling on the table.
Unless the milk was down to the last fourth of a gallon, Amber had the rule she poured that. Stepping away from the table, she got the milk.
Maisie got a spoon. “What’s this?” she asked
Amber flipped her notebook over. “Don’t worry about that,” she said ruffling the bedhead her daughter sported.
“That’s not the cartoon on your name badge.” Maisie’s focus had shifted to the computer. “Why are you searching jobs? Are we going to have to move again?”
“Hey, don’t you worry about what mom’s doing.”
“Easy for you to say,” Maisie said with ahumph,dropping the spoon in the bowl causing milk and cereal to spill over the top.
“Maisie Ferguson, now stop it,” Amber admonished and passed the girl a few napkins to clean up her own mess. “Yes, I’m looking for a new job, but plus side until I find one I can do drop off and pick up, I’ll be at every practice and can do more than quick box meals.”
“Until we can’t afford food.”
“Wait,” Callum said trying the best he could to catch up to what was happening. “No more fruit cups in my lunch?”
“Callum, ignore Maisie, we’re fine,” Amber said clutching his hands. “Trust me when I say, this will all work out. Just like last time.”
“Last time we had to leave all our friends and now, we only see them if they’re home when we visit dad,” Maisie grumbled.
“I like my coach,” Callum said. “What if there’s no soccer and I can’t have my goal in the backyard, because there isn’t a backyard.”
“Okay.” Amber held her hands in the air to stop the catastrophizing by the kids she hadn’t even allowed them to watchOliverfor fear of them assuming any job shift would turn into them at a workhouse begging for food. “This stops now. Mom has money.”
“Not as much as daddy,” Maisie said turning the blade a little on the knife currently holding place in her chest.
“I will find another job,” Amber assured them, hoping her word would float on a cloud up to some mythical wish granter in the sky. “It’s a job.”
“Daddy never loses his job,” Maisie said.
Technically, Amber didn’t lose her job at the ER, she just couldn’t move to a different shift or pick up more than her point four position. Less than part time wasn’t enough, even with shift differential. “Look, at most you’ll get corny puffs instead of Kix. There are ways to stretch what money we have,” she said.
“No more allowance then.” Maisie grimaced.
“I haven’t spent mine.” Callum beamed.
“Maybe a pause on allowance, but I’ll keep track of your chore chart if Ihaveto stop paying you.”
“Are we gonna have to move to a smaller house?” Maisie asked. “You promised in a few years, I wouldn’t have to share with Callum anymore.”
