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“I was going to do that this weekend,” I say, tone vibrating with anger “I told you that Hope was excited ere going to have a girls’ shopping trip together Instead, you let your current flavor of the week take her?”
I think h “What were you going to do, Hannah? Take her to some cheap discount store? Buy her twenty dollars’ worth of cheap dresses? Because we both know that’s all you can afford”
Tears spring to ht, but I blink theirl She doesn’t care about the quality of her clothes, but rather the tiirl, she loves trying on dresses I ht only be able to afford discount, but I had set aside so job to take her for a manicure, too
Nelson leeched , told hi It’s what happens when a e and said e to buy justice Nelson got priet to see Hope on the weekend I was also ordered to pay child support, which is one of the reasons I work three jobs Since she’s living with hireater period of the week, I have time
But I don’t begrudge paying child support for Hope’s welfare, court ordered or not She’s my child, and I’ll always support her
“I’ll have her call you when they get back,” Nelson says grudgingly Because I dared to end the relationship, he punishes uarantee he will not have her callatjob as a bartender
I hang up on Nelson, not bothering with any further courtesy He extended none tobeat to shit by the course of my day so far
Before I can set s While I’m tired as hell and really don’t want to talk to anyone, I see it’s the one person who is always there forokay?”
“Of course, honey,” she replies with a laugh God, I love her laugh, and it hter to see how her day is going?”
Sucking in a breath, I refuse to give into ehter, so I do what I always do with loriously rosy picture In essence, I lie to her
“Everything is great,” I say cheerily “Just got off work and heading home now”
Instead of, “Ihe can to ruin my time with her, and, oh yeah… I broke a vase today worth seventy-five grand, but hey… no worries I’ll just pick up a fourth job to work and pay it off”
I don’t tell her any of that because Carol Brantley busted her ass to raise me and my brothers Now it’s her time to put her worries to rest when it co ly stuff hidden from her
That includes how badly I’ at life Of course, she’s aware Nelson has primary custody, but that’s all she knows She doesn’t have a clue it’s a constant fight to get hts, that I have to work three jobs to support h child support payained an additional seventy-five-thousand dollars of debt today
She’s also in the dark about the fact I help ood guys, but both are iest at twenty-one and six years o I helped to pay for his lawyer Frank, who is twenty-two, is struggling to cover the pay on a road crew for the State Depart pains for my little brothers, but I’d rather them come tous
Settling in for the drive home, I listen to Mom chatter about the mums she planted in the front yard in anticipation of fall, and how she’sa poke cake for her church’s bake sale this weekend
When I turn intoout front My foot hits the brake pedal, and I come to a fast stop