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"And I sense this won't be the last," he says crisply "I've had single mothers work for me before, and they're never reliable I don't have tih responsibility--"

"Please, Chris," I beg hi at my eyes "I really need this job"

He's not , I'll have your final paycheck ready and you can turn in your store key"

I don't even consider arguing with him any further At this moment I am beyond exhausted Utterly defeated I don't have it in me t

o even care about how that extra money each week is what enabled ry kids that I'd never planned on having

--

My head turns on the pillow and I look at the digital clock on the bedside table Almost eleven o'clock and I can't sleep Annabelle doesn't have that probleainst me with one ar position since she came to live with o, but I' me up

I can't go to sleep because I've gotten to the point where I'ht By the tias station convenience store, I'd be lucky to get four and a half hours before I had to get up to starthome

That's the story of Julianne Bradley's life

Work, sleep Work, sleep Work, sleep

Actually, that's not quite right It's more like Work Sleep Take care of kids Work Take care of kids Cook and clean for Glenda and kids Work Sleep

Not anywhere in that daily grind is there tieted for me, unless you count the quick fivethe little things that you easily cut out fro unimportant when you're on a time crunch I can be showered and dressed for work in about fifteenmakeup and usually put my wet hair up in a ponytail or bun That leaves et the kids up, dressed, and fed breakfast before Glenda arrives She handles getting Levy and Rocco on the bus and then stays at my apartment with Annabelle The boys co off work I live only a few miles from Sweetbrier, so I'm usually home by 4:15 PM I start Levy and Rocco on their homework and help hatever they need I then spend about an hour in Glenda's apartoing: Mondays and Thursdays, I dust, and clean the bathrooet to anything that can't be held off until the next scheduled day About the only thing I don't do is their laundry, and I told Glenda no as I washing Bill's underwear

She didn't care She was just happy not to do the nasty stuff like toilets and even happier yet to have

So after cleaning Glenda's place, I'd coh for her family andtheir homework If I was lucky, dinner was ready before I had to leave for work at the gas station, and I'd be able to cram sohbor, but one flight down--took over feeding the kids while Glenda picked up her portion ho about this just makes me all the more tired and depressed

There is one benefit though to not having much time to ive in to ood enough to take care of Melody's children, or whether I've bitten off more than I can chew but I'm just too stubborn to admit it to anyone

Sighing into the darkness of my room, I try not to think about my life before Melody died I'd often bitch to my friends or rown-up and live on your own I wanted to get ht a new pair of shoes that I si thin but because I spent all et the Raet my check I'd blow it on a cute top from the Gap

I mentally roll my eyes at myself as I think about my life now and realizebefore Melody died, I was actually living an easy and fruitful life I had it daive these kids up, I can't help but be a little wistful over how good it felt not to have this much responsibility on my shoulders

I didn't ask for ht I didn't ask to take care of her I didn't ask to watch her die I didn't ask for my niece and two nephews to come live with ue that co three kids devastated by the loss of their e jobs, and not a clue in the world on how to even interact with my niece and nephews in this new family dynamic thrust upon us

Still, I wouldn't change a thing about ht now

Well, I'd kill for another part-ti on that tomorrow But there was no other option except that the kids co before she got sick, and while he floated in and out of the kids' lives periodically, he's three years behind on child support And there truly was no other option when Melody asked me point-blank to become their mother when she passed

I could have never said no to her

So with the court's approval, guardianship was legally transferred to me before she died, because their father didn't contest it Four o I became an instant mother to three kids who I didn't know all that well and had no clue as to what to do with them I only knew that it was now my job to care for them, raise them, and love them in the best way I could

It's my duty now to make sure they thrive