2
I sold everything in my apartment for a song.
I also quit my job.
Then, one gloomy morning, I quietly left the
city I’d hustled in for eight years.
By 3 PM, I was back at my parents‘ house.
Mom had blocked my number and social
media, so I told my dad I was coming home.
When Mom arrived home, a neighbor eyed me
up and down.
く
“Are you Donna’s daughter?”
I forced a smile and nodded.
Her expression immediately soured.
She took a step back.
“What good is all that education if you can’t
even respect your parents? You’ve learned
nothing from those books!”
“Ungrateful people always get what they
deserve!”
She clearly knew all about my supposed
misdeeds.
I couldn’t be bothered to argue, so I just
く
“Be careful what you say. You wouldn’t want
bad luck to come your way.”
“What a piece of work!”
The neighbor huffed off.
“And she calls herself a college grad! No
class!”
It was winter in Chicago, and the floor of the
hallway was freezing.
The cold was like needles piercing through
the soles of my feet, making my toes numb
and my legs tremble uncontrollably.
This winter felt colder than usual.
waited eight hours wrapped in two down
く
I waited eight hours, wrapped in two down
coats.
Finally, after the lights outside had gone out, I
saw a post from my cousin, Jenny.
It was a picture of Mom, wrapped in a
blanket, watching TV in her bedroom.
She was beaming.
The caption read: “What’s it like to have an
awesome Aunt? When she’s upset, she just
shows up at my place. Hope someone isn’t
jealous! LOL”
Oh.
So, she’d gone to Jenny.
The person who’d always loomed over me: my
‘perfect‘ cousin.
I scanned the flyers taped on the wall and
called a locksmith.
