Her wide brown eyes, so full of innocence, stared up at me from the kitchen table. I forced a smile and handed her the cereal box from the top shelf. Just then, Damien, now 14, shuffled into the kitchen, earbuds plugged in as usual. Without even looking up, he mumbled that he was heading out to meet Jake. “ Don’t stay out too late. And remember, homework first when you get back,” I called after him as he stormed out the door.Life had become a balancing act of raising two kids alone while trying to keep a roof over our heads. My call center job helped, but it wasn’t exactly my dream. It was a job, and in times like these, that was all that mattered. One day, Emery, the new neighbor in her early 30s, knocked on my door. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days. “Hey, Prudence, can I ask you for a huge favor?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly. I nodded and let her in. Emery sank into the couch, barely holding herself together. She explained she had a wild party the night before and then got called out of town for work. Her place was a disaster, and she didn’t have time to clean it up. She offered to pay me if I could help her out.
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