Chapter 96
Chapter 96
Chloe worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It felt strange to work three nights in a row without a visit to Amos breaking up the routine. In only a week, he had become a very bright spot in what was otherwise a dull existence. She felt bad for thinking so. Her mother and brother and extended family all loved her dearly, and such a close–knit family was a blessing that a lot of people would love to have. If only it didn’t feel so much like a burden lately.
“ So, you can’t watch the kids this Wednesday?” her brother Rob asked, repeating the exact words she had literally just said to! want to take Sarah out for her birthday. Ma said you were off o Wednesday p>
Chloe pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment, taking a breath and resisting the urge to chuck it across the room. “Ma was
wrong. I’ve been picking up overtime p>
Rob was quiet for a moment. “You’re going to run yourself into the
ground, Tessie p>
“What am I supposed to do? Let our mother be thrown onto the
street p>
“No, but medical debt is different than regular debt. They can’t p>
“It’s not just medical debt anymore! They remortgaged the house! They maxed out the credit cards! We talked about this, Rob p>
“Calm down! Jesus, you’re going to give yourself an aneurysm p>
“You’re going to give me an aneurysm!” she snapped, but she lowered her voice, glancing at the hall. Had Ma heard her shouting about money? God, she hoped not.
Chapter 96
“Listen, you know me and Sarah’d help with the bills if we p>
“Seriously, don’t worry about it,” Chloe said quickly, instantly feeling terrible. “You’ve got your kids and a mortgage and your own household to worry about. I don’t have…you know. Any of that. I can
handle it p>
“Yeah, well, you’re still taking on too much p>
She shrugged. “The faster this gets resolved, the sooner I can stop being stressed by it p>
“You still need to take a break now and then. The kids miss you They keep asking when they can see their Auntie Tesita p>
Just like that, Chloe’s temper flared hot again. Babysitting your children is not a break! she wanted to scream at him. And don’t use your fucking kids as emotional blackmail! But she loved her niece and nephew, and didn’t want to say anything she’d regret, so she swallowed the words and forced herself to speak levelly. “Sorry, Rob. I’m already committed for Wednesday. Don’t you have a babysitter you can call p>
“Yeah, I guess,” he sighed.
Not one who’ll work for free, huh? she thought bitterly. “Alright, well, sorry about that. Anyway, I gotta start getting ready for work.
I’ll talk to you later p>
“You’re working on a Sunday, too?” he asked, incredulous.
“Yeah,” she said flatly. “I’m a nurse. This schedule is nothing new p>
Rob grumbled some more about her overburdening herself–without offering any meaningful solutions for unburdening herself–and then finally let her off the phone.
Chapter 96
When Chloe stepped outside to make her way to the train she paused on the sidewalk, prickling unease running down her spine. She’d been feeling it all weekend. Any time she stepped outside. It was like she was being watched. Giving in to the paranoid impulse, she looked around, searching windows and stoops, trying to figure out who was staring at her.
But she saw nobody. It was late, the sky was dark, there was nobody else around. Unsettled, she tried to ignore the feeling as she began walking. Her mind started sorting through a rolodex of medical conditions that caused feelings of paranoia, of being watched. As she reached the train station, she pulled her phone out and called Ma.
“Hey, would you do me a favor and check to make sure the st
turned off? Does the furnace run on gas p>
Ma reassured her that there was no gas leak. But as Chloe slid her
phone back into her pocket, she couldn’t shake that watched feeling.
Once she reached work and stepped inside the sanitized,
florescent–lit halls, the feeling faded. As she sat in the locker room,
changing her street shoes for her comfy, clean working shoes, she
started to wonder if maybe her brother was right. Maybe the strain
was getting to her. Anxiety and stress could cause feelings of
paranoia, agoraphobia.
But what could she do about it? She couldn’t quit her job. And she
wasn’t going to stop going to Amos. At this point, even if she wasn’t being paid, she’d still show up. Could she offer pro–bono visits during the other days of the week? She suppressed a small laugh. Anxiety briefly forgotten, she got up and started her shift.
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