4
ASPEN
Lubbock, Texas – May 15th
The job search wasn’t going well at all. I tried to do what Mrs. Pepper had suggested: I looked for jobs in all the fields my degree in petroleum engineering touched upon. Unfortunately, all those jobs were outside of Lubbock, and I needed to stay in Lubbock to finish my grad work.
I couldn’t believe that with just one more semester to go, I’d hit a brick wall. I couldn’t find a job that would pay enough for me to continue going to school.
Margo and I sat at the small dining room table, slurping our Top Ramen while discussing our bleak futures. A noodle slapped the side of her mouth as she sucked it in. “God, I hate this!”
“Me too.” I put my fork on the table and stared into the puddle of colorless noodles in the bottom of the bowl. “What did I do to
