I hesitated to leave the kids with Miss Pearl. As the weeks passed by, she'd gotten worse and worse but refused to go to the doctor. I knew money was the issue, although she'd refused to admit that, and I'd vowed to give her the five hundred dollars I would get for my date with Willum tonight. I just wasn't sure it was in the best interest of the kids or Pearl. She needed rest, but without her, I didn't have anyone to watch them so I could go. Jase had moved me to the marketing department the Monday after my meltdown, but even with the pay increase, with three kids, I was just eking by. They were growing like weeds and constantly needed new things, and with the school year approaching and two birthdays this summer, money always seemed to be in short supply. I hadn't even bothered to open t
