Emma
The children’s park was noisy that Saturday afternoon, filled with laughter and the thud of small feet running across the grass. Alex was somewhere near the slides, his curls bouncing as he chased two boys he’d just met. His joy always softened something tight in my chest.
Ovie and I sat on a bench under the shade, each holding a small cup of ice cream that was already melting faster than we could eat it.
I sighed… deeply. “I need extra earnings, Ovie,” I finally said. “Rent, medical bills, groceries are overwhelming … and now I have to start saving for his middle school. Everything keeps piling up.”
Ovie turned her face toward me slowly. “You brought your notebook again, didn’t you?”
I laughed weakly. “I write everything down. If I don’t, it scares me. Look…”
I pulled out the
