The Phone Call That Changed Everything
My phone rang while I was drifting in and out of feverish sleep.
The moment I heard my mother’s voice, I knew something was wrong.
“They left,” she said.
Her voice was unsteady.
“Who left?”
“Clarissa and her sisters. They said I had to pay. There’s a bill for more than seventeen hundred dollars, and the manager is here. I don’t know what to do.”
I sat upright so quickly that the room spun.
“Mom, listen to me. Don’t sign anything. Don’t give them your card. I’m coming.”
“You’re sick. You shouldn’t drive.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
I pulled on a sweatshirt, grabbed my keys, and left.
My hands shook as I drove, but the fever was no longer the reason.
I thought about every time Clarissa had entered our home and helped herself to everything we offered.
