16.
When I got home, the family had cooked a
feast.
My mom was putting food on my plate. “I’m
so sorry. You can’t keep going to school.”
It didn’t matter, they would have to pay me
back soon.
“Eat a lot. You’ve been so tired. You’re so
thin.”
I had almost never seen this kind of
gentleness.
“Ashley, your dad and I discussed it. You’re
so young. You don’t need to work and pay off
our debts.”
I put down my chopsticks. “What? What about
our debt?”
Ethan said, “The three of us can make money.
Do we need you?”
<
“Stay here. We’ll go to work.”
I nodded.
The food was eaten. They left.
I closed the door and turned on the TV.
An hour later, someone was at the door.
I opened the door and saw the collectors.
“Pay up!”
I called all three of them.
They were all turned off.
I looked at them. “I can’t get a hold of them.”
“Can you call my parents?”
“My parents ran away! Help me. They didn’t
bring me!”
The men frowned.
“Where did they go last time?”
“To the airport.”
“Let’s go to the airport!”
I looked at the time and the men.
I didn’t know if it would work.