Warrior Spirit Rising by Dianna Good Sky

Author:Dianna Good Sky
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Good Sky Global Enterprises

10

Payday

Not long after Christmas, Mom went out and got her first job. She had no experience, and no training. She and Dorothy, her friend from Ocean View, were experiencing the same things at home. The men of the house were drinking most of the money, so the women decided to step in and do something different. So, they both got jobs—with zero experience and no cars—at a mushroom canning facility.

They carpooled to work, taking turns driving their spouses to work so they could use the car. It worked for a while, but then they started having trouble getting the cars. They lost their jobs because they couldn’t get to their shifts. Mom was deflated. But me? Well, I didn’t like her working. Our little routine was disrupted every time she went to work because she was no longer always there for us. I was secretly glad when she lost her job. I’m ashamed to admit that, but our world was spiraling, and I craved normalcy.

Dad was drinking more and more, and the effect was creeping into our everyday lives. Money was scarce, and not just on holidays.

Back then, the military payday was every two weeks on a Friday. Most Friday nights, we didn’t know what to expect. Would Dad come home with money so we could go to the grocery store? At that point, I knew that we were living paycheck to paycheck. That much was clear. Prior to all the drinking, I never noticed the cupboards going bare. As the drinking increased, both the cupboards and the refrigerator slowly became more and more sparse, until they were empty. Empty of food, at least. We had staples such as ketchup, mustard, and Miracle Whip, but there was nothing else.

One Friday, I went to get a snack and opened the cupboards to find a single can of tomato paste. That was frightening. I knew that things were bad, and they were only getting worse.

That Friday we kept asking Mom when we were going to eat. We sat together at the dining room table, waiting. I opened the fridge and there was nothing there. I opened the cupboard again. Still just one can of tomato paste. I sat back down with Mom and my sister and brother and we talked and visited, trying to distract each other through the waiting. Dad didn’t come home with the paycheck.

As time went on, Mom admitted that there wouldn’t be any groceries that night. More time passed. We still waited there at the table, even though she told us to go play in our rooms or watch TV. Eventually the younger kids got up and left the room, but mom simply sat there, and I stayed with her.

That was the first night I asked her why she stayed.

“Where would we go?” She said. “I can’t get a good job; I don’t have a car. I don’t know how I would take care of you kids by myself.”

The feeling of defeat and resignation was strong that evening.

My thoughts turned from food to my Dad.

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