Chapter 6

In the winter of my fifth-grade year, Gran got sick.

She lay in bed, coughing so hard her frail body shook.

I was terrified. "Gran, I'm going to get the local doc."

She grabbed my sleeve. "No, it's just a little cold. I'll shake it off in a few days."

"But you sound awful."

"It's fine. Don't waste the money."

I knew she was just being cheap.

A house call from the clinic cost ten dollars, plus the cost of any prescriptions.

But I couldn't just watch her suffer.

I ran all the way to town to find Doc Louis Sanders.

He was an older man in his fifties.

Hearing Gran was sick, he grabbed his medical bag and followed me back.

At the house, he checked her pulse and listened to her lungs.

"It's her old bronchitis flaring up. She needs medication." He pulled a few packets of pills from his bag. "Three times a day.

"Let's try this for three days and see how she does."

"How much is it?" I asked.

"Seven for the meds, three for the visit. Ten total."

I froze.

Ten dollars.

We only had five bucks to our name, the leftover cash from selling the hen.

Louis noticed my panic. "Tell you what, just give me five for now. You can pay the rest when things are looking up."

I nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Sanders."

He waved it off and headed out.

Gran watched from the bed as I handed over our last dollars, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Charlotte. I'm causing you trouble again."

I shook my head. "Don't apologize. Just focus on getting better."

That night, I sat alone on the porch, staring at our empty cash jar with a knot in my stomach.

We were broke. Completely broke.

What were we going to eat tomorrow? Or the day after?

I had no idea, but I knew I had to figure something out.

*****

I skipped school the next morning.

Grabbing a worn canvas sack, I hiked up into the woods.

The hills were full of wild mushrooms and firewood.

I figured I could forage and sell my haul at the farmer's market.

The trails were steep, and I was slow.

Briars scratched up my hands, but I ignored the stinging.

I just kept thinking that every mushroom I found meant a little more money.

By noon, my sack was stuffed full.

The hike back was grueling. The heavy bag dug painfully into my shoulders, but I gritted my teeth and kept walking.

Gran was awake when I got back.

She stared in shock as I dropped the heavy sack onto the floor. "Charlotte, did you skip school today?"

"I went up to the woods to forage," I replied, catching my breath.

"Why weren't you in class?"

"I wanted to help you make some money."

Gran stumbled over and grabbed my hands.

Seeing the raw scratches and cuts all over them, she burst into tears. "Oh, you silly, silly girl..."

She pulled me into a fierce hug, sobbing uncontrollably. "You're too young to be doing this. It's all my fault."

I started crying too. "Don't cry, Gran. I'm not afraid of hard work."

But your education! You can't let my problems ruin your schooling."

"I won't. I promise I'll go back to class tomorrow."

That afternoon, Gran dragged herself out of bed to take me to the farmer's market.

We set up our mushrooms by the roadside.

When someone asked the price, she told them fifteen cents a pound.

A lady inspected the goods. "They're fresh, but fifty cents is steep. I'll give you thirty."

Gran hesitated before nodding. "Deal."

We made three bucks that day.

Combined with the leftover cash, we were still two dollars short for Louis.

"We'll pay him back slowly," Gran said. "We'll make it work."

On the walk home, I looked up at her. "Gran, do you think Mom and Dad know how hard we have it?"

She went quiet for a long time. "I doubt it."

"If they knew, do you think they'd send us some cash?"

She didn't answer.

We both knew the truth: even if they knew, they wouldn't send a dime.

We didn't matter to them anymore.

I lay awake that night, wishing I could grow up faster.

If I were an adult, I could get a real job.

I could buy Gran's medicine and make sure she never had to work this hard again.

The moonlight spilling through the window felt freezing cold.

Gran was asleep beside me, still wheezing.

I quietly got up to pull the quilt tighter around her shoulders.

In my heart, I made a vow.

I was going to work harder than anyone else.

I was going to get into college and change our destiny.

It was my only way out, and it was Gran's only hope.