Chapter 2
I made it.
I got accepted to one of the top universities.
The postman came pedaling up on his bike, yelling at the top of his lungs so everyone in the village heard him.
"Susan! Your college acceptance letter!" the postman shouted.
For the first time ever, my dad skipped work.
My mom ran her fingers over the gold-embossed letter, her hands shaking.
"My daughter finally made something of herself," she said.
She was smiling, but tears kept falling down her cheeks.
The relatives showed up again.
This time, instead of gossip, they came with smiles and gifts.
"I've always said Susan was a bright kid."
"Now that you're a college student, don't forget your poor relatives."
My dad stuck the acceptance letter right in the middle of the living room wall, where everyone could see it.
He'd check it every day, like he thought it might actually grow flowers if he stared long enough.
I felt like a new day had finally dawned.
I was finally going to leave this little village and head out to a bigger world.
I even started making plans, once I graduated and got a job, I'd bring my parents and Annie with me.
Tuition was the first hurdle.
Three thousand dollars.
For our family, that was an astronomical sum.
My dad took stock of everything in the house that could be sold.
Two pigs, a patch of corn, and his few carpentry tools.
My mom pulled out the jewelry she'd stashed away at the bottom of her chest.
Just a pair of silver earrings.
Even after scraping together every last cent, we were still one thousand dollars short.
My dad decided to try his luck borrowing some money from his distant relatives in the city.
He put on his best shirt and scrubbed his cloth shoes until they were spotless.
He walked out the door with his head held high, feeling confident.
He came home after dark.
He didn't say a word, just squatted alone in the yard, lighting one cigarette after another.
Behind the smoke, he looked like he'd aged ten years.
I knew he came back empty-handed.
That night, I overheard my parents talking in the next room.
"They said, with Annie to take care of, lending us money is just throwing it down the drain, they'll never see it again.
"Maybe Susan shouldn't go to college after all."
My mom started crying.
"She can't just give up on school! What will happen to her future?" My mom sobbed.
"So what do you want us to do? Go sell our blood?" Dad said bitterly.
The room fell into a long, heavy silence.
I lay in bed, just staring at the ceiling, wide awake.
Annie was sleeping soundly next to me.
She kicked the blanket off, again.
I reached out and gently tucked the blanket back over her.
Her face was peaceful in the moonlight.
Suddenly, it hit me, if I left, who would feed her? Who would help her get dressed? Who would chase away those kids who threw rocks at her?
My mom had to work in the fields, and Dad had to go to his job.
Would they just lock her up at home?
Like that crazy guy out west, chained up in his house?
The thought sent a chill down my spine.
I sat up and stared at that acceptance letter on the wall.
It almost seemed to shine, as if it was laughing at me.
College, the big city, the future.
Annie, the present, my responsibility.
With the scales of life weighing down on me, which side should I choose?
Early the next morning.
My parents were still asleep.
I dragged a stool over, stood on it, and carefully peeled the acceptance letter off the wall.
I stared at the words on the letter, my name, the college I'd always dreamed of.
I folded it in half, then in half again.
Then, I tore it up.
Bit by bit.
Until it was nothing but scraps.
When my parents got up, they saw the floor covered in scraps of paper.
My dad just stood there, stunned, his lips trembling, unable to say a word.
My mom rushed over and hugged me, sobbing uncontrollably.
"My Susan, my daughter" she sobbed.
I didn't cry.
I just said quietly, "Mom, I'm not going to college. I'll go work and take care of Annie."
At that moment, I felt something inside me break.
But at the same time, something else inside me turned rock solid.
I glanced back.
Annie was standing quietly in the doorway, watching me.
For a split second, a spark flashed through her empty eyes.