Chapter 3 · Parents Regret Losing Me

Without money for medicine this month, my condition got way worse.

Sometimes I couldn't even hold onto a broom. Sometimes my legs felt so weak it was like I was walking on cotton.

My attending doctor called me. "Miss Dawson, you still haven't come to the hospital for your medication this month.

"With your condition, you absolutely cannot stop taking it. If you do, it'll keep getting worse."

After I hung up, Sophie walked in holding a scarf.

She sneered, "Dad and Mom gave me all your money. That's when I found out your monthly pay is so pathetic it can't even buy one of my scarves."

She dampened the scarf with water and used it to wipe her shoes.

Her tone was openly taunting.

She continued, "You'd be better off getting on your knees and begging me. Maybe I'd give you more than your whole month's salary."

She pulled out about 3,500 dollars in cash.

To slow down my illness, I bit my lip and knelt on the ground, forcing the words out. "Then... can you spare it for me?"

She tossed the money at me.

The bills scattered everywhere.

"Pick it up." she said.

After I finally gathered all the money and was just thinking about going to buy medicine, Sophie suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.

"She's stealing my money." she screamed.

David and Linda rushed out and pulled Sophie protectively behind them.

The moment David saw the cash in my hands, he slapped me.

Smack.

My face swelled up almost immediately.

Before I could even react, the money was snatched from my hands. "Emily, you've really let me down. Now you've even learned to steal money?"

I swallowed the metallic taste in my mouth and tried to explain. "I didn't. She..."

Sophie cut in, sounding aggrieved. "I gave the money to Emily on my own. David, Linda, don't blame her."

What a slick move. By retreating, she made them hate me even more.

And it made any explanation from me sound weak and pointless.

Sophie tossed the scarf into the trash and quietly told me that no matter what I did, I'd never beat her.

Watching her walk away, bitterness filled my chest.

I didn't want to fight her. I just wanted to stay alive.

To buy medicine and keep living, I had no choice but to take side jobs for extra cash.

But when it came time to get paid, the owner told me, "From now on, all your wages will be withheld by Mr. Dawson."

My head started buzzing again.

"What right do you have to withhold my pay? I'm reporting you!" I shouted.

The owner shoved me out the door.

"Go ahead. Everyone on this street knows you owe Mr. Dawson money. He has every right to take your wages." he shot back.

That was when I realized my parents had ordered every business to hold back my pay.

Only then did I find out that every place I'd been doing side work at belonged to the Dawson family.

They were trying to force me to die.

Unwilling to give up, I begged the owner on trembling, stiff legs. "I have ALS. Please, even half the money would help. I need to buy medicine to keep it under control."

Seeing me fall, the man let out a cold laugh. "Mr. Dawson was right. You're a born liar. All you do is trick people."

With the cold wind cutting through me, I dragged my sick body back to my rented room.

My illness had gotten much worse lately.

I wanted to heat up some food for myself, but I couldn't hold the bowl steady, and it all spilled onto the floor.

Even going up and down the stairs, one careless step would send me crashing down, bleeding all over.

Looking at all the injuries on my body, I finally broke down and cried.

All I wanted was to live a little longer, but even that seemed hard now.

At night, even with the ventilator on, I still couldn't sleep.

The twitching pain all over my body kept jolting me awake.

I'd open my eyes and stay awake until sunrise.

Lately, I couldn't even handle my cleaning job anymore.

I called it taking leave, but I knew the truth. I could never do it again.

As the morning sun rose, light spilled across the room and over my body.

I decided to make one last effort and go see my parents.

I didn't expect them to spoil me the way they spoiled Sophie. I just wanted them to spare me and stop pushing me into a dead end.

I just wanted to stay alive as well as I could.

That was all.

Chapter 3

Without money for medicine this month, my condition got way worse.

Sometimes I couldn't even hold onto a broom. Sometimes my legs felt so weak it was like I was walking on cotton.

My attending doctor called me. "Miss Dawson, you still haven't come to the hospital for your medication this month.

"With your condition, you absolutely cannot stop taking it. If you do, it'll keep getting worse."

After I hung up, Sophie walked in holding a scarf.

She sneered, "Dad and Mom gave me all your money. That's when I found out your monthly pay is so pathetic it can't even buy one of my scarves."

She dampened the scarf with water and used it to wipe her shoes.

Her tone was openly taunting.

She continued, "You'd be better off getting on your knees and begging me. Maybe I'd give you more than your whole month's salary."

She pulled out about 3,500 dollars in cash.

To slow down my illness, I bit my lip and knelt on the ground, forcing the words out. "Then... can you spare it for me?"

She tossed the money at me.

The bills scattered everywhere.

"Pick it up." she said.

After I finally gathered all the money and was just thinking about going to buy medicine, Sophie suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.

"She's stealing my money." she screamed.

David and Linda rushed out and pulled Sophie protectively behind them.

The moment David saw the cash in my hands, he slapped me.

Smack.

My face swelled up almost immediately.

Before I could even react, the money was snatched from my hands. "Emily, you've really let me down. Now you've even learned to steal money?"

I swallowed the metallic taste in my mouth and tried to explain. "I didn't. She..."

Sophie cut in, sounding aggrieved. "I gave the money to Emily on my own. David, Linda, don't blame her."

What a slick move. By retreating, she made them hate me even more.

And it made any explanation from me sound weak and pointless.

Sophie tossed the scarf into the trash and quietly told me that no matter what I did, I'd never beat her.

Watching her walk away, bitterness filled my chest.

I didn't want to fight her. I just wanted to stay alive.

To buy medicine and keep living, I had no choice but to take side jobs for extra cash.

But when it came time to get paid, the owner told me, "From now on, all your wages will be withheld by Mr. Dawson."

My head started buzzing again.

"What right do you have to withhold my pay? I'm reporting you!" I shouted.

The owner shoved me out the door.

"Go ahead. Everyone on this street knows you owe Mr. Dawson money. He has every right to take your wages." he shot back.

That was when I realized my parents had ordered every business to hold back my pay.

Only then did I find out that every place I'd been doing side work at belonged to the Dawson family.

They were trying to force me to die.

Unwilling to give up, I begged the owner on trembling, stiff legs. "I have ALS. Please, even half the money would help. I need to buy medicine to keep it under control."

Seeing me fall, the man let out a cold laugh. "Mr. Dawson was right. You're a born liar. All you do is trick people."

With the cold wind cutting through me, I dragged my sick body back to my rented room.

My illness had gotten much worse lately.

I wanted to heat up some food for myself, but I couldn't hold the bowl steady, and it all spilled onto the floor.

Even going up and down the stairs, one careless step would send me crashing down, bleeding all over.

Looking at all the injuries on my body, I finally broke down and cried.

All I wanted was to live a little longer, but even that seemed hard now.

At night, even with the ventilator on, I still couldn't sleep.

The twitching pain all over my body kept jolting me awake.

I'd open my eyes and stay awake until sunrise.

Lately, I couldn't even handle my cleaning job anymore.

I called it taking leave, but I knew the truth. I could never do it again.

As the morning sun rose, light spilled across the room and over my body.

I decided to make one last effort and go see my parents.

I didn't expect them to spoil me the way they spoiled Sophie. I just wanted them to spare me and stop pushing me into a dead end.

I just wanted to stay alive as well as I could.

That was all.