Chapter 4

College life was way harder than I'd ever imagined.

Not the coursework. I had a solid foundation. My SAT scores were top-tier, and I'd graduated near the top of my high school class.

The real problem was money.

Every month, my dad sent ten dollars, and Uncle Henry sent five. Fifteen bucks. What could that get one in Stillwater?

The cheapest cafeteria dish cost a nickel. A dinner roll, three cents. Three meals a day ran one over thirty cents. Just food alone ate up more than ten dollars a month. That left a few dollars for toothpaste, soap, and…