Page 43 of Mac's Obsession

So much cash that my wallet can barely contain it.

Paid.

I finally got paid. I don’t have to worry about crunching pennies, at least not this week. The money I had saved up before the kids and I ran has slowly been dwindling. I’ve tried my hardest to keep my spending to a minimum, but sometimes it’s hard, especially when I have two kids who depend on me.

My fingers brush over the cash before I put my wallet away. I know by the time I pay Mac rent that a good chunk of it will be gone, but I’ll still have enough.

Finally, I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

I move through the house and head to the living room.

“You okay, baby?” I ask Emily as I walk to the window.

“Yeah. Want to watch with me?” she asks, making me cringe.

I love my daughter, but the absolute last thing I want to do is watch some horribly animated cartoon that’s pixelated because the quality is so bad. Every day, I regret that I handed her my phone and let her look for cartoons on YouTube.

“Not right now, baby. I have to make dinner soon,” I tell her as I pull back the curtain.

“Okay.” She shrugs, going back to her show.

Phew. That was close.

I turn and look out the window to Mac’s driveway and see that he’s still not home. He left work early today before we got paid, so I wasn’t able to give him the rent money. I know he knows I’m good for it, but I want to give it to him as soon as possible. That way, I don’t have to worry about it.

I absolutely hate freeloading. The sooner I pay him, the sooner the scales even out.

Scanning the street, I watch as the lady across the street waters her flowers. A man down the way shuffles through his mail as he walks back toward his house. In the other direction, I spot a car parked along the street.

Odd, I don’t think I’ve ever noticed anyone park on the street here. It’s not abnormal, though.

They are probably visiting the house they are parked in front of.

Before I can let my imagination get the best of me, my phone begins to ring.

Leaving the living room, I head into the kitchen and grab it from the island. A smile crawls across my face when I see her name.

“Hey, Bertha. How are you?” I say as soon as I answer.

“Hey! I’m all right, but I have a bone to pick with you,” she says, making my heart drop.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

I feel Tanner look over at me, but I ignore him.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just didn’t realize how quiet my truck was until I had you guys riding around with me for a while. I’m fucking lonely, and it’s all your fault,” she teases, making me relax.

“Aw, you miss us.” I laugh.

I look over at my son and give him a thumbs up, letting him know everything is okay. Frowning, he goes back to his schoolwork.

“I really do. I woke up this morning freezing, and I went to reach for Emily’s fuzzy blanket and realized that it’s not here anymore.”

“I’m sure you could find one,” I tell her as I head down the hall.

I love my kids, but I hate talking on the phone around them. I swear, as soon as I give someone else my attention, they want it.

“Probably, but it wouldn’t be the same. Now tell me what’s going on. How are the kids liking school?”