Chapter 7
Ajori
Icracked my back and stared at the glowing words on the screen:
Health Systems Management—Week 7 Discussion Post
When I graduated high school,everything felt possible. I went straight to college and finished my bachelor’s in psychology by 22,right on schedule. It was supposed to be the beginning of something—a career, stability, maybe even a real adulthood—but life laughed in my face.
That’s the year Kyrin started becoming very sickly, and also the year Vanessa decided to start with her disappearing acts. Bills didn’t wait, and a psychology degree didn’t mean shit when your five-year-old brother needed you to be nurse, mom, guardian, and provider all at once. So I put my degree on the shelf—literally—and let it collect dust while I worked shifts that tore my body up and drained my soul. But at27, when things finally stopped collapsing long enough for me to breathe, I enrolled again, part-time, online.
I chose Healthcare Administration because I’d spent countless hours in hospitals, I watched doctors talk around families like they weren’t even human, I saw how one mistake in paperwork can ruin someone’s life, and because when Kyrin asks, “Are we gonna be okay when you graduate?” I want to be able to say yes.
My desk was drowning in textbooks, highlighters, sticky notes, and a cold cup of coffee I should’ve reheated three hours ago. I took a sip of old coffee and made a face.
At this point, it was iced coffee by force.
I typed a sentence, deleted it, and typed again. The cursor blinked like it was tired of my shit.
“Healthcare systems,” I muttered, massaging my temple, “are designed to confuse people who don’t have time to be confused.”
My eyes wandered to the card that Marcos had given me three days ago. It sat on the counter between the coffee maker and the stack of unpaid bills. I told myself I wasn’t desperate enough to use it… at least not yet.
I exhaled, rolled my shoulders, and forced myself to keep going.
One sentence at a time… one assignment at a time…. one day closer to graduation… one day closer to a career where I didn’t have to choose between food or bills.
If only life would let me get there before it threw something else at me.
I checked my direct deposit before my shift at the store, expecting right at five hundred dollars. Instead, $302 stared back at me.
“The fuck?”
I logged into my payroll account fast, thinking maybe the system glitched.
It hadn’t.
I had a wage garnishmentfrom a collection service, and an attached note was included.
Outstanding balance recovered on delinquent credit account.
I didn’t even need to guess whose mess it was.
Vanessa.
Years ago, she’d opened a credit card in my name, swearing she’d keep up with the payments. I’d forgotten all about it… until now that my paycheck was bleeding because of her.
By the time I clocked out, my head was pounding. That money was supposed to cover the light bill, gas for the week, and the internet. Now it would barely last the weekend.
Lainey tried to talk me down over the phone. “Jo, you know your mama—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” I snapped, pacing our small kitchen. “This isn’t some night out she forgot to invite me to; this is my money—money for bills! She’s out there somewhere sipping champagne while I’m over here deciding between paying Duke Energy or putting gas in the car!”
“Jo—”
“I’ll call you later.”
I hung up before the heat in my voice turned into something uglier, and I said something I couldn’t take back. I already knew Lainey was about to text me in all caps.