Adrian waved a hand, completely unbothered.
"Relax, mine's safe and sound. Locked up in Mom's cabinet."
The next day, Mom threw a college-bound celebration party for Adrian.
She booked three or four tables at the cheap little restaurant downstairs.
At the party, relatives crowded around, congratulating her.
"Wow, scoring that high! You must've hit the jackpot with this one!"
Mom picked up a piece of braised pork and popped it into her mouth.
"She just got lucky. Blind luck, that's all."
"My son's the real hard worker. Up studying past midnight every single night."
A relative asked, "So where are you planning to send Sophie? With scores like that, she could get into any Ivy League school she wants, right?"
Mom waved dismissively, dabbing at her greasy lips with a napkin.
"She's not going. Girls don't need all that education."
I happened to walk over just then, carrying a bottle to refill everyone's drinks, and smiled along with her.
"That's right, I'm done with school. Once the fall semester starts without me, I'll be eighteen. Perfect timing to get a job."
My voice was pitched just right, loud enough for the whole table to hear.
Every face at the table shifted. Eyes darted between me and Mom, uneasy.
But no one said another word.
Only Aunt Donna Pearson couldn't hold back. She tugged at Mom's sleeve, her voice dropped low.
"Are you out of your mind? Sophie's grades are incredible, and you won't let her go to college?"
"That girl worked herself to the bone for years. Keeping her from an education is going to come back on you, I swear."
Mom shook her hand off without a care, and her voice rose instead, pitched loud enough for the entire room.
"More school won't do her any good! Better to start working early and actually earn some money."
"College grads are a dime a dozen these days. They all come out making the same lousy salary anyway."
"I'm doing her a favor. The sooner she gets out in the real world, the better!"
I was past the point of arguing with her.
My gaze swept over her smug face and landed on Aunt Donna.
Donna's eyes were full of sympathy and helplessness. Her lips moved like she wanted to say something, but in the end she just sighed and patted the back of my hand.
That one small touch sent a sharp sting straight to the bridge of my nose, and my vision blurred.
I dropped my head fast, blinking hard, forcing the ache back down.
When I looked up again, the calm smile was already back in place. I picked up the gift ledger and started recording.
"Uncle, your gift was five hundred, right? Let me write that down."
The party ended. The floor was a mess of scraps and spills.
Mom sat happily at the gift table, licking her thumb, counting and recounting the thick stack of cash.
Her eyes were squeezed into pleased little crescents.
I stayed off to the side, clearing dishes in silence, mopping the greasy floor.
Adrian sidled up and threw his arm around Mom's neck, wheedling.
"Mom, you promised! Once the gift money came in, you'd buy me the full Apple setup!"
Mom beamed, eyes crinkling, and without a second's hesitation pulled out a thick wad from the stack and pressed it into Adrian's hand.
"Here! My boy wants something, my boy gets it!"
The wad was fat. Nearly two-thirds of everything she'd collected.
Adrian whooped, snatched the money, and bolted.
Mom finished counting what was left, satisfied, and tucked it into her own wallet.
She glanced over at me, still mopping, and frowned.
"What are you looking at? None of this is yours!"
I knew. Not a single dollar out of that pile would ever have anything to do with me.
Just like every day for the past eighteen years.
"Now that I've got the gift money settled, it's time we squared up your account."
"Come on. Let's go through your bill. You want a payment plan, or you paying it all at once?"
I froze.
She actually kept a ledger?
Mom bent down, pulled open the bottom drawer of the TV stand, and took out a hardcover notebook.
