1
Crystal
Ishook my head as I lifted the banking and credit card statements off of the stack of bills sitting on my kitchen counter. It was hard to believe that I had amassed so much debt in so little time, but I couldn’t ignore the numbers any longer. Attending college in Hawaii had been a once in a lifetime experience. It had given me many fond memories — and student loan payments that left room for very little else in my budget. There were a million other things that I’d rather be doing, but if I ever wanted to own my own home or condo, then I couldn’t put off reevaluating my finances any longer.
After pouring myself another cup of coffee, I sank to the couch and peered out the bay window. If Annie hadn’t allowed me to live in this apartment rent-free, I would have had to work an extra part-time job to keep a roof over my head — as if I’m not already working enough.
Now that Annie was married into the Truman family, her yoga studio had become so popular that I was teaching back to back classes all day long.
Several months ago, after Annie and Richard had ironed things out between them, she moved into his mansion and was enjoying being the best mom ever to his daughter, Addison. I had to admit, the arrangement was working out great for me, too, since I was saving money on transportation. Plus, there was nothing like going from your bed to work in less than fifteen minutes.
Living above my job had its perks, but it still didn’t feel quite like home.
The kitchen stove had two burners. The countertops lacked space for a microwave, and the mini-fridge could only hold the bare essentials, like coffee creamer and yogurt — that was about it. I had gone from cooking for myself every night to protein bars and takeout.
As if having a cramped kitchen wasn’t bad enough, there wasn’t even room for a small table and chair. Most of the time, I ate in front of the living room window that looked out over the quaint downtown area of River Valley, California, like I was doing right now.
“You should be grateful for this place,” I whispered, trying to convince myself, and I was, to a point.
One of the benefits of living on the West Coast was the sunshine. That was the main reason I chose to attend school in Hawaii. I had lived in a studio apartment that was located right by the crystal-blue ocean. Every morning I walked outside and inhaled the fresh air, then had breakfast as I admired the waves crashing against the shore. My studio was located on a large estate whose owner only rented to college students for a small fee. I had been grateful that it also had a spacious backyard, where I often practiced yoga, watching the sunrise.
The closest thing I had to a yard in River Valley was a small, circular park at the end of the street.
My beautiful, beautiful studio in Hawaii was all I could think about as I stared at the pile of bills. Most people didn't miss the way they lived in college, and yet I would have given anything to keep experiencing that lifestyle post-graduation.
Lately, the reality of my situation had become a daily reminder of my student loan debt.
Despite my best efforts at lowering the interest rates, it would be years before I could afford to pay them off and purchase a home of my own. The financial representative had suggested that I put more toward the principal balance, but that would mean having to eat nothing but sodium-packed noodles.
I cupped my chin with my hand and let out a sigh. “I’ll never dig myself out of this hole.”
Then my phone went off and jolted me back to reality. One of the only people who called more than they texted was Annie.
“Hey, Girl!”
“I hope I didn’t wake you, Crystal.” Annie knew how I loved to sleep in on my days off.
“Not at all! I was going over some paperwork and needed a break anyway. How’s everything going?”
“Let’s just say, Julianna and I are getting our things together for tonight. I can’t wait. Already so many gifts have been delivered. Actually, I’m surprised so many people are getting stuff for Julianna too since this is her third child.”
“Well, it is a gender reveal/baby shower. That’s what you two decided on. No, pink and blue stuff… remember that was what was on the invitations.”
Annie, giggled, and I heard her lips smack. “What are you eating? It sounds sooo good.”
“A chocolate donut…I know, I’m bad. They were supposed to be for the kids.”
My stomach grumbled at the mention of donuts. “Yum, I’m surprised it’s not one of your donut flavored protein bars.”
“How’s it going today, you know? How are you feeling? Yesterday, you were so worried about your bills… and…what to do with your mom’s stuff.
I sniffed. “I struggle with it every day, Annie. I can’t believe that Mom didn’t tell me about her cancer for so long until it was too late.”
I choked back tears as I remembered those final few months.
“You know how your mom was, though. She didn’t want you to worry about her. Especially toward the end when she was in so much pain, Crystal.”
“I know. I still find myself reaching for the phone to tell Mom about my day.”
