“Hey, Mom,” Mike said softly, setting his bag on the table.
Kaila offered a faint smile. “How was work, sweetheart?”
“Don’t push yourself so hard, Mike. I can’t bear to see you shouldering this all alone.”
Mike swallowed hard, determined not to let her see the crushing burden weighing him down.
“It’s nothing, Mom,” he forced a smile. “I’ve got it under control.”
She nodded, though they both knew it was a far – fetched pretense.
Mike retreated to his room, where unopened envelopes were haphazardly piled on his desk. Those were the bills he dreaded opening.
He stood by the window, lost in thought about his dismal life.
Why does it cost so much just to survive? he wondered.
Even with insurance, the bills piled up at a rate far exceeding his ability to scrape together money.
He thought about the paltry savings he had left, barely enough to cover next month’s rent, let alone the mounting hospital bills.
That’s when his eyes landed on a dusty box in the corner of the room. Inside, a Bible lay untouched for years.
“You just had to be so stubborn and petty, didn’t you, Grandma?” Mike muttered, shaking his head in frustration.
His grandmother, Grace, had been the family’s matriarch. She was stubborn, deeply devout, and unwavering in her faith.