Katie sighed, but when she heard the total, she still nodded. “I’ll earn it. I’ve already done the math.” “What about the fabric?” Mrs. Olsen asked. “That may cost even more than my labor. Hold on a second.”
The woman rummaged through her sewing bag and pulled out a plastic card. “Here. It’s my store discount card. They’ll knock ten percent off at the fabric shop. Don’t thank me. Every girl ought to have one nice new thing for prom.”
Katie smiled and thanked her anyway. Life didn’t hand her many breaks, so even that small kindness felt enormous. The beautiful fabric waited for its moment, and the needed buttons and zipper were already tucked away on the top shelf of the closet.
All that was left was to hand over the material and pay Mrs. Olsen half up front. To Katie’s surprise, her mother quietly slipped her the money she needed for the deposit. The important thing was to keep both the cash and the fabric hidden from Frank.
Once Frank finally started snoring—he went to bed early because he had to be up by five—Max happily crawled out from under the couch. The whole house relaxed. Katie headed to the community center, and her mother sat down to her side work.
Despite Frank’s strict rules, Susan earned money online in secret. Using a small laptop, she wrote term papers and tutoring materials for clients. She had, after all, spent ten years teaching English before her husband had decided there was no reason for his wife to have a job.
That hard-saved money was what made Katie’s dream dress possible. On her way to work one evening, she unexpectedly ran into Mason. He smiled and stopped beside her.
Katie was surprised. Usually they exchanged little more than a quick hello in passing. “Did you hear the news? A real journalist from New York is coming to our club the day after tomorrow.” Katie hadn’t heard a thing. Between work and Brittany’s constant presence, she had mostly stopped going.
“I had no idea. Is he actually good?” she asked. “Good? He’s excellent. He’s interviewed major politicians, celebrities, the whole deal. The guy’s incredibly well-read.”
“He’s older now, sure, but he’s got stories for days,” Mason said, clearly impressed. “Do you really want to be a journalist?” Katie asked with a warm smile. She herself dreamed of becoming a translator or maybe an English teacher.
