Ain't No Mountain High Enough

"Hotel California"

Unfortunately, the police weren't much help in getting my wallet back. Two weeks went by, and they hadn't found the guys who took it. By now they would have spent the fifty dollars that was in it, and they probably ditched the credit card when they realized they couldn't use it. At this point I had pretty much given up on it.

It wouldn't have done much good for us anyway.

A few days before Thanksgiving, Keto came home from school with wide eyes and a deathly pale face. I had been playing Dragon Quest 11, and I watched as he dropped his backpack on the floor, staring ahead like he was mentally in a completely different reality.

I paused my game. "Um...everything okay?"

Veronica poked her head out of the kitchen, worry in her eyes. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Keto finally acknowledged our presence. "Oh...guys," he said. He crashed on the sofa, and was clearly wanting to tell us something, but couldn't figure out how. I turned my wheelchair so I could face him.

"What's going on, man?"

Keto raked his fingers through his hair with one hand and revealed an envelope from his pocket with the other. "This," he said, handing it to me. It had already been opened, so all I had to do was pull the paper out of the envelope. I didn't like what I saw.

"We've missed too many payments," Keto explained as I read. "I allocated some money from the rent to pay for the car, since that was very late, and I thought we could handle the rent. But...guess I just expected you to get that job sooner."

"So...we have to leave?" Veronica asked. I looked up from the letter to see her usual cheery resolve crumbling. "Just...just like that?"

Keto shrugged. "We can't afford to stay here anymore."

"Surely we can work something out," I said as I handed Veronica the letter. "Maybe we can hold out until I get the job, and we could take out a loan until we're able to pay."

The guilt that filled Keto's eyes made me sick. "Actually...I already took out a loan once," he said. "To pay for the car, I mean, and for some of the medical bills. Not to mention all the legal stuff because of the accident."

My heart skipped at the mention of the accident. "How much money?"

Keto stammered for a moment before finally spitting it out. "Around...two thousand..."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Why didn't you just tell us? We should have discussed it first."

"Well, it's done now," said Veronica, huffing a sigh. "We've just got to figure out what to do now."

"We can discuss it with the landlord," I said sitting up straight. "Surely he'll let us hold off until I get this job. I'm sure they'll accept me any day now. The site said two to three weeks, anyway."

"Maybe," said Keto. He rubbed his hands over his face. "I'll talk to him, I guess."

I wasn't feeling that optimistic, and I could tell Keto and Veronica weren't either. We all agreed not to tell Arjun what was going on, because he'd only worry.

The next morning, Keto went to discuss things with the landlord, and around that same time I got an email from the company I had applied for. I was sitting in my room just chilling when I got the notification on my phone.

My heart dropped from anxiety as I tapped the email notification. It dropped further when I read what it had to say.

I had been rejected.

For the next few minutes, I could only stare at the email. Rejected?! How could that even be possible?! True, I wasn't out of college yet, but the site had said a degree was optional. Had someone else applied who did have a degree?

I shut off my phone and tossed it onto the bed. If I didn't have a good paying job, the plan of getting the landlord to give us some slack wouldn't work. But, maybe it wouldn't have worked in the first place.

Veronica came in holding a plate with a sandwich on it. "Hey, do you want lunch?" she asked. She paused when she saw my face, which must have looked pretty pitiful. "What's the matter?"

I rubbed my forehead with a sigh. "I didn't get the job," I said in a low tone. At first I didn't think she heard me, but then she bit her lip and nodded slowly.

"Right," she said, dragging out the word. "Well...if the landlord gives us some slack, you can find another job."

"Sure," I replied, monotone. But what was a good job that would pay well? Not to mention that I wanted to get back into college in the spring, and I would need a job I could work into my school schedule. Maybe it was good I got turned down for this job. Maybe it wouldn't have meshed well with school.

Veronica's normal, cheery smile reappeared on her face. "Well, I'm sure you'll find something." She took her sandwich and left, apparently forgetting that I never answered her question about lunch. Well, I wasn't hungry anymore anyway. Those days, I found myself not hungry most of the time.

I stayed in my room searching for other job opportunities until Keto returned from his meeting with the landlord. Heck, I didn't even have to leave my room to know what the outcome must have been, what with Keto announcing to us all in an overly aggressive shout: "The landlord has no heart!"

It was time to say goodbye to living on our own.

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Thank you for reading! Stay safe!

Listen to "Hotel California" by the Eagles!

Peace ✌️~ A.J.