Wealth, Health, and Success

Chapter One

Just because things are alright didn't mean they couldn't be better. The first of the month was quickly approaching, and before rent could be paid, a series of bills were due, ensuring more month at the end of the money. It was the 21st of September and the past twenty days were H-E double hockey sticks. Nothing seemed to go right, and the couple couldn't stop fighting. Love had blinded them from their baggage and issues, especially their financial problems.

Amelia came from a family where hard work, multiple jobs, and paying bills came first. Their family was happy to sit down together at night. Her father ate at work in the evening or the morning before everyone awoke. The children's only care in the world was hurrying home from school to do their homework to watch a bit of TV before tucking in for bed. Life was always stable and routine; she never heard her parents complain about bills, only about having no time.

Dereck was a born risk taker. His parents divorced when he was in his early teens. Both had their own lives to work through. He learned from his father to earn a living. His father always found a way to provide and earn a living. Yes, both his parents worked stable jobs but faced the same issues. The department lost funding, the company decided to shut down, or lay-offs were necessary to save some other aspect. His father's entrepreneurial spirit seemed to be harshly essential upon discovering there was no security within a job, only dependence or fear. His mother worked the same comfortable job for decades. The older Dereck got, the deeper his parents' ideological opposition became. His father wanted liberty, and his mother wanted more respect. Dereck learned his lessons and moved away from home to find his way in life.

Before meeting Amelia, Dereck lived by the seat of his pants. He relied on his wit and charm to find work around campus. When he felt unappreciated, he would quit without warning and found a new job without any complaints. It would be a few weeks or months without a steady income, but he was too busy enjoying life to notice. Money didn't control him, and fear of money wouldn't rule his life! When he was a bachelor new to college, it meant nothing. Living with Amelia, who worked daily, made him feel emasculated and humiliated.

They fought endlessly on Dereck, wanting to leave the relationship as quickly as he left home or his jobs. If he knew Amelia loved him, it would likely change. Dereck believed he couldn't allow anyone to ruin his mood or dreams. As much as Dereck cared for them all, they had their own lives to live. They would be fine. He wanted a life he had only seen others live, a life that the bills and poverty made seem two lifetimes away.

Amelia never understood how he would rather spend his time reading, watching hour-long videos, and working on the computer than going to work or partying. She felt the same pressure from her parents, struggling for time together. Dereck has only learned one solution to relationship issues. So, with every argument, Dereck packed a bag to leave off on another adventure to add to his experience. He wasn't his father or mother. Their solution wasn't for him anymore. He was only here because he wanted new answers to an age-old problem.

Amelia only wanted him to get a typical job, so they were guaranteed to handle their bills. Dereck wanted her to open her mind to other reliable streams of income. Dereck didn't believe his career helped. She buried him in job applications for minimum wage jobs. In response, he showed her videos and books about entrepreneurship. Dereck said a job could do nothing for him.

He felt Amelia had no value or respect for him without a job. Amelia couldn't wrap her head around finding time to spend her paycheck or starting a business with a 50% chance of failing to gain experience. Their fighting never reached any fruition; thus, their financial issues worsened. The first of the month passed, and they weren't on speaking terms to strategize paying bills or talking with their landlord.

The first late payment passed. Dereck had been learning from all the resources at his disposal. He built outside college at the library or found money through odd jobs and using the skills. He refused to tell Amelia, believing that she didn't even deserve his time if she couldn't love him for him. As the bill collectors called, he would reluctantly offer to cover half. When his manhood was brought into question by the bill collectors, he would pay the total amount. It was killing him and his savings.