Alyssa's Journey

Chapter 5

Week by week, Alyssa changed her father's bandages, fed him soup, and kept him company while Mrs. Carter sewed dresses to earn income. Things did not run as smoothly after that.

"Darlings, I have some bad news," Mrs. Carter said as she came in one day.

"What?" Alyssa and Mr. Carter asked in unison. Alyssa ushered Mrs. Carter over and she took a seat, sighing in despair.

"The dress-making...isn't producing as much money as I thought. We need to cut back on some things if we want to make do," Mrs. Carter said, tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry. I've failed you. I thought I could provide, but..." The tears spilled over and Mrs. Carter buried her face in her hands. Alyssa wrapped her arms around her mom, and Mrs. Carter leaned into the hug, kissing the top of Alyssa's head.

"Honey...you've done such a good job taking care of us," Mr. Carter said. "You have in no way let us down. Please know that we love you and we are grateful for what you've done for this family."

"Thank you," Mrs. Carter whispered up at him, giving Alyssa and him a big hug. "Now. Are you ready to stand for the first time in months?" Mr. Carter nodded and swallowed hard. He took his wife's hand and she slowly and carefully pulled him up to a pair of crutches Dr. Ross had dropped off earlier in the day. Mr. Carter sucked in a breath.

"Are you okay, Dad?" Alyssa asked.

"I'm fi-"

BANG BANG BANG! Someone pounded on the door. Hard. BANG BANG! Mrs. Carter ran to the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she shouted, swinging the door open.

"Is this the residence of Paul and Bethany Carter?" the man asked.

"Y-yes. May I ask who you a-"

"Ma'am, I've come to inform you of your unpaid property taxes. I'm afraid you must pay them soon, or you could lose this house," he interrupted.

"I-I actually need to speak to someone about that. You see, my husband is injured, and I'm afraid I can barely pay right now-"Mrs. Carter started.

"Mom? Is everything okay?" Alyssa said, who had walked over from the living room.

"Yes-yes. Just go back to Dad. I'll discuss this with him later." She shooed Alyssa away and continued talking to the man in a hushed whisper. Alyssa went back to the couch and several moments later, she and Mr. Carter heard the door close, and Mrs. Carter walked in.

"Alyssa...please go upstairs. Your father and I need to talk. Alone." Alyssa walked up the steps, stopping at the top to listen to their conversation. She only picked up on a few sentences, but the last one she heard her mother whisper was the worst thing Alyssa could've heard in that moment.

"We're going to lose the house."