73

Jason Davenport

I let out a victorious yelp as I fixed that last nail in the shed. It'd taken nearly a week to round everything up. I couldn't count how I'd dismantled everything and started all over. And finally I was through. I stood to the side not believing I'd done it all on my own. Bill stood by my side, congratulating me, patting my back and cheering me on.

"Good job, Jason," He smiled. "She's beautiful."

I beamed, looking down at my callused palms. I'd done this all alone. For the first time in my life I'd achieved something without help from anyone.

I quickly swiped the tears that were beginning to form away and dug my hand into my back pocket. I'd managed to scrap up a hundred dollars in total. It still wasn't enough to get a cot but I was proud of myself. I would keep working. I'd work until I could afford to get the baby a good present.

I carefully cleaned up the chicken coop and reintroduced the animals into the new shed. Quickly, so I could run up to t