In Heat

Emma

I Sat at the kitchen table, gently tapping my pencil on the books sprawled out in front of me.

As perused the page, my eyes widened in shock. The prices of fodder had once again soared, now three times higher than when I last bought it. “This can’t be happening,” I muttered to myself, flipping through the papers to find the number I’d hastily jotted down. “How did things deteriorate so quickly?”

My Mom entered the kitchen, holding a glass of whisky, her yellow straight-cut dress giving her a formal appearance. Unsteadily, she leaned on the counter, looking different, having lost weight. Her luscious brown hair cascaded down her back in waves, and her dark brown eyes gleamed with a sense of pride.

“I’m fine, Mom. Just trying to figure out these enormous numbers,” I sighed, dropping my hands in frustration. “I don’t know what to do.”

Mom downed the whisky in one swig, slamming the glass on the counter. “Or maybe you don’t have to do anything,” she remarked, pulling a Chair ba