Chapter 2 Being Poor

When we got home, Rebecca went straight to her room and fell into a deep sleep.

I sat on the couch, staring blankly at our tiny rental.

It was in one of the cheapest neighborhoods in the city, barely 320 square feet.

Not long ago, Madeline had said Rebecca was getting older and that we should save up for a bigger place.

Yet the groceries Matthew had casually bought today alone cost nearly as much as what we paid in rent for most of the year.

At midnight, I heard the door open.

Madeline walked in, back in the drab work uniform she usually wore.

If I had not seen her with my own eyes today, I might have actually been foolish enough to believe she'd spent the entire day working as a cleaner.

I spoke numbly. "So, were you afraid Rebecca would see you in a dress and realize you've been pretending to be poor?"

Madeline frowned, but she still patiently handed me the bag she had been carrying. It was stuffed with children's toys.

"Andrew, girls need to grow up without being spoiled if they're going to make something of themselves."

She paused, then her tone turned colder. "I was wrong to keep this from you, but you shouldn't have shown up in front of Matthew."

She thought I had deliberately gone there to provoke Matthew.

Something inside me snapped. I threw the shopping bag at her.

"If you hadn't been pretending to be poor, how could I not even afford to buy Rebecca the frozen fruit bar she wanted?"

The toys spilled across the floor. A receipt fell out.

Early-learning classes. Baby food. A car seat. Everything had been bought for Matthew's child.

The toys meant for Rebecca had been nothing more than free gifts.

I stared blankly at the mess scattered across the floor.

While other children were taking all kinds of enrichment classes, Rebecca could only sit around counting ants on the ground.

It was not until Madeline saw how Rebecca was being excluded by the other kids because of her shabby clothes, even getting called a beggar, that she had finally teared up and taken her to the mall to buy her a whole new wardrobe.

Those clothes had been too small for years, but Rebecca still insisted they were gifts from her mother and refused to throw them away.

Madeline kept altering them as she grew, and Rebecca wore them year after year.

Yet now, before Matthew's child had even been born, that baby was already getting everything Rebecca had ever dreamed of having.

A sharp pain twisted through my chest.

I stared at Madeline, my eyes turning red.

"Do you know what Rebecca said to me today? She said, 'I knew it was a mistake. My mommy couldn't possibly be that rich.'"

My voice was nearly hoarse as shame and guilt washed over me.

She was only six.

At an age when most children had not even developed an understanding of money, she had already realized that her parents were poor.

Even if growing up without being spoiled could help her succeed, why did it have to come at the cost of hurting her self-esteem?

Pain flashed through Madeline's eyes. "Andrew, I…"

"Is Mommy home?" Rebecca stood in the doorway, hugging her pillow, still half-asleep.

The moment she saw Madeline, her eyes lit up. "Mommy, it really is you!"

She ran into the kitchen and returned with something in her hands, holding it out proudly. "Try it!"

Madeline's eyes reddened when she saw the frozen fruit bar Rebecca was holding out.

She picked up the toys from the floor and spoke softly. "I bought these toys for you. Do you like them?"

Rebecca shook her head and threw her arms around Madeline.

"I don't like toys. I only like Mommy and Daddy. There's a Thanksgiving celebration at school tomorrow. Can you come with me, Mommy?"

Before Madeline could answer, her phone rang. When she saw Matthew's name on the screen, her expression hardened.

She gently patted Rebecca's head, a hint of impatience creeping into her voice. "I have to work. Have Daddy go with you."

She distractedly stuffed the toys into Rebecca's arms and hurried out.

I held back my tears and pulled our disappointed daughter into my arms.

…

The next morning, I took Rebecca to elementary school.

Every other child had a parent there with them. Rebecca was the only one standing alone in the corner.

My heart ached, but with tuition due soon, I forced myself to turn around and go to work.

Not long after, I suddenly got a call from her teacher. "Mr. Caldwell, you need to come to the school right away. Rebecca got into a fight with another student!"