Eternity
To teach me independence, my parents enforced a fifty-fifty rule from the time I was little.
Half the rent for my room. Half the cost of a breakfast sandwich.
Even when a high fever sent me to the ER, they added half the bill to my debt and reminded me,
"Get a summer job. Don't make a habit of owing people money."
I always believed they just wanted me to become independent.
Then my younger sister, Chloe, was born.
Whenever she broke something and owed Mom money, all she had to do was give her a kiss.
"All right, sweetheart. Debt paid."
When Chloe wanted piano lessons, she made Dad breakfast once, and he happily paid for an entire year.
But every dollar spent on me went straight into the family ledger.
On my eighteenth birthday, I looked at the cake and quietly asked Mom,
"Can I mow the lawn to cover my share?"
She frowned.
"Sophie, you pay what you owe. Don't look for shortcuts."
"You still owe us $1,704.08 from last month. When are you going to pay it back?"
I didn't answer. I only tightened my grip on the letter in my pocket offering me a full scholarship to New York University.
Soon.
Once I paid it off, my debt to this family would be settled. After that, I would never owe them another cent.