Breadwinner Novels & Stories

In the early days, I'd rise before dawn to source inventory, often standing at my stall until dusk without a single sale. Then I'd ridden the e-commerce boom, scaling up into a thriving business that lifted our family out of hardship. Andrea burrowed deeper into Fiona's arms. "Ease up on Claudia. She is the breadwinner of our family." Her words were like gasoline on Brent's macho pride, his face contorting as veins pulsed in his forehead. "Breadwinner? What's a few bucks from peddling rags gonna do?" he snorted. My eyes met Andrea's, and I caught the triumphant sparkle in them.

I grip the money with my now numb fingers, swallowing the lump rising in my throat, less than one hundred and fifty dollars to my name, a sick child to care for, a drunk mother in a collapsing house, and no one, absolutely no one, to lean on. The day I married Brian, I never imagined an ending like this , but here I am, broken, humiliated and starting again from below zero, at rock bottom, and yet somehow, there’s still more to lose, because the worst hasn’t even happened yet.

She moved quietly, eyes constantly scanning, always alert. I saw the hunger in her cheeks, the way she looked longingly at the empty breadbox on the porch. I asked her about her favorite foods, and she just shrugged. “Bread. And sometimes, my papa brings me an apple.” The father told me his story, how his wife had tricked him out of their savings, vanished with a stranger, left them with nothing but debt and hard land. He worked two jobs, farmed all night, did his best, but he couldn’t give Tessa what she deserved.

I knew I shouldn't be teasing her right now, but I just couldn't help it. "Fine! Sorry. Now let's go get something to eat, I'm starving already." <><><><><> Since nothing goes for nothing, to eat a decent meal nowadays you had to work for it. Literally work for it. Ever since we'd been sacked from Madam Agnes's bar, we'd been living a nearly hand-to-mouth life. Now we have to supply freshly baked bread round the whole town to earn us a day's meal. Old man Ayer has been very generous to us. He owned a small bakery where he sells good pastries, so we helped him sell them by distributing to people. The more we sold, the more commission we got. Along side with his only daughter Ragnila, we were

She didn't have their money yet. She was working so hard but what she earned was almost not enough to feed herself and her baby. "Heather Hillary, you're yet to pay us what you owe us!" A slender man said, walking out of the shadows. He approached her, running his finger along her chin. She shivered. "I'm sorry, I'm working as hard as I can. I will pay you." She spoke with trembling voice. "With the little money you earn from your odd jobs, I'm afraid it would take a lifetime for you to pay us." He scrunched his nose in disgust.

He did not panic, did not overwhelm me. He said, "It's okay hey it's okay don't force it " but how could I not how could I just sit here and accept that I did not even know who I was. My breathing became uneven my fingers gripping the sheets tightly I whispered, "I don't know my name how is that okay?" He said, "Because it happens head injuries can do that temporary memory loss it does not mean its gone forever."

In a small town, where the bus stopped for a while, a store keeper squeezed at me in displeasure as i stretched out my arm through the window for bread. “That’s all I can afford,” i said, giving her two coin pieces. “That’s half the price ma,” the woman said and smiled in a mocking manner. “You want to steal from my children’s mouths?” “I… I’m sorry. Please. I have barely eaten anything since morning.” I stuttered “Not my trouble. Pay or leave.” A man in bus said under his breath, “Pathetic Omegas, always begging.” My cheeks burned. I dropped the bread, muttering, “Drop it back. I don’t want it again”

Just about every teenager in the country had a cell phone and here she was a once married woman and she couldn't afford a landline. "Are you telling me that that jackass skinned you in the divorce?" The old woman's chest puffed up like she was ready to explode. She didn't bother to answer, what was there to say? At least she didn't need Internet service to write, and now because of Ms. Thompson's generosity she could write to her heart's content. "It's nothing really Ms. Thompson, I'll be fine. I have a little money put away, I just don't want to waste it on anything unless it's necessary." Yes, because I have to do things like eat and keep that leaky roof over my head.

********************** opening the door, there he was dressed in loose pants and a t shirt, ear puds, all sweaty, looking as magnificent as ever, his hair were damp and alluring, drooping down his face “ good morning beautiful” “ morning” He makes his way into the room, didn't imagine having someone over, anyone but the lopz, axel lopez the famous billionaire, “ seems you are up for a feast ” he said as he surveys the long tray asher had sent to me, “ uhm, its uhm breakfast”.

Mia was the owner of her day and time today and she was on a mission to make sure they both used it well. She poured coffee into her cup and sipped before going on with the task of placing butter and bacon on a slice of bread and covering it with another. Aaron and Avery had eaten four out of the six batches she had made and she was on the seventh when Mia walked in, dressed in the clothes she had brought out only that the sneakers were white this time around and not black.