Crushed by Debt, Forbidden to Die
After stumbling into the booth, I dug out a single coin from the depths of my pocket.
It was a dollar coin. It was also my very last dollar.
I inserted the coin into the payphone, and it made a loud, clear clinking sound. Then, I shakily keyed in the phone number that I could memorize in my sleep.
The call connected.
I thought I heard the sound of people playing poker, accompanied by festive Christmas music playing softly in the background.
"All-in!"
"Call!"
"Yes, I won this time! Pay up!"
I could hear Mom's voice coming through the line so loudly that her voice became distorted in my ears.