SIXTEEN

On arrival, I found my mom waiting near the exit, her face a mix of relief and worry. I walked over to her, and she pulled me into a tight hug

"Wendy, thank God you're here," she said, her voice breaking.

"I'm here, Mom," I replied, trying to sound strong. "We'll figure this out."

We walked to her car in silence, the weight of our situation hanging heavy between us. As we drove, she filled me in on the details of Karen's arrest, her voice shaking as she spoke. The more I heard, the more my heart broke for my sister. Karen had been dating a guy who turned out to be a drug dealer. The police found a stash in her apartment, and she was caught in the crossfire.

"She swears they're not hers, Wendy. She's a good girl," my mother said, tears in her eyes.

"I know, Mom. We'll get her out," I said, trying to sound confident.

When we finally pulled up to the house where I used to live with Char, I felt a wave of nostalgia, the familiar scent of home hit me, bringing back a flood of memories. Char had done her best to keep the place up.

Char was waiting for us inside, her face lighting up when she saw me. She pulled me into a hug, and for a moment, the weight of the world lifted. We were together, and that was a start.

Over the next few hours, we pieced together what we could. We pooled our money, contacted anyone who might help, and tried to make sense of the mess Karen was in. It wasn't much, but it was a start. And as long as we had each other, I knew we could get through anything.

As the night wore on, I sat with Char and my mother, feeling the warmth of their presence. We talked about Karen, about our plans, and about the future. It wasn't going to be easy, but we were a family. And together, we could face anything.

For the first time in days, I felt a glimmer of hope. We had a long road ahead, but at least we were on it together. And as I drifted off to sleep that night, I knew that no matter what happened, we would find a way to make it through.

The next day, we were all at it again, trying to raise the money. It wasn't exactly easy raising money at the last minute and I couldn't let my sister spend another night in jail. Through it all, I realized mom hadn't contributed a dime. I turned to my mother as we sat down in the cramped living room. "Do you have any money at all, Mom? Anything we can use for Karen's bail?"

She looked down, fidgeting with her hands. "I told you, Wendy, I don't have much. I've been barely getting by."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "We need twenty thousand dollars. I've managed to gather some, but it's not enough. We need to pool everything we have."

"I know that!" she snapped. "But I don't have anything to give!"

Frustration bubbled up inside me. "Mom, this is Karen's life we're talking about! You have to have something."

Her eyes flashed with anger. "Oh, so now it's my fault? You're the one with the big job in the movie business. Why don't you have more saved up?"

"Mom, you know it's not that simple. I have expenses, I have debts—"

"Debts? What kind of debts could you possibly have? You're just selfish, Wendy. Always thinking about yourself."

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Mom, please. We need to focus on Karen right now."

Char walked in, looking concerned. "Hey, I managed to pull together some money from Karen's savings which she gave me access to and what I had stashed away. It's not much, but it's something."

She handed me a stack of bills, and I quickly counted it. Between what Char had given, Karen's savings, and what I could scrape together, it came to just over fifteen thousand dollars. We were still short by nearly five thousand.

"It's not enough," I said, my voice cracking. "We're still short."

My mother stood up, her face red with anger. "You see? This is what I'm talking about. You can't even take care of your own family."

I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. "Mom, I'm trying. I'm doing everything I can. But it's not enough."

"Not enough? You're a big shot now, Wendy. You should have more than enough. You're just selfish. You always have been."

"That's not fair, Mom. I've always tried to help."

"Tried? Trying isn't good enough. Your sister is sitting in jail because you can't figure this out."

Her words stung like a slap to the face. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't feel guilty every single second?"

Char stepped between us, her voice firm. "Enough! This isn't helping anyone. We need to figure out a solution, not tear each other apart."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "She's right. We need to focus on Karen. Mom, please, if you have anything—any savings, anything at all—we need it."

My mother sat back down, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Wendy. I don't have anything left. I've been struggling to keep up, to keep food on the table and you haven't been helping"

I sighed knowing arguing with her was no use, feeling the weight of the situation crushing me, I finally muttered "We'll figure it out. We have to."

Char sat down on the other side of my mother, wrapping an arm around her. "We'll get through this together. We'll find a way."

For the next few hours, we brainstormed, trying to come up with any way to raise the remaining money. I even considered selling some of my belongings. It was a long shot, but we didn't have any other options. As night fell, we were all exhausted. My mother had gone to bed, and Char and I sat in the living room, sipping on cups of tea.

"Do you think we'll be able to do it?" Char asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But we have to try. For Karen."

Char nodded, her eyes filled with determination. "We'll figure something out. We always do."b