“Behind on everything? We were.” Pam unwound the elastic band on the accordion file and opened it. Inside were dozens of papers: bills, letters, bank statements, a thick packet from Trinity Hospital. “Mark and I sold his bass boat and the four-wheeler. Got $9,200 for both. I’ve been picking up doubles at the nursing home since February. And Mark’s long-term disability got approved on appeal three weeks ago. They’re paying him back to December.”
She looked at me.
“Julie, when you called me that day in January, I hung up on you because I was ashamed. Not because I was mad. Because you were right.”
Pam sat down at the table. Her hands were shaking. She pulled a sheet of paper out of the accordion file. It was a list, handwritten in pen on lined notebook paper.
“I made a list,” she said. “Of everything. I want you all to see it. I’m not going to hide anything anymore.”
She slid it into the middle of the table so we could all read it.
October: Propane money from Rob, Dean, Julie, and me, $1,000. Paid co-op for 200 gallons, $408. Used the other $592 for Mark’s COBRA health insurance premium, because his work insurance stopped when his short-term disability ran out.
October through January: Mom’s checks, $1,400 a month, $5,600 total. Used for our mortgage. We were two months behind. The bank sent a letter saying they’d start foreclosure if we didn’t catch up.
January: Didn’t order a top-off. Told Mom the co-op was backed up. That was a lie.
