Chapter 8

Zoe was really quiet the next morning. We didn't say much to each other. I won't lie. I was starting to get nervous. I had thought the trip to Dr. Snider's went well, but clearly, there was some blow-back. We ate breakfast in silence and I excused myself to go home. It was Saturday and I could tell Zoe wanted some alone time.

As soon as I lay down on my bed, Tina burst into my room. She was clearly in a good mood.

"You won't believe what happened, yesterday."

I sat up as I asked, "What?"

"Steven Mertz asked me out."

"Who?"

"He's really popular. And he asked me out."

She was bouncing up and down.

"Great. I am happy for you."

"I have to call Zoe and tell her."

And with that, Tina bounced out of my room. I guess she and Zoe are friends, now.

I hadn't been to the Dojo at the previous week and didn't want to slide. I was working hard on the final steps to get my G4 grade. Krav Maga originally had a belt grading system similar to other martial arts, and that still kind of existed. But later there was a patch system instituted. Each belt covered several patches. There was P1 through P5, this was the Practitioner level. P5 was the first half of the Green belt. After the Practitioner patches, there was G1 through G5, which make up the Graduate category, which takes you through brown belt. Finally, there is the black belt that has all five of the patches for the expert grade. Getting my G4 would put me into brown belt and leave me one more patch before I was able to start working on Expert patches, which I really wanted to try. Expert grades cover more military type aspects and protection techniques.

I still had a few weeks until I could take my test, but I wanted to put in as much work as I could before it came time. I wanted to be ready. In the last hour, I got to spar some with one of the guys working on G5. I didn't hold my own, but that was to be expected against someone with more experience. I learned a few things though, and that really is the whole point.

By the time I got home I was tired and sweaty, but I wasn't moping about Zoe any more. I was still concerned but I had stopped feeling sorry for myself.

Dinner was strange. Margret had clearly been crying and she was really quiet. Tina glanced at me with a questioning look and then gave a head nod in Margret's direction.

"Umm, Margret. Is everything okay?"

She sniffled, "Yeah. Everything is fine."

"You have been crying. Something is wrong."

"Nothing for you guys to worry about. Some trouble at work. I got my hours cut. Don't worry, everything is okay."

She had finished eating so she put her plate into the sink and went up to her room. Tina did not look mollified.

"I don't think it's nothing."

"I agree. Let me think for a minute."

Asking Margret again would clearly not give us any answers. I went over to the table where we kept the mail and started digging through it. There were a bunch of bills, some of them different colors. I read each one, and learned that the different colored bills were past due.

"I think we have money problems."

"But, mom has a good job."

"Yeah, but I don't think we have the whole story. I don't think things are going well at her work, and the cut in hours means we will have less money to pay these bills."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know. Give me till tomorrow to talk to some people. I would leave your mom alone about this for right now, she is already upset. At least until we are sure there is nothing we can do."

Tina did not look confident, "I guess. But we are kids, what can we do?"

"I don't know."

It took me a very long time to fall asleep.

Sunday had passed with me trying to work out a plan in my head. We went to church and afterwards I did some yard work and helped clean up around the house. It was a productive day even if my mind was not in the work.