“My mom’s gone,” Marcus blurted out. “I don’t think she’s coming back either.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Reese asked.
“Not today. Maybe some other time,” Marcus said.
“Fair enough,” Reese said, looking once again at her phone. “Okay, this one’s a little deeper. Would you rather have more time or more money? A is more time, B is more money.”
All four kids immediately raised green paddles. Money.
Roan and Reese raised blue. Time.
“Why money?” Reese asked. “Anyone want to share?”
Emma answered first, her paddle still raised. “Because time doesn’t matter if you can’t afford to do anything with it.” Her voice was matter-of-fact, but anger flickered in her eyes. “My parents fight about money constantly. Everything’s about finances. Who pays for what? Who gets the house? Who pays for my college? My mom stopped working when she had me, and now she’s probably going to have to get some awful job because my dad’s saying he won’t give her a dime.” She lowered her paddle to her lap.
“Your mom needs help,” Reese said. “Do you think you could encourage her to go to therapy? It might be a way for her to work through her feelings of abandonment.”
Roan’s stomach churned with guilt. Had Reese had to go to therapy after he left? From the way she said it, he guessed yes.
Marcus spoke next, his voice soft, paddle clutched in both hands. “Money means not wondering where you’re sleeping. Or if there’s food tomorrow.” He said it without self-pity, just stating facts.
Julia placed her paddle over her stomach. “Money means I could get an apartment of my own. Take care of my baby without living off my grandma’s social security. Actually go to college like I planned.”
“Are you talking to your parents at all?” Emma asked. “Will they come around, do you think?”
“Nah. My mother’s furious. My dad’s ashamed, ” Julia said. “Grandma’s the only one still speaking to me in the family, but she’s not exactly happy I’m living there.” Julia sniffed, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with the rumpled napkin. “But whatever. I’ll figure it out.”
“You will,” Emma said, reaching out to squeeze Julia’s hand. “You’re super smart.”
“Why do you say that?” Julia asked.
“I had debate class with you last year,” Emma said. “You were always the best one. Quick on your feet.”
“Oh, well, thanks. That was a fun class.” Julia looked up at the ceiling for a moment, taking in a deep breath. “I wanted to go to law school.”
“You still can, just maybe not on the same timeline as you thought,” Reese said. “Even if it seems impossible right now, you can’t give up on your dreams.”
“Yeah, we’ll see,” Julia said.
“Cody?” Reese asked, turning toward him. “What about you?”
They all looked at Cody, waiting. He stared at his half-eaten pizza, his paddle slack in his hand.
“If my dad hadn’t lost his job, I might not be in the system. After my mom died, my dad started drinking. Lost his job. Lost our house. Lost custody of me. The state took me and stuck me in a foster home.” He looked up, his eyes hard. “So yeah. Money.”
“Roan, why’d you pick time?” Julia asked.
Roan glanced at Reese, then back at Julia. “I’d give anything to see my mom one more time. Talk to her. Tell her I love her.”
The kids were all still, watching Roan.
“When you’re my age, you realize how fast it all goes,” Roan said. “And you look back on mistakes you made and wish you could go back and fix them.”
“But you can’t,” Julia said.
“That’s right,” Roan said.
Reese spoke next, her voice soft, looking down at her blue paddle. “Time just keeps speeding up, the older you get. I thought I’d be in a different place in my life than I am right now.”
