Coping with Life

A family of three somehow manages to make it through the month with an income that wouldn't satisfy one person. How do they do it? They learned to cope with everything that life throws them. Mom (Amanda) does the worrying, dad (Josh) does the overgrown kid act and the baby (Marie), well, she's just the baby.

Dad spent a couple years unemployed. When he found a job a few months after first losing his job it last a week. Then it took another year to find a job that last two months. At least this time he didn't lose his job, it was for the duration of the school year and there were only two months left. The summer is where the problem came in.

Summer vacation, those two months kids dream about from the time the first bell rings. This particular year it left a family dependent on unemployment and writing income once again. Of course after such a long time on unemployment the benefits were nearly gone and the extensions gone. Depression was quick to set in for Amanda while Josh and Marie still failed to see the full meaning of what was to come.

It was during this time that Amanda began to think cleaning out what little bit of savings she had to pay for a divorce was a good idea. She was tired of having to do everything regardless of whether or not Josh was home. He managed to sleep more than anyone she knew all the while claiming he knew what needed to be done.

The arguments escalated until Amanda couldn't take it anymore. She took baby Marie and left in the night. Her meager savings was all she had to get them by. She was somehow less burdened knowing how much money she had and that it had to last as long as possible. Writing was her only source of income, even though it was meager it was better than dealing with Josh acting like an overgrown two year old.

Two Years Later

Amanda got the divorce and full custody of baby Marie. Where Josh is today she has no idea. Seems he wasn't grown like he had believed and he ran off to fulfill his need for acting like a teenager. Amanda put Marie in preschool and spends all her free time working from home. Leaving Marie with a sitter isn't an option.

Amanda hasn't been out with friends since she left Josh but she's happy with her life. Despite the long hours, sleepless nights and calls from debt collectors she's happier than she's ever been before. It seems that getting rid of her stress triggers made her happier than she'd ever been before.