Money - Fiction

 

They walked into the high end shopping center with the intent of taking a nice stroll indoors and out of the approaching rainstorm. As they walked by the myriad of stores, she allowed her gaze to linger a bit longer than normal at the expensive purses, clothing, and bath products that smelled of clean sheets and bamboo. She grew up in a world in which one simply pulled out their American Express to make a purchase, then met up with friends at a local restaurant. Instead, she walked by the stores without going inside, mainly because she was broke. In choosing her own path rather than the one she was previously on to appease everyone else, she soon learned what it meant to not have enough. Even though she had a roof over her head, three good meals a day, and a clean and warm bed to sleep in, she was still broke. Sometimes, she would creep out of her bed and into the living room, where she would cry for an hour over not being to pay for anything. Those thoughts haunted her as they walked by Brooks Brothers, Neiman Marcus, and other stores. Suddenly, a smile crept across her face - if the only reason why I want more money is to buy things I don't need, then why do it?, she thought. Her pace slowed down somewhat as that thought sunk into her brain and her soul. Thrift stores were her friend in purchasing clothes, and the library gave her more than enough choices in terms of books to read. She used what little money she had to support her small yet sturdy business and in turn, received a steady line of repeat customers. However, the bigger picture was that she was free. Free from being burdened with shit that held her down and offered nothing in terms of her growth. She smiled even wider as she resumed her previous pace with her boyfriend.