Chapter Eleven

It was very early in the morning when Arianna and Tommy woke up to pick vegetables and fruits from their garden at the back of the house to sell.

The day seemed no different from past days except Tommy now worked beside her… somber, quiet, and very focused.

Tommy was the one who actually started selling fresh produce from their garden, but he hadn't done this for a while now. The money they earned was enough for food but could not completely provide for his needs in school and their mother's regular medicine prescriptions, and it frustrated him.

He said it was too slow a job to earn money, and he started trying to find odd jobs from other farmers or commercial establishments in town who would let him work before or after school, even though he was just fourteen.

Unfortunately, their mother had to be confined for a mild stroke and this really scared both of them. That was when he told her he would quit school. They were paying in installments for the hospital bill already, and though sh