Page 3 of Man Seeking Woman

Chapter One

Ella

Bill, bill, bill.

Flipping through the envelopes, final notice after final notice speared my brain. Tossing them onto the counter, I watched the dollar signs add up and my bank account go into the negative range.

Reaching the last envelope, it was hard not to see the large red stamp that read, 'Urgent Open Immediately.' Inhaling a large breath of air, I held it in as I slid my finger through the flap, peeling the edge away from the paper.

What's this one going to say?

In the back of my mind I knew it wasn't going to be a light and cheery letter. They wouldn't be offering me free money and I didn't have any rich, long lost relatives who left me their millions.

Unfolding the paper, I pressed my back against the counter as I let out the air I had been holding onto and started to read it.

Dear Ms. Day,

This letter is a formal notice that we are taking action due to recent lack of payment. Currently your balance due is in excess of ninety days. We are left with no choice but to send this information to collections. If you would like to dispute this claim, please contact Finley Collection Agency during their normal business hours. . .

The letter went on, but I didn't bother reading it any further. Folding it back up, I stuffed it into the torn envelope and threw it down on the counter.

It didn't matter what they chose to do, I wasn't going to dispute a damn thing, because they were right. I hadn't been paying all my bills like I should have, chosing to pay what I could when I could.

That was the recent story of my life. School loans, credit cards, rent, and everyday expenses were becoming too much for me to handle. But I wasn't ready to stick my tail between my legs and go back home.

Pushing the stack of bills away, I rested my elbows on the counter and pressed my fingertips against my temples. My head was already pounding with an angry headache and my stomach was tumbling with rocks I couldn't get rid of.

I felt defeated.

Something needs to give. I'll take anything at this point.

After graduating college, I had spent the last year looking for steady work. Had I known at the time that having a music degree would leave me struggling to find a job and with a hoard of school debt, I might have opted for a different major.

It was easy to think that now after so many failed attempts to get a permanent teaching position. Even a chance to work at the school of my dreams seemed impossible at this point.

I had been stuck filling in as a substitute. Which would be fine if there were dozens of teachers calling out regularly or going out on some sort of medical leave, but it wasn't like that. The teachers around here were like fucking machines, and there were a ton of other substitutes in the area already, all of us vying for the limited open spots that popped up on occasion.