“Well?” Noah asked.
I held up the enrollment packet. “I’m going to apply.”
They shouted so loudly the neighbor’s dog started barking. They hugged me so hard I nearly lost the papers under the couch.
That evening, we talked about the tin. I told the boys I wanted most of it saved for their own futures. They protested right away.
“Mom, it’s yours!”
“No,” I said. “You earned it, and you’re going to need it.”
Kevin offered a compromise that all four of us could live with. Most of the money would go into a savings account for the boys. But if I was accepted, a small portion could buy my textbooks and supplies. That way, they would still be part of my journey without carrying the weight of paying for it.
On Friday, my acceptance email arrived. I admitted it to myself at the kitchen table, reading the same two lines four times: Welcome to Brookfield Community College. Your part-time enrollment has been approved.
