Alrianna pushed her shoulder against the door and turned the knob. With the heat from inside, the wood has swollen and the door was stuck again. She re-gathered her strength and tried again. It still wouldn’t budge. So, she bared her weight down, lowering her center of gravity, and connected her should with a powerful thud. She heard some scraping sounds as the door finally gave way and she fell to the floor.

Alrianna looked up and saw that her apartment was filled with boxes. She opened one and it had all of her sweaters and shirts in it. Unsure how to think, she crawled inside and sat with her back against the door in silence.

Her mom walked out of a bedroom and into the front room. Alrianna looked up at her with a puzzled face.

Her mother had been crying.

With a tear-filled voice, her mom approached her.

“Al,” she said, “I’m sure you must be wondering what’s going on.”

“Mom, what’s wrong? Are you ok?”

“This is hard to say, but we’re moving. Your grandmother passed away last night and left us her house and property.”

Alrianna realized her mom was smiling through her tears.

“What are you talking about?” Alrianna said as she tried to stand up.

“Well, dear,” her mother replied, “your grandmother was a very wealthy woman. I’ve inherited quite a bit of land and all of her remaining money. So, when we move, I won’t have to work anymore. Isn’t that great?!”