“Tyla, could you please pass the pork?” Papa asked. We were huddled around the dining room table, enjoying the feast Mama had prepared.

  “Please let me know if it tastes okay. I think that I might have put too much salt in it,” said Mama. Papa and I exchanged glances. We both knew that there was no such thing as too much salt. I took a minute to savor the shadows that danced on the ceiling above and the quiet sounds of crickets singing outside. If we left home for college, there would be no more quiet evenings like this. There would be no more peaceful family dinners. We could always visit for the holidays, but it still wouldn’t be the same.

  “So, Tiffany, have you thought about what you want to do for college?” Papa asked. Tiffany nodded.

  “I’ve been thinking about it… I still haven’t made up my mind. I really liked the idea of going to Pines University. But I changed my mind,” Tiffany said softly. “I just keep hearing stories about the fumes.”

  “You don’t have to go to college if you don’t think it’s the right path for you, Tiff,” Mama said gently.

  “No! I know that school is the right path for me,” Tiffany sighed. “I just wish there was a way to bring college here,” she added.

  “Do you mean like a tutor?” Papa asked.

  “That would be amazing… but there’s no way we could scrape together the money to afford that,” Tiffany said. Really? Were they that expensive? A frown spread across my face.

  “Don’t you think it’s worth a shot?” I asked. “I could help. We could work together to earn money,” I pointed out.

  “Hm… it would take a lot of work. But maybe if we worked really hard,” Tiffany said slowly. Yes! This way Tiffany would be happy, and they wouldn’t need to leave home!

  “Come on! I can work part-time. I also have a little money saved up!”

  “I could work too…” Tiffany’s eyes were shining now.

  “It’s the perfect plan!”

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  “Girls! Sit down for goodness' sake,” Mama laughed.

  “Look, it’s worth a shot. We have to at least try,” I said, sitting back down.

  “We could also ask around and see if anyone has advice,” Tiffany said.

  “We’ll be happy to pay at least for part of it,” Papa added. I beamed at our parents. This was it, this was the answer we had been looking for. Everything would work out for both of us this way. Tiffany could learn and study as much as she wanted to and I wouldn't have to leave home to be there for her. We sat back down to finish dinner quickly.

  "We should start first thing in the morning," said Tiffany. I nodded in agreement.

  "Don't forget to do your work before bed!" Mama reminded us.

  "We won't!" We both said in unison. I felt as if a huge metal plate had been lifted off of my chest. I could breathe again. I hadn't understood just how scared I had been of leaving home. But I wouldn't have to, not now. The evening's work was something that I always looked forward to. It was work, but it was something that we got to do together as a family.

  Mama would wash the dishes, Papa would sweep the floors, while Tiffany and I worked together on the laundry. Mama would begin to hum a tune, then Papa and I would join in with her. Then Tiffany would add in the lyrics and sing them with her soft, clear voice. Sometimes we'd end up writing down the best of these random made-up songs.

  We got to work the very next morning. Both of us began reaching out to everyone who we knew, asking for advice and work. Tiffany got a job working at a nearby bakery that we used to visit all the time as children. We both agreed it would be better for her to look for work there than me. Mostly because I threw a fit there when I was five and actually ended up breaking a window. I asked every single person whom I knew for advice, even the people who I really didn't like. We didn't have a lot of money to start with, but we both had plenty of hope.

  Every day we would be earning a little more, growing a little closer. We both agreed that we didn't need the most expensive and grand education there was, we just wanted something. I finally was able to find work, at an animal shelter. It was easy and fast work that paid fairly well. After a few weeks we had scraped together what I would consider a good start. Of course, our parents kept their word and also gave us plenty of money. This was the start that we needed. But the best part of this whole journey was how happy it made Tiffany. Every day she would head off to work, humming a cheerful tune. Every evening she would come back with a gleam in her eye. Now that we had some real money that we could actually do something with, we started to focus on actually finding a tutor. Or at least something along those lines.

  It was Tiffany who found the answer for us. She told me later that it had been the idea of a friend. I had thought that it was a tiny bit strange that this friend had given us the answer out of the blue, and that we had never even heard of them. After all, we had been looking for a while without any luck. But I had been too excited to really think about this. Besides, Tiffany was just so eager to share the idea. From the moment she began to explain it, I knew that she had already made up her mind. This was what she wanted to do.

  “So, it’s basically a tutor?” Mama said.

  “Yeah. But this is a really amazing teacher. I’ve read many of her books. She is the one who started this program because of all the city fumes. Fewer people are coming to school, so she decided to bring the school to people instead. She’s pretty busy." Tiffany’s eyes lit up as she spoke. “But I sent her a letter a little while ago. Isn’t it amazing?”

  "And you said that Jeffrey was the one who first told you about this?" Mama asked. Tiffany nodded.

  “I know this is a lot of money, but I’m sure it will be worth it.” Tiffany was given permission to write the letter to Miss Roberts. I can’t tell you how much I wonder what would have happened, how my life would have played out differently if that letter hadn't been written by Tiffany. I honestly have no idea. I don’t blame Tiffany one little bit for what happened. There was no way she could have known. I think some good came from this mess. Although Tiffany might not agree, the one thing we can both agree on is that the letter changed us forever.