There were nights I went to bed hungry, my stomach aching, my mind filled with anger and regret. Still, I never touched that card. It felt like an insult I refused to accept.
Years passed. My body grew weaker, slower. My joints stiffened, my back ached, and some mornings just getting out of bed felt like climbing a mountain. My children visited when they could, leaving small amounts of money and promises they couldn’t always keep. I never told them how bad things had gotten. They had their own lives—I didn’t want to become a burden.
Then one afternoon, my body finally gave out. I collapsed just outside my door.
When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. A young doctor stood beside me, his voice calm but serious.
“You’re severely malnourished,” he said. “You need treatment. This can’t wait.”
For the first time in five years, I thought about the card without bitterness. Pride suddenly felt less important than survival. Three hundred dollars could at least buy me time.
The next morning, I went to a bank downtown. My hands trembled as I handed the card to the teller.
“I’d like to withdraw the full amount,” I said quietly.
She typed for a moment, her expression shifting as she looked at the screen. Then she glanced up at me, surprised.
“Ma’am… the balance isn’t three hundred dollars.”
My heart started racing. “Then how much is it?”
She turned the screen toward me.
I stared at the numbers, blinking again and again, convinced I was reading it wrong.
