When the cost of living increases - innovation becomes our greatest asset

Nothing was the same. Anita took the wads of cash from her pocket and counted 50 dollars. She took half of the cash aside and set it in the back of her ripped jeans then placed the other half on the Kitchen table. Jordan would definitely see it and get himself a nice plate of whatever he wanted for lunch. She took the car keys and walked to the old white truck waiting at the garage for her.

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That car was decades old, and so was the house. And gradually, the two things that reminded her constantly of her parents were wearing away. Her aunt had advised her to sell the house and get something smaller at the outskirts of the city but she didn't indulge her.

She wanted to be able to stand up and look into the mirror before which her mom had stood severally to stare at how well the fancy dresses she made fit. She wanted to walk around and run her fingers on the mahogany desk that served her father as a reading table. She would remember herself as a chubby 12-year-old with pigtails running out of the basement which had been converted into a makeshift bedroom for her and running into her father's arms, careful not to spill the steaming cup of coffee he always had in front of him.

She also wanted to be able to walk around in the kitchen, lazying around nursing a bottle of beer while her younger brother, Jordan, did the dishes. She wasn't trading the house for nothing even if it came down on their heads. Her parents and their memories lived there. She was halfway through the street when she saw a bulky figure flag her car down. When she drove closer, she saw it was Heather, the town gossip. Anita slowed the car.

“Hi Heather,”

“Anita! Hi. I was just going to the gas station downtown, I was wondering if you could take me since the bus hasn't arrived yet”

Anita sighed wearily. Her peace and sanity were about to be tampered with. She motioned for Heather to come in since she too planned on stopping at the gas station, then increased the volume of the music playing on her car radio.

Heather stayed quiet for the first 10 minutes of the drive but immediately the song she had been humming to herself finished, she began to speak.

“Are you also heading to the gas station? I don't want to inconvenience you”

Anita turned disbelieving eyes to her but said nothing. She was just looking for ways to start up a conversation and Anita knew it.

“I hear that we can no longer get a liter of gas at $ 0.76”

“Really?” Anita turned to see if she was kidding

“Yeah. It's $ 0.90 NOW. I only found out yesterday” she said. Anita shook her head. The prices of items had suddenly begun rising within the month and were becoming more outrageous by the day.

Only the day before, she wanted to get milk and learned it had moved to a whopping $5 instead of $ 3.50. She didn't know how she was going to keep up taking care of herself and 16-year-old Jordan if the inflation wasn't taken care of.

“...And what is the government planning to do about this, nothing!” Heather was whining, “The bus fare has increased as a result of this gas increment, and trust me, this is only the beginning! Soon even the price for the air we breathe will go up….”

Anita shot her a warning glance, long enough for her to fall silent.

“It will get better soon,” she said, more to herself than Heather. If anything, she was grateful for the house and car. She would have been on the streets with Jordan by now if her parents hadn't left them that car and house 3 years ago when they were involved in a brutal motor accident.

“I hope it does,” Heather replied surly.

They didn't say anything to each other throughout the rest of the ride but Anita's head was ticking faster than a time bomb. She needed to do something else to make some money other than her shifts at the confectionery.

She was scared that if the prices of goods kept skyrocketing, her brother would have to drop out of high school and find a job so they could both survive.

“It won't get to a point where we would make unfavorable decisions because of this inflation,” Heather was saying, as if in response to her thoughts. “We're at the gas station now, you can drop me off”

For the first time, Anita was pleased that she had Heather for company. It was like riding through dark clouds with a silver lining.