Amy and Bruce had been married for twelve years. They had two daughters—Rachel and Lisa. Life was good until three months ago when Bruce lost his accounting job. Now, Amy is the only one bringing home money.

Amy worked as a high school teacher, which meant a 45-minute drive each way. When one paycheck wasn’t enough to cover the bills and the girls’ tutoring classes, she took a second job at a local café. She was exhausted.

It was Friday morning, and Amy felt terrible. Her legs ached, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking, and her head was spinning. But she got up anyway. She brushed her teeth, put on makeup, and got dressed for work. She packed her café uniform in her bag and checked the clock: 6:00 AM.

Downstairs, the kitchen lights were already on. Bruce was making breakfast.

“Good morning, honey,” Bruce said with a smile. “I made breakfast for you. Grab some coffee—I’ll get your plate ready.”

Amy poured herself a cup of black coffee—no cream, no sugar, just the way she liked it. She sat down at the dining table and rested her head on her arms, trying to steal a few more minutes of rest.

Bruce brought over her plate: two sunny-side-up eggs, a bagel with cream cheese, and two slices of crispy bacon. He kissed her forehead and started massaging her shoulders.

“Breakfast is served,” he said gently.

Amy looked up at the food. “Looks amazing, Bruce. Thank you.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Bruce said. “You’re working so hard. I’m lucky to have someone as strong as you.” He started making plates for Rachel and Lisa. “Oh, and I have a second interview today at Deloitte. If it goes well, I might get the job. I also got an offer letter from a small startup. Hopefully this is the one!”

“That’s amazing, sweetheart,” Amy said, forcing a tired smile. She ate quickly. “I need to go.”

“Don’t you want to say good morning to the kids? They’ll be up soon.”

“I wish I could, but I’m running late.”

“Okay, but first—” Bruce opened his arms for a hug.

Amy’s phone alarm went off. She had to leave now.

“Later, sweetie.” She kissed him quickly. “I love you.” She grabbed her winter jacket and rushed out the door.

“I love you too,” Bruce called after her.

Rachel and Lisa came into the kitchen.

“Morning, Daddy!” they said, running over to hug him.

“Morning, girls,” Bruce said, hugging them back. “Let’s eat breakfast. Maybe later we can visit Mom at work.”

The girls cheered.

Amy was stressed the entire drive to school. She had so many tests to grade and so many deadlines coming up. She got to work early and rushed to her office to grade tests before her first class. Luckily, she finished the morning pile. But there were still two more sets of tests to grade for her afternoon classes.

“I’ll do it during lunch,” she told herself. “Right now I need to teach functions.”

Three and a half hours flew by, and lunch finally arrived. The students headed to the cafeteria. Amy locked her classroom and went to the teacher’s office with the unmarked tests. Halfway through grading, her stomach growled.

“Shit. I forgot to buy food,” she muttered. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll eat later.”

She glanced out the office window. A teenage boy and girl sat together in the hallway eating lunch. The girl rested her head on the boy’s shoulder. The boy smiled.

Amy smiled too, then paused for a moment. She shook her head. “Now’s not the time,” she whispered, and went back to grading.

Another three hours passed. Amy finished teaching two biology classes. When the final bell rang at 3:30, students bolted out of the building, hugging their friends tightly like it was the last time they’d see each other—even though they’d all be back on Monday.

After the students left, Amy went to the bathroom and changed into her café uniform. She put her winter jacket back on, grabbed her things, and walked to her car.

The car needed a few minutes to warm up in the freezing cold. She started the engine and sat there for a moment, ordering a quick meal from McDonald’s on her phone. Then she closed her eyes, trying to ease the stress.

Tears started falling.

“Bruce, I really hope you get this job,” she whispered to herself. “I can’t take this anymore.”

She drove to McDonald’s, picked up her extremely late lunch, and headed to her second job.

The café was a 15-minute drive from school, on the way home. Amy parked and quickly ate her Big Mac in the car. Then she grabbed her stuff and went inside.

She walked through the front door and punched in. She noticed her two regular customers, Emma and Katrina, sitting at a table in the far corner. They were college students studying for finals. Emma looked upset—she was crying. Katrina wrapped her arms around Emma.

“Don’t worry,” Katrina said. “You can do this. I’m here to help you.”

Emma hugged Katrina tightly. Then Katrina opened her notes and started explaining the material.

Amy went to her boss’s office.

“I’m here, Callum,” she said.

“Perfect timing,” Callum said. “My wife wants me home early tonight. Can you close up by yourself?”

Amy looked at the clock. It was 5:00 PM. The store closed at 9:00. She nodded quietly. “Sure thing.”

“Perfect! Thank you so much. Just one thing—the freezer needs to be cleaned out and all the ice chipped away before the health inspector comes next week.” He grabbed his jacket. “How’s Bruce doing? Did he get a job offer yet?”

“I think so,” Amy said. She couldn’t remember. “I’ll ask him tonight.”

“Alright, I’m heading out. Have a good night.”

She nodded.

Four hours passed. It was time to close. Amy had already put all the chairs up on the tables, wiped everything down, and swept the floors. When she turned off the lights, she started mopping. Halfway through, she remembered the freezer.

She poured out the dirty mop water outside, grabbed a chisel and bucket, and rushed to the freezer.

That’s when she slipped.

Amy fell hard on her back. She cried out in pain and struggled to get up, grabbing onto a table for support. Her vision was blurry.

“Come on, Amy,” she told herself. “Almost there.”

The freezer was a small chest filled with ice cream, frozen fruit, and bread. She carefully removed everything, trying not to hurt herself again, and started chipping away at the ice. But her blurred vision made it nearly impossible. She was so frustrated and stressed about everything—all the work she’d been doing just to keep her family afloat.

Amy started using more force. The ice was so thick and hard it wouldn’t budge. She screamed in frustration and swung the chisel harder, accidentally damaging the freezer.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her and pulled her away.

“Amy! AMY!” a voice yelled. “Stop! Girls! Lock the doors!”

Amy fell to the ground, her back throbbing with pain.

“Don’t you touch me! Don’t you Fucking touch me!” she screamed.

“Hey! HEY! It’s okay—it’s me! It’s me!”

Amy looked up. It was Bruce. Lisa and Rachel were locking the front door.

Amy hugged Bruce so tightly he could barely breathe.

“Bruce, I—I—I—” she stuttered.

“It’s okay. It’s just us now.”

“Mommy!” Lisa and Rachel carefully walked across the wet floor and hugged her.

“Oh, my sweet babies!” Amy cried. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, Mom,” Lisa said. “We’re just happy you’re alright.”

“How did you all get inside?” Amy asked.

Bruce chuckled. “You forgot to lock the doors when you were closing.”

Rachel pulled a piece of paper from Bruce’s pocket. “Mommy! Look at this!”

Amy read the letter. Her eyes went wide.

“Is—is that—”

“An offer letter,” Bruce said, grinning. “A really good salary, paid vacation, and health benefits for all of us. I already called Callum—this weekend will be your last shifts. You can rest now. The girls miss you.”

“I miss all of you,” Amy cried, hugging her family tightly. “Thank you, Bruce!”

“No, Amy,” Bruce said softly. “Thank you.”