The House Was Never the Greatest Gift

My name is Leo.

As a college student in Lansing, Michigan, I was constantly trying to stretch a small budget far enough to cover groceries, rent, and utility bills.

When I found an online advertisement offering weekly cleaning work for an elderly woman, I accepted immediately.

The income would help me stay afloat.

When I first met Josephine Halloway, she gave me careful instructions about cleaning her aging blue house on Oak Street.

I completed the work exactly as we had agreed.

When the afternoon ended, however, she never mentioned payment.

I walked home uncertain whether it had simply been forgotten or whether I had misunderstood the arrangement.

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