Chapter 113
“Don’t worry, it’s not entirely to help you.
My aunt hurt her arm, and it hasn’t fully healed yet. I don’t want her to overwork herself.
If you do a deep clean for us once a week, she’ll only have to manage the small daily messes p>
Mira would pay her the standard rate for housekeeping. If she offered more, Elara wouldn’t accept it.
“Okay, I’ll do it. Thank you p>
This way, working a couple of hours a week would earn her about twenty dollars. If she was careful, that would be enough to buy groceries for her lunches for the week.
The student cafeteria was already subsidized. Back in 2008, a simple lunch could be bought for just a few dollars. A side of vegetables was less than five dollars, a dinner roll was cheap, and a serving of pasta with meat sauce was only about eight dollars. If you didn’t order anything expensive, ten dollars a day was more than enough for three meals.
Mira suggested, “You could find another part-time job on Sundays for a few hours. That would make things much easier for you p>
Elara was a good student; she could tutor elementary schoolers or even wash dishes at a small restaurant. A few hours of work could earn her a few dozen more dollars.
“I’ve tried looking. I asked a lot of restaurants, but they all want someone who can work every day p>
“I’ll ask around my neighborhood for you p>
“Thank you, Mira p>
When Mira got home, she told Rachel about hiring a cleaner, but Rachel immediately objected.
“Why spend that money? There’s barely enough work for me to do with one hand. Why hire someone?
Is it easy for you to make money? Your tuition is hundreds of thousands a year, and college will cost even more p>
Rachel was just forty this year, younger than Lacey, with short, neatly styled hair that gave her a sharp look. She was not only an excellent cook and a fast worker but also a very frugal person.
“Don’t worry about the money, Rachel. I’m very good at making it p>
But Rachel was still unwilling to waste the money.
Left with no choice, Mira told her about Elara’s situation.
“She’s my deskmate and a good friend. I’m doing this to help her.
Elara’s family is extremely poor. She usually only eats grains because she can’t afford anything else. I suspect even then, she sometimes doesn’t get enough to eat p>
Her family lived in the countryside, just her and her father.
Mira had heard that when Elara was
three, her father was in a car
accident. Not only did it rack up
buge medical bills, but it also left
him disabled. He hadn’t been able to
do heavy labor since.
Seeing that the family had no future, her mother abandoned her father and three-
year-old daughter for another man.
Since then, father and daughter had relied on each other.
Elara was hardworking and determined. She not only excelled in her studies but also frequently helped with chores.
Her father couldn’t work a regular job or do heavy farm work. Besides their disability benefits their only income came from what her father could make collecting cans and bottles for recycling.
Rachel was finally moved. Coming from a family that also struggled financially, she understood deeply.
“What a poor child p>
Mira thought she had agreed, but Rachel still said, “There are many people in this world who are struggling. We can’t just help others without considering our own situation p>
“I know. Don’t worry, Rachel. I’m not just being a bleeding heart.
I only help those who are worth helping, and only within my means p>
The next morning, during her workout, Mira asked some of the other residents in her community who exercised with her and managed to find two more jobs for Elara.
One was tutoring an elementary school student after school for two hours a day, at ten dollars an hour.
The other was staying with an elderly woman at night as a companion.
The old woman was self-sufficient and rarely needed assistance, so it wouldn’t disrupt her sleep much. Her children were just worried and wanted someone to stay with her. The pay was only twenty dollars a night.
Later, Mira told the woman’s children that Elara wouldn’t have time to eat elsewhere after finishing her tutoring session, and the family agreed to provide her with dinner.
Since Mira had recommended her, they were confident in her character. As a high school student, she was seen as honest and reliable, and they were happy to hire her.
Mira was now well-known in her community. As a popular singer and a Taekwondo expert, she was well-liked by everyone.
After finding the jobs for her, Mira was eager to tell Elara, but then she remembered that Elara didn’t have a phone.
It was Saturday, and Mira had other things to attend to.
So she could only tell Rachel about it and ask her to pass on the message when Elara came to clean later.