At 3 A.M., My Brother Dragged Me Out of My Bedroom While Dad Laughed—He Had No Idea What the Smoke Detector Had Recorded

Coffee.

Oranges, if I had enough.

At the store, I checked the prices.

The coffee cost more than I’d expected.

I put the oranges back.

Not because anyone had questioned my spending.

Simply because I had a budget.

At the register, the cashier counted the total.