“Dad?” I called from the kitchen table.

“Hi, Sweetie!” He answered, walking in to put his lunch away.

“You’re early.” I announced, glancing at my phone.

“Yeah… I was at a job site.” He answered. Had I been watching him I would have noticed what flashed across his face, but I had already turned back to do my homework.

Dinner that night was the same as usual. My brother and I talked about our school days, and mom about her day. After we all cleaned up and my brother went back to his computer, me to mine.

A few hours later, I heard my mom calling me downstairs. I came down and noticed my mom, dad and brother were all sitting in my living room. I took the hint and sat down next to my brother.

“Guys…” My mom started.

“I got laid off. And haven’t been able to find a job here.” My dad filled in.

“But if you just got laid off, of course you couldn’t find a job!” I exclaimed.

“It’s been almost two weeks now, hunny…” Dad said slowly, catiously. I gasped and my brother looked troubled.