A responsible household

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The debts kept piling up. There just wasn’t enough money. There were always more expenses. Always something else to pay for. They were borrowing. It wasn’t enough. 

“Children, we’re very sorry, but we have too many expenses and not enough money. We must let as many of you go as we can. Father and I have discussed it, and you must decide between yourselves who will go and who will stay.”

“We’re very sorry.” 

Time passed. With fewer children to help, the house fell into disrepair. Chores remained undone. Mother and father had to spend much of their time catching up on odd jobs, fixing small things, which left little time for productive work. Less time for planting. Less time for cultivating. Less time for harvesting. The money seemed to be drying up. There was barely enough to feed and clothe the remaining children. 

With increased exposure to the elements, longer hours working the fields, and less substantive food, and the drafty and leaky house, the children began to fall ill. The frequency of injuries increased. Legs were broken, ankles twisted. Fevers, coughs, infection, and flu became commonplace. 

“Children, we’re very sorry, but we have too many expenses and not enough money. We must let more of you go. Father and I have discussed it, and you must decide between yourselves who will go and who will stay. We cannot afford to care for your sick and injured sisters and brothers, so they must be the first to go. We ask more of you to choose to go as well.”

“We’re very sorry.” 

Time passed. With fewer children left to help around the house and in the fields, the work did not get done. Father and mother did what they could, but the crops could not all be planted and irrigated. The harvests became smaller and smaller. The money dried up even further. Those children that were left became frail and sickly.

The landlords and debt collectors came calling.

“We’re very sorry, but you have too many expenses and not enough money. We’ve discussed it, and you cannot afford to care for your children. You must let them go.”

“We’re very sorry.”

Time passed. With no children left to work in the home or in the fields, everything fell apart. The home was a shambles, the orchards became overgrown, the trees needed pruning. The soil became cracked and dry. No crops could grow. No harvest came. 

The landlords and debt collectors came calling.

“We’re very sorry, but you have too many expenses and not enough money. We’ve discussed it, and we will purchase your fields, prune your orchards, plant and irrigate your crops, and tend to your harvest. We will provide you with enough to live on, and we will take the rest to pay off your debts and to sell at the market.”

“We’re very sorry.”

Time passed. The farm produced well for the first couple of years, but the new owners did not rotate crops and follow the practices that would produce steady, consistent yields. The water supply and soil became polluted and would not support any more planting. The harvest yields dried up, and so did the money.

The landlords and debt collectors came calling.

“We’re very sorry, but you have too many expenses and not enough money. We’ve discussed it, and we must take your home and let you go.”

“We’re very sorry.”

Time passed. As winter approached, their tattered clothes provided little warmth and comfort from the dropping temperatures. As the sun retreated and the days got shorter and colder, the berries froze and the rabbits went underground. They foraged as best they could, but as their supplies began to dwindle, they realized with a dawning horror that there was no longer enough food for both of them. 

“I’m very sorry…”