Chapter 5: Back to School
Chapter 5
Monday morning arrived, and I lay awake in bed, still amazed by the events of the weekend. We had won nearly $300,000 in just two days. It felt surreal. Doing some quick mental math, I realized $125,000 was probably just one or two months of Uncle Charlie's usual income—given his lifestyle and success as a jingle writer. For Dad, however, $40,000 represented about half a year's salary—something he himself had muttered in shock yesterday.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps and muffled voices downstairs. Curious, I quickly got dressed and wandered into the kitchen. There, standing at the counter and sipping coffee as if she owned the place, was a woman I instantly recognized—Berta.
She turned to face me, eyeing me up and down appraisingly. "So you're Jake, huh? Heard a lot about you. I'm Berta, the one who keeps this place livable."
"Nice to meet you," I replied politely, smiling. I knew exactly who Berta was from watching the show—she was blunt, tough, and incredibly funny. Meeting her in person felt exciting.
Berta narrowed her eyes slightly as if sizing me up. "You're way more polite than your uncle. Guess manners skip a generation in the Harper family," she remarked dryly, making her way toward Charlie's bedroom.
I moved toward the kitchen, intending to grab some breakfast, but before I could start, I overheard my dad's voice lecturing about not putting peanut butter in the refrigerator. Curious, I headed toward the sound, only to see Berta leaving the room.
"Uncle Charlie," I asked, feigning innocence, "why is Berta leaving?"
Charlie sighed dramatically. "Why? It doesn't matter, Jake. What matters is she's gone." He looked at Alan with exaggerated despair. "And we're going to die."
Alan rolled his eyes, clearly irritated but slightly amused. "Relax, Charlie. We'll manage... somehow."