Chelsey Gonzalez

For All The Women Before You and All The Women After You

“Nineteen thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight, nine hundred and ninety-nine, twenty thousand dollars. That’s it; that’s all of it.” I placed the last of my dollar bills on the counter. Settling into my reserved pride and unfounded shame, I stood there waiting for the financial aid advisor to respond. I watched him as he eyed the stacks of cash and bags of change with almost undetectable disgust. He seemed in conflict; any slip of his controlled demeanor and he might reveal his true nature.