Twenty-three year old Aries Washington looked down at the bold red letters of the final notice bill in her hand and sighed. This was the third one she saw so far. And probably not the last. She thought as she saw the large pile of unopen mail on her small kitchen table. Rubbing her hands over her face, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Throwing the bill on the table, she didn't even bother to look at the other ones. What was the sense? They all were going to say the samething, demanding money she did not have.
Thanks to her job cutting her hours down to only four, five days a week, she was pulling in less than two hundred dollars a week after taxes, and with her son being in daycare, she was barely making ends meet. Aries was a Home Health Aide, a far cry from the lawyer she was going to school to become.

Getting pregnant her sophomore year of college, she had no choice but to dropout, and prepare for the upcoming birth of her child. Having no family and losing the only friend she thought she had at the time, Aries knew she was going to have to do it all by herself. Going to the person who got her pregnant was never even a option in her mind. Her son's father was nothing but a druken one night stand, one that she so wholeheartedly wanted to regret, but couldn't because of the precious three year old she had in her life.

Just thinking about her son, Jaylen, brought a big smile to her face. Many people would probably have some resentment towards the child they felt crushed their dreams, but not her. Aries could honestly say she never knew true happiness until the doctor placed a five pound, 11 ounce Jaylen on her chest. Even with all the struggles she was facing today, it was worth it, if it meant having him in her life.

"Mommy!" Jaylen yelled, running to her once he noticed she was standing in his classroom.

Flinging himself in her arms, she picked him up, and immediately started placing kisses all of his sweet chocolate face. Aries was surprised when Jaylen came out looking just like her, even down to the same dark skin complexion. The only thing he seemed to get from his father was the same intense grey eyes, and naturally curly hair from being mixed with more than one race.

"You ready to go home, baby boy?"

"Um hmm." he said as wiggled his body to get down. Once out of her arms, he took off toward his little cubby, most likely going to grab his bookbag and jacket.

"Ms. Washington, may I have a word with you?" The owner of 'Little Precious Tots' asked stepping in the room.

Nodding her head yes, she told Jaylen she would be right back and followed Mrs. Karen to her office. Already having a good idea about what the older woman wanted to talk about, she felt another one of her now daily headaches coming on.

"Ms. Washington, today is Friday. Do you have the six hundred dollars you owe me?" She said getting straight to the point. Aries owed her for the last four weeks and because she kind of liked the young mother, she had gave her some time to clear her balance. Mrs. Karen knew it first hand how it was raising a child on your own, she did it with three kids before meeting and marrying the man who was her husband now.

She knew the mother was struggling, she could tell by the second hand clothes the young woman was dressed in. One of the things she liked about her was that even though times were clearly hard for them, besides Aries appearance, you couldn't tell when it came to Jaylen. No he wasn't dressed in the latest name brand clothes but he always came to her daycare center clean, with decent clothes, and never hungry. Too bad she couldn't say the same for some of his other classmates. How these mothers could spend all these thousands of dollars to make sure they looked good, and have their kids looking like they were homeless? She would never know or understand.

"Mrs. Karen," Aries said breaking her out her thoughts. "I just need a little more time and I swear I would have the money for you."

Shaking her head no. "I'm sorry, Ms. Washington but this is going to have to be Jaylen's last day. I can't continue to let you bring him here and your not paying. It's not fair to my business or the other mothers."

"I...I understand."

Mrs. Karen couldn't help the guilt that she felt. Throwing Jaylen out her daycare wasn't something she wanted to do but something that she had to do. One of the not so upstanding mother's found out about their little deal and was now threatening she was going to stop paying too. Mrs. Karen wasn't about to chance that, especailly since this particular mother had five kids, all under the age of six in her program. She may not have been able to allow Jaylen to continue with them but there was something she could do, to kind of lessen the mother's financial burdens.

"The money you owe, let's just forget about it and say it was paid in full, okay?"

Nodding her hand with tears in her eyes. Aries gave her a slight smile and said,  'Thank you, Mrs. Karen."

Stepping out Mrs. Karen office, Aries grabbed her son, and headed home. She had no idea what she was going to do about her current situation but she was sure like times before, with this obstacle she would get over it too.

*  *  *  *  *  *

(Two Weeks Later)

"I can't do this anymore!" Aries cried, throwing her cellphone on the bed. Feeling as if she was at her breaking point, she couldn't believe her job just called and said they had to let her go. One of her patients family members made a accusation about her, saying she stole some jewelry and money from their elderly mother. Even though it was clear as day the bitter son was on some type of drug and most likely stole the missing items, they still needed somebody to take the fall, and because she was a nobody compared to the well off family her agency had a contract with, they decided to throw her under the bus.

As bad as Aries wanted to say things had turned for the better these passed two weeks, that wasn't the case. It was like every possible thing that could go wrong was.

Later on that day, after she fed Jaylen, gave him his nightly bath, and read him a bedtime story until he finally fell asleep. She heard someone banging on her apartment door. Grabbing the bat she kept in the hallway closet, the Queens Housing Projects she lived in wasn't the safest environment to live in, she was surprised to see the building superintendent standing there.

"Can I help you?" Aries frowned, having a strong dislike for the man who proposition her for sex many times over the last two years she has been living here.

Mike smiled, showing the two rotten teeth he had on the top roll of his mouth. "If only you would have gave up the panties when I asked. This is for you." he handed her a paper and laughed loudly as he walked away.

Closing her apartment door and making sure she locked both locks, Aries looked down at the paper in her hand and gasped. Written clear as day was an Eviction notice.