A New Opportunity

The branch manager's office door creaked open. Julie's heart sank at the grim expression on his face.

"Please, sit down." He gestured to the chair across from his desk.

Julie perched on the edge of the seat, her knees trembling. What was this about?

He clasped his hands and cleared his throat. "I'll skip all the unnecessary crap, you deserve at least that, Julie. I'm afraid the bank has decided to close this branch. We're consolidating and moving operations to the new building across town, unfortunately a much smaller one. There will be layoffs, starting with middle-management. I'm so sorry, Julie."

Julie's breath caught in her throat. "Wha-what? But, I've worked here for almost ten years. I—I have a family to support. Mortgages to pay." Panic rose in her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs.

"I understand this is difficult." His tone was sympathetic but his eyes remained hard. "We're offering a severance package. And we'd be happy to provide a recommendation for your next position in another town."

Julie shook her head, blinking back tears. How could she tell her children? They'd have to move schools, leave their friends behind. And the new house—they'd stretched their budget to the limit to buy it. She gripped the armrests of the chair, her knuckles turning white.

"There is another option." The branch manager slid a card across the desk. "The National Bank is hiring. I know the regional manager personally and could put in a good word for you. However, their next opening won't be for another six months."

Six months. Julie's mind reeled. How would they survive six months with no income? She thought of her family going hungry, unable to pay the mortgage. But there seemed no other choice. She reached for the card with a trembling hand, the unfamiliar logo glaring up at her like an omen of doom.

---

As she approached the door, Julie's mind raced, considering the multitude of ways she could phrase the devastating news. She couldn't shake the image of George's beaming smile when she first shared news of her promotion. The pride in his eyes, the hope for a brighter future, it all seemed like a distant memory now.

As she opened the front door, a wave of chatter and laughter greeted her. George was playing with the kids in the living room, Lego scattered around them on the floor.

"Mom's home!" her son Tim squealed, rushing over to give her a hug.

Julie a smile and bent to envelop him in her arms, breathing in the sweet scent of his shampoo. She had to stay strong for their sake.

"Rough day at the office?" George asked, coming over to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

The lump in Julie's throat made it difficult to speak. She swallowed hard, avoiding his gaze. "I-I can't talk about it. Not now. Let's get the kids to bed first."

---

After dinner, once the kids were in bed, Julie sat across from George in the living room, the silence stretching between them. She twisted her wedding ring around her finger, wondering how to break the news.

George reached over and took her hand. "What is it, sweetheart? You know you can tell me anything."

His touch nearly shattered her composure. She opened her mouth but no words came out.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's okay. Whatever it is, we'll get through this together."

She looked up at him, her vision blurring with tears. "They're closing my branch. I lost my job."

"What?" The color drained from George's face. "But - but you've been there for so long. How can they do this?"

"I know." She gripped his hand tightly, as if she could keep their world from falling apart through sheer . "The regional manager said they're willing to give me a recommendation. But the only opening is in six months. I don't know what we'll do."

"Six months?" George slumped back against the sofa and ran a hand through his hair. "The mortgage payments, the kids' school fees..." He trailed off, his expression bleak.

Julie's chest tightened until she could barely breathe. She'd failed them. After all George's support over the years, this was how she repaid him. At least that's how she saw it.

The phone suddenly rang, shrill and insistent. Julie stood on shaky legs to answer it, for any distraction.

"Hello, is this Julie Wilson?" an unfamiliar female voice asked.

"Yes, speaking."

"My name is Dr. Amanda Collins. I'm calling from the National Smoking Research Institute. We recently reviewed your profile and were impressed with your background in health studies. We're conducting an important new study on the effects of smoking and would like to invite you to participate as a subject."

Julie's heart raced and her mind was already grasping for possible solutions. A study at the institute would certainly come with a much needed compensation, probably enough to tide them over for six months.

But smoking? She shuddered at the thought. And how long would it take?

"The study would last a month," Dr. Collins said, as if reading her thoughts. "You would receive $100,000 for your participation, as well as lifelong medical monitoring."

Julie sank into a chair, stunned. $100,000. Her family's finances would be secure, the mortgage paid, her kids' education assured. She twisted the phone cord around her fingers, torn between practicality and principle.

"I understand this is an unusual request," Dr. Collins said gently. "Please take some time to think it over."

"Thank you," Julie whispered.

She hung up and turned to George, who was watching her intently. "That was the National Smoking Research Institute. They want to hire me for a study."

"A study?" George frowned. "Doing what?"

"Smoking, I guess." She couldn't bring herself to say the word. "They'd pay $100,000. More than enough to cover us for six months."

"Smoking?" Tom's eyes widened. "But you hate smoking!"

"I know. But we need the money, George, and it's only for one month." She twisted her hands in her lap, aware of the irony. "I have to do it. I want to provide for us."

George was silent for a long moment. "This is absurd, Julie, I can't ask you to do something you're so opposed to," he said at last. "You don't have to this, we'll find another way."

Her eyes stung with tears. Even now, he was putting her first. She enveloped him in a fierce hug, her mind made up.

"You're so understanding, I love you," she whispered. "But we have to be practical. I'll do the study."

George hugged her back just as tightly, and she could feel his unspoken fears in his embrace. But along with the fear was gratitude, and love, and she knew she'd made the right choice.

---

Julie packed a suitcase for her month at the research institute. She folded clothes, toiletries, and a few personal items, trying to ignore the knot of anxiety in her stomach.

Her children played in the next room, unaware of the turmoil in her mind. How would they react when she told them she was leaving for a whole month? Little Tim was only five; how would he understand mommy wasn't going to be around all of a sudden?

She shook off the thoughts and continued packing. This was for them, to secure their future. She had to stay focused on that.

When her bag was full, she zipped it up and took a deep breath. It was time to say goodbye.

She found her kids watching cartoons in the living room. "Come here, I have something to tell you."

They scrambled over to her, Tim on her lap and Lily leaning against her side. She swallowed hard.

"Mommy has to go away for a little while," she said. "I have a job that will help us have more fun when I get back."

"You're leaving us?" Lily's eyes welled with tears.

"No, no." Julie hugged them close. "Just for a month. I'll call every day, and then I'll come back home, okay?"

Tim's lip trembled. "Why can't we come too?"

"I wish you could." Her heart broke at the sight of their sad little faces. "But this is something I have to do by myself. Everything will be okay. Daddy will take good care of you."

"We don't want you to go," Lily whimpered.

"I don't want to go either." Julie blinked back her own tears. "But sometimes we have to do hard things. Just remember that I love you very much, and I'll be home before you know it."

She held them for a long time, memorizing the feel of their small bodies in her arms. When George came in a while later, they were curled up together on the couch, and she knew this was an image she would cling to in the difficult days ahead.