It’s a late Tuesday afternoon in the community center office.
The air is thick with the scent of old paper and the faint hum of the TV in the corner.
The local news is on, barely audible, but present enough to pull my attention.
A headline flashes across the screen, stopping me mid-thought.
A government spokesperson is promising $2,000 stimulus checks to almost everyone in the country.
“Almost everyone,” they say.
The phrase lingers in my mind, a hopeful yet unsettling promise.
The spokesperson’s face is bright with optimism.
But there’s something in their eyes.
A flicker of uncertainty matches the doubt growing in my chest.
