>none of the opening phonemes of the words are alikeUh, they pronounce everything differently in the future. Hope's name is pronounced 'hoop'. Yes, that's the explanation, and not the fact that I haven't taken a grammar class in over a decade.
>>6103527>>6103542>Look through your late mom's records to see if there's any secret inheritance or way to get out of the contract.All of your worldly possessions besides the cot you used to share with Mom fit in a neat six-drawer cabinet, with three of them devoted to laundry. The local laundromat takes so long that it costs you one night of sleep a week, but on the bright side there are enough people watching oilsports on the weekends that usually you get the extra hours in here and there. And now, you don't even need to share the bed or the clothing space, so there's that too.
Pulling the paper copy of the contract out of the drawer, you inspect it as best you can without greasing it up any further. Even if you found a loophole, you're sure they'd get the lawyers to provide an excuse for why the copy they have is the 'real' contract and definitely wasn't edited.
No such luck, this shit is irontight. Even the copy you have is basically invulnerable to appeal. You'd have to pay more money than you make in a decade to get out from under this. At least you have the benefit of not having to feed Mom any more. Maybe, just maybe, that's enough of a financial difference to save you from eternal actual slavery and score an upgrade to mere wageslavery.
You put it aside and muse over your bad luck with another cigarette. Ah, the smell of tax-free tobacco. A very minor form of rebellion, but it's almost as tasty as the cancer. Sitting back and slowly poisoning yourself, you rest your back on the wall and quietly wish to the open air that you get just a couple more minutes without having to turn the stoves on. You need the money, sure, but you need the silence more.
Horns honk and gunshots fly in the background, which as close as you get to mediation silence. Just close your eyes for a moment and maybe...
<span class="mu-g">"Hey, Hope, are you open? You're open, right?"</span>
Oh, sweet fuck, it's <span class="mu-s">HIM.</span>
<span class="mu-g">"I can see you from here, so you're open, right?"</span>
You tuck the paper back in the drawer and brace yourself for pain.
