"Mommy!" Laila called. She and Liam had just gotten off the school bus, and I was waiting by a big tree close by.

"Hi guys! How was school?" I asked them enthusiastically.

"Good," Liam answered cheerfully. Laila nodded.

When we got home, Laila pulled out her school bag and grinned at me.

"I found something today, Mommy. I think you're going to like it," She giggled.

My name is Morgan Gillespie. I am a single mother of two. I've definitely struggled all by myself. It was hard for me to be the main provider of the house without having gone to college. I got pregnant with twins (Laila and Liam) when I turned 17, and I had to drop out of school right after my high school graduation. I eventually started my own small business, selling paintings and jewellery. I even opened a small shop downtown with the help of my parents. It was the thing I was most passionate about. But one night, I had half of my art stolen from my shop, and the police never found out who did it. I couldn't afford insurance, so I was basically broke. My parents didn't want to be involved in my work after that, because they were worried that people would know that the funding was coming from them. They didn't want anyone to go after them. Eventually, I had to shut down my shop, and took a job as a local barista. Without any help from my parents, and having to raise 2 kids by myself, I didn't have a lot of options.

Over the years, I had to ask several of my friends for help. The bank started to hate me, and I lost a lot of friends by begging them for money. Eventually, I started to resent people that wouldn't help me. I became this toxic person, who refused to set low expectations, and only expected people's pity. My kids didn't know who I truly was, of course, but they always knew that I wasn't the type to buy them new toys on Christmases and Birthdays. One day, the day before my kids' 7th birthday, something life changing happened.

"I found something today, Mommy. I think you're going to like it," She giggled.

"Well, what is it honey?"

She pulled out a shiny red debit card. It read 'Margaret Garrison' on the front, in big silver letters.

I gasped.

"Laila, where did you get that?" I asked quietly and worried.

"A helper lady at school dropped it. So, I picked it up. Isn't it pretty Mommy?" She smiled.

"Uh, yes hon. Why don't you give it to me? I promise to keep it safe," I told her calmly.

She handed it over without hesitation, and ran off to find Liam.

"What am I supposed to do? Do I find Margaret Garrison? Do I give it to the police?" I thought out loud. I paused. I stared at the card and squeezed it tightly.

"This could be the answer. This could be the one thing that changes our life. I could buy my kids a birthday gift this year," I whispered to myself. I had to keep it. It was my saviour. The universe knew that I needed this more than Margaret Garrison. I really, really needed it. So, I decided to risk everything for this. That night, I ordered new scooters for my kids, so they could have something for their birthday. They arrived the next morning.

"Happy birthday my precious babies!" I shouted with happiness. "I can't believe you guys are 7!" I kissed them both on their heads.

"Thanks Mommy!" Liam exclaimed. "Let's go to school," He told Laila.

"Wait"' I said. They both turned to me. "I have a present for you," I said.

Their little faces lit up with joy.

"I can't believe we get a gift this year!" They yelled as they jumped up and down. "Thank you so much Mommy! We love you!" Laila exclaimed.

Then they rode their new scooters to school. They were so happy.

From then on, I was very careful where I brought the card. I started to order my groceries online, and tried not to flaunt my new money. Of course I bought a lot more stuff, but I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to myself. At first I was very anxious about using the card, but with each passing day, I became more and more comfortable pretending that I was Margaret Garrison. It's like the more I bought, the less of a moral compass I truly had. The next thing I knew, I was using the card every day, without hesitation. Until a few months later, when I went to pick up a brand new purse, the card declined. I tried again, but it just wouldn't go through. I went home that evening, trembling with fear. All of the sudden, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I picked up.

"Hi, my name is Margaret Garrison. I'm calling to see if you happened to have seen my debit card anywhere. I volunteer at the school sometimes, and I've been trying to contact every parent in the school for months. I think someone stole it, because I can see all of the purchases," She said with worry in her voice.

"Oh-I-Uh-That's terrible,' I stuttered. "Um, so you haven't deactivated the card?" I asked.

"Well, I've had a lot of issues with the bank these past few months, but today I was finally able to deactivate it. Thank god," She told me.

"Yes, thank god," I blurted out nervously. "Anyway, I have no idea who could have taken your card, sorry," I said, very rushed. Then I hung up the phone.

The next day, there was a warrant out for the arrest of the person who stole Margaret Garrison's debit card. The police were already trying to track the online purchases back to the thief. I was absolutely terrified that they could be knocking on my door any minute with handcuffs. Who would take care of my children if I got arrested? Surely my parents would never step up. I was pacing back and forth, wishing I didn't make this mistake. I was praying that the card never existed; that I never existed. Nevertheless, I came up with a plan. First, I melted the card in the fireplace. Next, I packed up the kids and the car. Then, I drove; I drove far, far away from there. Finally, I settled in Canada, in Saskatchewan. I had cousins living there, so I worked on their farm. I prayed that no one would ever find us there. I ditched my cell phone, and I home schooled the kids. No one would ever know that we left the country.

Bringgggggg. Bringgggggg.

"Hello?" I answered.

"This is Margaret Garrison, and you're going down."