Paul is one of the kids in my class. Paul always sits by himself at the back of the class. He has big green glasses, looks shy and has such a trembling voice that he sounds as if he's stumbling ove ... [+]
"Eldest" was selected as a finalist in Money Chronicles: A Story Initiative, a national short story contest supported by Principal Foundation.
The phone buzzes. Mona sends $101 to her younger brother who needs new glasses. He bought blue frames that sparkled against his brown eyes. The phone rings and Mona turns back from the hallway, racing to catch the call in time. Mona dispatches $50 to her younger sister so she gets new shoes for the first day of primary school. Mona's sneakers are almost unremarkable. She leaves them outside her door. Her roommate Sarah exclaims, "But Mona, you aren't a guest!" Walking down her Midwood street these days, Mona cradles a phone. She loves stepping across her shadow, feeling a sense of doubleness i