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It was 3:30pm and I just arrived back at home. The school bus dropped me off, as usual. I entered our house and threw my bag onto the ground. It's a great feeling coming home, after a horrible day at school. I was in the kitchen, about to grab an afternoon snack and heard whispers from the lounge room. My mother and I live alone and don't have many friends, so these whispers seemed unusual. I peered my heard around the corner, to see what was happening. I saw my mother, on the couch, talking to a man. My mother was crying. Why is she crying? I immediately thought someone in the family was dead. A few minutes later the man said his farewells, which ended with "I want my money". I rushed back around the corner and hid behind the door. I stand anxiously, hoping I'm not seen. The man left and my mother went back into the lounge room. I re-opened the front door and then closed it again, acting as if I just arrived home. I went to the lounge room, to greet my mum. She acted as if nothing was wrong. Something is definitely wrong and she obviously didn't want me to know about it. She welcomed me home and fixed me some sandwiches for afternoon tea. I followed her to the kitchen. 'Who was the man I just seen leaving the house?".'�Err, just an old friend" she said back to me. I took the sandwiches upstairs to my room. I sat eating them on my bed, whilst the thought of this man at our house, kept running through my head. I went back down stairs and noticed my mum on the couch. "Whatcha doing" I said to her casually. "Just writing up a new budget, we are wasting too much money". I said goodnight and went up to bed. My mother works early in the morning, so when I heard the car leave the drive way at 4:30am, i raced back down stairs, to begin my investigation. I rustled through the papers she was writing on. My eyes rushed through the budget she had written. Nothing unusual yet. My eyes stopped at the fifth line down.

Shopping $330.00
Rent: $350.00
Phone: $80.00
Fuel: $50.00
Jon Anderson: $500.00

Who was Jon Anderson, I thought to myself. I got ready for school and headed down the street. My bus stop was about 200 meters away. As I arrived at the bus stop, a car had stopped at the end of our driveway. I watched for a few minutes and the same man, who I believed, was Jon Anderson got out of the car and started circling our house on foot, peering through the windows. Just as I headed back down the street, to question Jon, the school bus arrived. "On you get love" the bus driver said. I looked back at our house, the car was still there and their was no sign of the man. "Come on love, you are going to make me late for my rounds". I was not sure what to do. "Are you getting on, or not?". "No, I'm not". The bus driver rolled his eyes, and sped off down the street. As i arrived back at our house, my mum pulled up. She usually works until 2:00pm. I look at my watch and it reads 8:33am. Once again, I hide and listen carefully. "I told you Jon, you will get the money when I have it. Please stop coming around, my daughter is getting suspicious". "Sandra, Sandra, Sandra. Its ten thousand dollars. It's not as if it's fifty cents. I need my money and I need it now". "I just can't cough up that amount of money in such a short time". "Their is another way I will accept payment". "How Jon, how?" They enter the house. What are they going on about, I ask myself. As I head inside, Jon opens the front door and leaves. I peer through the window and see my mum, on the lounge, crying. I want to go and comfort her and get this mess sorted out, but if I do, she will know i have been listening in and wagging school. I sit outside our house, hidden away in the garden. I begin to think. My mum obviously owes this man ten thousand dollars, but what the hell for. What is this other way Jon will accept payment". I'm really starting to get worried now. A few minutes later, mum leaves the house and drives back down the street. She was still crying. Jon came out a few minutes later and left.

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