The Job of Secrets & Lies?

Jasmine McCarthy sat at the small, rickety desk in her cramped dorm room. Staring at the screen of her laptop as her fingers hoovered over the keys, but the words wouldn’t come out. The essay was due in a few hours, but the pressure of her bank account balance loomed larger than any deadline.

Available Balance: $9.90

She clicked the tab back to her online banking app and scrolled through her transactions. The room and board for the month had just been deducted. She would be low on food by Friday, but she’d make do with what was in her mini fridge. The school fees would be due in two weeks, and she was already bracing for the personal loan she’d have to take out.

Again.

With a sigh, she shut the laptop and tossed it onto her bed. The words for her essay would come eventually, but for now, there were more pressing matters. Like the dog she needed to walk in half an hour.

“Everything okay Jazz?”, her roommate and best friend, Maya, asked as she walked in the door.

“Same old, same.”, she muttered as she slouched in the chair.

“You know you can ask me for help, my parents give me more than enough.”, Maya suggested.

Maya had been her best friend since freshman year. She didn’t care that Jasmine was a broke nobody. Maya ended up moving Jasmine into her room after her assigned dorm closed for roaches and bedbugs.

“I am headed out for a job, but let’s plan time to catch up?”, Jasmine smiled as she walked toward the door.

She grabbed her coat from the back of the door, pulled her long brown hair into a messy bun, and glanced at the clock.

4:05 p.m.

She had a few minutes to gather herself before she had to run across town to take care of Charlie, the golden retriever she’d been walking for the past month.

“Sure. Let’s plan for Friday night. I will order us pizza and we can catch up!”, Maya smiled and waved as Jasmine rushed out the door.

Jasmine had never imagined herself living like this when she was accepted to Upstate University, with dreams of becoming a social worker. She’d imagined late-night study sessions, long talks with friends over coffee, and maybe… just maybe… a bit of extra time to explore the city.

She was used to not having a social life after the way she grew up. What she hadn't imagined was working three jobs just to make ends meet. And not even in her wildest dreams did she think she’d be walking someone else’s dog for cash.

But here she was. Juggling it all.

She’d downloaded the HireMe app a few weeks ago after hearing about it from a girl in one of her classes. It was an app where you could find odd jobs near you. Everything from dog walking and house cleaning to delivering groceries and assembling furniture.

It allowed people to leave you reviews and suggest you to other’s looking to hire. Jasmine had a 5-star rating and gracious comments. She worked hard at her odd jobs and never turned down a job.

She accepted them all. Anything that paid. Anything that kept her afloat.

The ding of a new notification from the app echoed through the room, and Jasmine checked her phone. A new job had just popped up.

[Cleaning at the Villages - $50]

It was at a small apartment building near campus, about a twenty-minute walk. She hesitated for a moment. She could really use the extra money. But Charlie... she had to be there by 4:30.

With a sigh, Jasmine clicked on the notification and accepted the cleaning job. She quickly sent a message to the homeowner confirming she’d be there in roughly an hour. It wasn’t ideal, cleaning an apartment would take longer than walking a dog, and the apartment was farther than usual.

But it was money.

As she walked briskly to Charlie’s house, Jasmine’s mind wandered, as it often did when she was on the move. She had always been a dreamer, and her family never understood her independent dreams.

As she walked, she continued to imagine her college experience as the place where she’d find herself, the place she’d be able to cultivate her future. She had imagined studying as she was snowed in, sipping on hot cocoa, writing papers she actually cared about, and making a difference in the world.

It was soothing to imagine a better life. Dreaming and overthinking were two of Jasmine’s best qualities, so she told herself. She didn’t have much to offer anyone.

She spent most of her time hustling. Her degree seemed so far out of reach, often buried beneath a mound of unpaid bills and a schedule that left her with little time to study. Let alone enjoy the experiences of a college student.

The only moments of true peace she found were when she was walking dogs like Charlie. It was simple, straightforward, and didn’t require much thought. The dogs were always so happy to see her, no questions asked.

In those brief moments, Jasmine could almost pretend that everything was going according to plan. She loved that feeling, but she knew it was fleeting. Dreams faded and reality always set back in.

By the time Jasmine reached Charlie’s apartment, her legs were sore, and the brisk air made her cheeks burn. She knocked on the door of the apartment building, and moments later, the door opened.

“Hi, Jasmine!”, Mrs. Hutchinson, greeted her with a warm smile.

Mrs. Hutchinson was an older woman in her mid-sixties with an easygoing demeanor. She wasn’t super wealthy, but she always made sure to pay Jasmine well. Her golden retriever, Charlie, was an adorable ball of energy who had more affection to give than she knew what to do with.

“Hey, Mrs. Hutchinson.”, Jasmine said with a tired but polite smile, “How’s Charlie doing today?”

“Just the usual, trying to dig up my garden.”, Mrs. Hutchinson chuckled, leading Jasmine inside. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’ve been such a help my dear, especially with my health problems.”

“No problem.”, Jasmine said.

Her voice betraying a hint of exhaustion. She was always polite, but the truth was, she was starting to feel the exhaustion of overextending herself.

Jasmine had walked Charlie enough times to know that he loved to take a good hour-long trek around the neighborhood, but tonight she worried about time. She simply tied her jacket tighter and tried to focus on the task at hand. They were going to have to make this quick.

“Come on, Charlie!”, she called as she bent down to pet him. Feeling the familiar surge of affection for the dog. He was jumping around her, wagging his tail furiously.

The walk was a pleasant one. The streets were lined with trees whose leaves had turned orange and gold, the colors of autumn gently sweeping the chill air. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the pavement, but the bright streetlights began flickering on, offering warmth and comfort in the growing darkness.

The rhythmic sound of Charlie’s paws against the concrete made Jasmine feel less alone. For almost an hour, she didn’t have to think about her student loans, her parents’ disappointment, or the fact that she was running on just three hours of sleep.

After a while, she brought Charlie back to Mrs. Hutchinson’s apartment, thanked her for the opportunity, and quickly headed out again.

As soon as she stepped outside, Jasmine pulled her phone from her jacket pocket, her fingers swiping frantically across the screen. She needed to message the client from the cleaning job.

Jasmine: On my way!

She typed before quickly pressing send.

She headed towards the address, but her body was starting to feel the gravity of her fatigue. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a full night’s sleep or a hot meal, and the thought of cleaning someone else’s room when her own was a mess felt… overwhelming.

The apartment wasn’t far, but by the time she arrived, it was dark outside. She rang the doorbell, and a young woman opened the door.

“Hi, you’re Jasmine, right?”, the woman smiled.

Her voice chipper, "I’m Samantha. Thank you for helping me out. My boyfriend and I are hosting a big dinner party tomorrow, and I just need a little help getting the place in shape."

“No problem.”, Jasmine said, stepping into the apartment. It was a modest one-bedroom with modern furnishings and a scent of freshly brewed coffee lingering in the air. “I’ll get to work on the kitchen first.”

As Jasmine worked, her hands moved automatically as her mind started to wander.

Again.

She didn’t mind cleaning. It was a simple, repetitive task that didn’t require much brainpower. Unlike her college courses. Yet as she scrubbed the bathroom sink and wiped down the counters, her thoughts kept coming back to her dream of becoming a social worker. She just wanted to help children avoid a path like the one life thew at her.

The work was hard and grueling at times, but she believed in what she could do. Helping others and making a difference. If she could only finish college, she could find that balance between the work she loved and the life she needed to sustain herself.

But the weight of the financial strain was suffocating. There was no room to be idealistic. Every dollar she earned felt like a step forward, but she could barely see the finish line.

By the time she finished cleaning, it was half past eight. Jasmine stood outside the apartment building, rubbing her sore wrists and she realized she hadn’t eaten since the granola bar she’d had before her early morning class. Her stomach growled, but the thought of spending money on food felt wrong when she wasn’t sure how she’d pay rent next month.

Jasmine pulled out her phone again and checked the HireMe app. A new job had posted.

[Grocery Delivery - $25]

It wasn’t much, but it was enough for a simple meal, maybe a salad or a sandwich. She clicked accept without thinking about the essay deadline.

For now, the day had to go on. She didn’t have the luxury to rest. Not when every penny was a lifeline.

As Jasmine began walking toward her next task, she reminded herself that she was doing this all for a reason. College, a career, a life that could be her own. One day, she’d look back at these hard years and know it had been worth it.

But for now, there was just one thing… survival.