Margo's Got Money Troubles
by Rufi Thorpe
Contents
Chapter Four
Overview
Margo’s childcare collapses: Shyanne panics with Bodhi, a sitter fails, and Tessa both rescues a shift and then fires Margo without a reliable plan. Her roommates abruptly move out, rent surges, and unemployment won’t cover costs. Desperate, Margo asks Jinx for help. Meanwhile, Shyanne’s budding relationship with Kenny deepens, but she tries to hide Bodhi, which Margo rejects.
Summary
Margo discovers Shyanne is tense and awkward with Bodhi; attempts to bottle-feed end in panic and crying. Shyanne recalls Jinx’s injury in Japan when Margo was three weeks old, explaining his long absence and her isolation, which deepens Margo’s empathy for her mother.
Needing to work, Margo tries childcare: Shyanne quits after one shift; a neighbor and then a sitter, Theresa, fail to feed Bodhi, prompting nonstop crying that angers roommates. During a subsequent shift, Shyanne threatens to drop Bodhi at the bar. Tessa, the owner, steps in, soothes Bodhi, and finishes the night with him, then warns Margo to secure reliable childcare or lose her job.
Unable to find a sitter, Margo texts Tessa and is fired. She feels judged everywhere and briefly relieved to escape restaurant indignities. The next morning, her subletters, Kat the Larger and Kat the Smaller, announce they’re moving out within a week, leaving a $2,000 monthly shortfall that Margo doubts Suzie can cover.
Margo files for unemployment and learns she’ll receive $1,236 per month—far short of rent. She leaves a vulnerable voicemail for Jinx asking for help, trusting he will respond because she has never asked before.
Amid the stress, Shyanne calls: Kenny wants a proper dinner to get to know Margo, signaling a more serious relationship. When Shyanne asks Margo to attend without revealing the baby, Margo refuses, insisting Kenny must know about Bodhi. Shyanne cannot lend rent money and urges Margo to ask Mark; Margo remains firm about not hiding her child.
Who Appears
- MargoNew mother scrambling for childcare; fired by Tessa; faces sudden rent hike; files for unemployment; asks Jinx for help; refuses to hide Bodhi from Kenny.
- ShyanneMargo’s mother; panics caring for Bodhi; recounts Jinx’s absence after injury; dating Kenny; asks Margo to hide the baby; cannot help with rent.
- BodhiInfant who cries with unfamiliar caregivers; calms when nursed; central to Margo’s childcare and employment crisis.
- TessaRestaurant owner; comforts Bodhi during a shift, then fires Margo for lacking reliable childcare.
- Kat the LargerRoommate who gives abrupt notice, contributing to a $2,000 monthly rent shortfall.
- Kat the SmallerRoommate leaving with short notice; cheerful about moving despite Margo’s crisis.
- TheresaHired sitter who fails to feed Bodhi bottled milk, leaving him distressed.
- JoseLongtime bartender who witnesses Tessa and Margo’s exchange; minor presence at the bar.
- JinxMargo’s father; past injury kept him away in infancy; Margo leaves him a plea for financial help.
- KennyShyanne’s serious boyfriend; wants a dinner to know Margo; unaware of Bodhi until Margo insists.
- SuzieRoommate on the lease with limited income, unlikely to cover the increased rent.
- MarkMarried ex who fathered Bodhi; mentioned as the person Shyanne says should pay support.