One dollar a day.

One day I woke up and heard the wind whistling like mad. It was very loud and ferocious. A deaf person could have felt the anger of mother nature's distress. From the bedroom window, I saw the thick white powdery snowflakes shoot down like bullets out of the overcast grey sky to claim the city of Toronto, Canada; Winter had arrived. The alarm was blaring. It sounded like the horn of a juggernaut. Bam, Bam. Bam. It may have stirred up the neighbours. I slapped my phone on the nightstand before I rolled over and slid my hand down to her buttocks as I had pushed it tightly towards me to gain some extra warmth. She swang her arm over my neck and whispered into my ear to remind me to suit up for work. I gave her an affectionate kiss on her soft lips and rosed up from the mattress to perform the daily routine: shower, shave, brush the teeth, and combed hair before knotting the tie around the collar. After a good check in the mirror, I went back into the bedroom and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek, "Will I see you tonight?" I asked her. She opened her eyes with a straight answer, "No babe, the hubby is back in town but I'll text you soon". I didn't dare ask too many questions so I let it be; the life of a married couple is filled with secrets. I walked out of my apartment and made my way to the office as the heavy snow began to assault me.

Push, push, pushing my legs through the thick snow that descended in all directions. I navigated my way, eyes on the ground to avoid the icy patches on the sidewalk. Employed as a sales rep for an insurance company can be a challenge. Knocking on strangers' doors to seek support for the charity programs was overwhelmingly difficult. On the first day of the snowfall was the day I had to find new donations. The corporate world trying to give back to the community to earn a good name. The image is everything. I believed in the programs ability to make a difference for kids in unstable countries who are in need of support. But, I did not believe in a promising relationship with a married woman. Let it be a fling while it lasts and focus on the good one can do.

My team manager gave a speech about positivity to help his rookies improve the sales pitch in order to gain new clientele" A positive attitude helps bring in postitive changes in life. Negative thinking and a depressed mindset acts as an umbrella, deflecting success and bouncing away the money". He must have googled that phrases from somewhere before walking into the boardroom. I detested the word Positivity. The word positivity describes another form of denial. Realistic optimism is more preferable; effort, planning, persistence, and strategy to achieve a goal is more practical. After the assembly, the sales reps leaped off their chairs and walked to the hangers to gather their winter costume of dark coloured coats, gloves, bobble hats, and scarfs. The team manager stood at the door in his new bright blue suit as we exited the room one by one. He had the nerve to comment on everyone's appearance with his sleazy charming Saskatchewan accent, "Joey, I noticed you got a haircut, looks fresh". Joey gave a smirked."You are looking bright today Jessica" She blushed and thanked him." Brad, I saw that new tie, it looks good with the suit" Brad wanted to tell him all about purchasing the tie, but the manager encouraged him to share his story for another time and forced Brad out the door with his palm over his padded shoulder. I was the last person in the line, and he touched the side of my arm," Think happy thoughts and success will happen", he said cheerfully. I rolled my eyes and turn to face him,"Yes" I said very sarcastically, "While you stay warm in the office and claim a percentage on everyone's commission. In fact, I have never seen you out in the field with us, considering your brother owns the company!" He was speechless for a few seconds." No, no, no... I have worked on the field... you've just never seen me out there," he said with a raspy voice as he shuffled his feet sideways. He looked away and left the boardroom before me.

The train arrived late on the platform: the tracks that lead to the suburbian town to Mississauga from Union Station. The sharp and heartless wind blew towards Brad, Jessica, and me from the tunnel. Three chosen chimpanzees to go out into the wild and find new sponsors for the kids in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, we danced like monkeys to keep our bodies warm under the dim light. Brad always spoke very politely to the people. Jessica always took advantage of her well-shaped buttercups and beauty. In her eyes, she never acknowledged any wrong in taking the advantage of her tools to make a sale, especially twirling her hair with a loose button in front of older men. And as for me, a hearing impairment individual, I tried to read the body language of strangers to score a contract or a donation. When the motion of the train commenced, we sat in our seats in comfort and coziness. I could barely feel the rails squeal across the Earth as I observed the delightful landscape from my window. The white blanket had covered up the green grass underneath. The fields looked like a soft white cushion and the trees stood naked and shameless out in the open. The sky slowly began to break as I saw blue patches separate the stratus clouds before we had reached our destination.

Once we stepped out of the station, we split and took our charted routes as we planned to meet at the coffee shop before returning to the city at the end of the day. Working alone was preferable as it reduces the chances of rejection from homeowners as they are more willing to open their Puerta de casa to solo strangers. A light cool wind blew against my face as I walked along the straight-lined street with a rhythm tempo on the sidewalk; cluck, cluck, cluck. My eyes were sore at first but they gradually adapted to the brightness from the snow and cold air. The two-story houses were big, modern, and stylish. Each one had its unique character. I lived in a shoebox compared to the mansions. Bay windows opened into sun rooms the size of my whole apartment. Some had long front yards with trees perfectly lined up to their front doors that could withstand stampeding cattle. A few houses had sandstone statues crafted into a lion between the steel gates and the front entrance. Their driveways and pathways were unblemished by snow. The people who lived in these houses had what every college kid in North America dreamed of owning one day.

I walked up to the first house of the day and pressed the doorbell and stood back. I cleared my throat to prepare my pitch. A tall man of good features with thick grey-black waving hair opened the door. He looked fifty or a bit more past it. His eyes measured me strangely. Without a chance of putting a word out to greet him, he had beaten me to it, "No thank you, sir. Not buying anything you're selling. Please leave" and he shut the door; House number one earned an X on my list and so did the next twenty other houses on the same street as they did not react to the bells that rang throughout their hallways. Maybe they were warned, maybe they saw me walk up to their gigantic doors and ignored me. All sorts of ideas began to play in my mind and the cold weather did not help my confidence. Winter can be a hard season for the door to door sales reps. It was time to take a break and get a coffee.

After my body heated up, I went back out to the wild and tied a different route with a hint of luck. A few people opened their frontiers and listened to what I had to say before outright rejected my offer. Some people wished me the best of luck. I kept moving from mansion to mansion. Before quitting time to meet with Brad and Jess, my eye caught a house at the end of the street. I decided to give it one last try. I walked up to the big brown wooden door, rang the doorbell, heard the high pitch play its jingle, and cleared my throat. As the door opened, my heart began to pump a little harder and a woman with rich hazel eyes looked at me with a warm smile, "Hello" she said with a pleasant voice. "Hello madam, sorry to bother you in the late afternoon. I am from Go Go Insurance Co and I am in the area today seeking support for the children who live in the toughest and dangerous places in the world that needs our support for food, water, and an education. Our goal is to help the children to have a better future and live beyond the age of five. We are a proud sponsor but we also need support from the local community to save as many children as we possibly can. Even a dollar a day makes a huge difference to those who are in desperate need today" I added some honey to my voice to be more empathetic with one hand holding the Ipad and used the other hand for significant movements during the pitch."It is a really good thing what you guys are doing," she said unfolding her arms and rested her hands beside her hips. I saw a photo in a silver frame of two young boys on the table near the door. I began to close my pitch and share some of my own personal experience. "My team is a proud supporter of the kids living in South East Asia. I have lived in Jakarta for three months and seen the difference one can make for the better but with your support, we can save more lives for those who are less fortunate. They deserve a chance in life like our kids in Canada. The process will only take a few minutes of your time, can I count you in to participate in the program?" I asked her politely."Sure. I would love to help out!" She said with sympathy and invited me into her home. I was told to wait in the hallway of the entrance as she stepped away like a dancer, headed towards the living room. The way she moved, I could tell she knew how to make her husband a happy man. He was a lucky man. From the photos on the wall, I had the idea that she was a wonderful mother to her children and very supportive. She bent over the sofa and drove her hand into the black Saint Laurent handbag with the zig-zag YSL initials in gold. She opened her wallet and pulled out a bank card. After signing on the dotted line, she was happy to become a good samaritan...