They Tried To Sell Me. I Sold Their Future

The day I was set to leave the country with a full Ivy League scholarship, customs officers stopped me in front of everyone and declared my passport invalid on the spot.

The officer coldly informed me that not only did I have a million dollars in overdue online loans under my name, but I was also involved in fraud lawsuits, listed as a debtor in default, and banned from leaving the country.

My world collapsed. I rushed home like a madwoman, demanding answers.

My mother, Brenda Hayes, was carefully feeding expensive imported cherries to my ten-year-old twin stepbrothers.