04:05 APAC
salaries would buy kept moving slightly further away. Like most mothers, Lakshmi’s mother was particularly interested in grandchildren. She always said, “I’m not putting pressure on you,” just before putting the pressure on her. Sometimes, Lakshmi felt like Charlie Brown running towards Lucy’s football. Every time she and Ben got close enough to kick something, a home, a family, or even a bit of breathing room, somebody moved the bloody football. Just like Charlie Brown kept running, so did Lakshmi and Ben. In another household across town, Daniel Mercer was doing the maths. He was 45, married with two children and had worked at Hopewell for eleven years. They had a particular routine on Sunday nights. Claire opened the laptop. Daniel opened the banking app. Together, they discovered what had become more expensive since last Sunday. This week, it was car insurance. “Maybe we should sell the car,” Claire said. “Yeah, but we need the car”, he replied. “Sell one of the kids, maybe?” was Claire’s response. “Hah! Which one?” “Whichever one is most
Sometimes, Lakshmi felt like Charlie Brown running towards Lucy’s football. Every time she and Ben got close enough to kick something, a home, a family, or even a bit of breathing room, somebody moved the bloody football.
Then the rent went up, groceries went up, electricity went up, and pretty much everything except Lakshmi’s salary went up. So, it made sense to think about a baby next year. Lakshmi was 34 and worked as a team leader at Hopewell Financial, which sounded impressive enough that her parents assumed she was doing very well. In reality, she was just doing ok. She had a good job, and Ben worked full-time. They weren’t reckless with money, but the life they’d assumed two full-time
50 I 04:05
GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE ISSUE 28
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online