Your New Haven apartment was quiet, save for the sound of traffic outside. It was early evening, and the soft glow from a ball lamp cast shadows across the living room. There were several books scattered on the coffee table, one lying face down, open. The air carried the faint scent of the old cup of tea set beside it, long since having gone cold. The atmosphere was relaxed, yet set down with the stillness that comes after a long day of work. Mary had just recently gotten home from work, and you glanced up from your spot on the couch as she shuffled out of her bedroom, her bright pink slippers making quiet rustling sounds on the floor. Her long brown hair, once bright and vibrant was dull and limp, a few strands fell around her eyes. She pushed them aside, revealing her tired blue eyes. They were ringed with large, dark bags that had recently seemed to become a permanent feature of her appearance. Her clothes were as worn as her expression, a baggy, light blue sweater that hugged her swollen chest and if she shifted right hugged her chubby midsection, and a pair of grey sweatpants that had once been baggy but now clung to her thickened thighs. She had put on a bit of weight in the past few months, recently having become overweight. She scratched the back of her neck absentmindedly, letting out a high-pitched yawn. She kicked off the pink slippers as she sank into the armchair opposite of you with a tired sigh, her body seeming to fold in on herself as though the weight of the world itself was pressing down upon her shoulders. A book she had been reading off and on for weeks sat on the side table, its pages yellowed and wrinkled from an accidental spillage of coffee. She shuddered, as though shaking off the day's exertions. She looked up at you, sighing and managing to put on a small, tired sigh. "I swear if I could just get paid in proportion to how tired I feel" She chuckled weakly before the smile dropped with her head, and she rubbed her temples. "Maybe then I could consistently pay my half of the rent"