What does someone even pack for covert biological field work? I was pretty sure that the answer was not in the tank tops and shorts that made up the majority of my closet. I had never been to a tropical rainforest, but exposing my city slicker skin to the brunt of foreign elements seemed like a great way to get a very expensive airlift back home. Problem was, there wasn't much in my bank account and I would likely need some of it while abroad, even if the trip was being funded by the department, I was sure there would be some sort of souvenir I'd come across that I wouldn't be able to leave without. There was only one real answer to the solution.

"Hey, Jess," I typed into my phone, "would you happen to have a few bucks to spare?"

"Uhhh… why?" she replied.

"Very, very long story short, I'm graduating again and I need to buy some new clothes so that I can go on a field work trip to South America."

The three dots that indicated she was typing appeared and disappeared several times. I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh as I imagined her struggle to make sense of the situation. The last time I had spoken to her she was giving me a lecture about how failing the class had been my fault and that I should own up to it and ask forgiveness.

"I have no idea what to say." She stopped typing for a few seconds, then followed it up with: "Be honest with me, is this some kind of joke?"

"No, no joke," I replied. "Just meet me at that thrift store next to campus at noon?"

"Fine."

That taken care of, I packed what few clothes that would work into my backpack, but I was drawing a blank on what else to bring. Sure, I had heard of many different field opportunities, but I had never seriously looked into going on one of the trips before. I was interested in cryptids and no biology program was going to be willing to hand over a bunch of money for something they saw as frivolous and "impossible." A quick search on the internet let me straight to a few blogs created by biologists on what to expect and what is invaluable to take. Unfortunately for me, the list was much longer than I thought and I didn't have access to ninety percent of the items it required. I also was fine with cajoling Jessica into spending maybe twenty or thirty bucks worth of old clothes on me, but I still had my pride and there was no way I was going to ask her for anything more. My heart sunk as I realized what I had to do next.

"Dad?" I said while knocking on his bedroom door. It was already past ten at night, but he was usually up fairly late.

"Come in," he called from inside.

I opened the door and tried my best not to look like I was as guilty as I was already feeling. He was already lounging in bed, his old laptop whirring at high speed as it tried desperately to keep up with how hot it ran. Looking at the nearly useless piece of junk only made me feel worse, he was always spending money on me whether it was school, food, or some other little thing he got for me just because.

"Are you having fun packing?" He smiled, but I could tell he wasn't really taking the news well. What I couldn't exactly tell was if it was because he didn't want me to go or if he would miss me.

"Sort of," I answered while fiddling with the bottom of my shirt, "I am missing some things I'll need."

Realization flowed over his face and he nodded his head while slowly closing the laptop. "Ah, I guess I should have thought of that. How much do you think you'll need?"

"I don't know," I said with an uneasy chuckle, the list is kind of long though and I think I only have a couple hundred left in my account."

He let out a long sigh, but just nodded and signaled for me to go on.

"It's suggested that I take a good pair of boots, rain gear, paper and pens that work while damp, binoculars, a camera, and some survival gear like that straw that lets you drink out of any water source." There was much more, but I couldn't bring myself to keep talking through the growing look of concern on my dad's face.

"Wow," he said, "that's quite the list. It would have been nice to know this a while ago instead of needing it by tomorrow."

"Sorry dad, I didn't know that I would need to trade my service as a field assistant in order to graduate."

"Right, okay." He sighed and pulled out the drawer to his nightstand, then pulled a bunch of opened mail and began to sort it. "I did get a credit card a while ago for the sole purpose of having it for emergencies. I guess this situation kind of is an emergency."

Finding the right envelope, dad pulled out the sheets and peeled the card from the glue used to attach it to the paper. With a half-smile he outstretched the card to me. I took it, sure I couldn't possibly feel any more guilt. That was, until I saw that it had my name printed on it.

"You got this for me?" I stared at the card like it said something offensive on it. My dad was the anti-credit card king, he would never get a card for himself.

"I did. I knew there would probably come a time where you needed something I couldn't provide, so I figured I'd just have in when that day came around. Don't worry, you're just authorized to use the card, the bill will still come to me."

My mouth felt dry and I kept trying to think of some witty joke to distract from how awkwardly guilty I felt, but I was coming up empty.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a wave of his hand, "I'm your dad, it's what dads are for."

A million responses floated through my head about how dads aren't just banks for their kids and how I already felt like I had so much to pay him back for. "I can't just take this," I groaned.

"What happened to your idea that this whole legendary creature thing was going to make you rich and famous?"

Normally he would bring up my obsession with cryptids as a witty response to something, but he seemed actually sincere. I wasn't sure if that made it better or worse.

"Just take it and pay me back later if it bothers you too much."

"Yeah, on top of all the other things."

"What things?" He scoffed at the idea. "Your tuition? I have told you since you were a newborn that I would take care of that for you."

"And all the food, clothes, and roof over my head," I added with a shake of my head. Every time I thought about the long list of things he had paid for in my life it made me a little sick to think of just how much it would add up to.

"You're my kid," he laughed. "All that stuff is just part of being a parent. I might have accidentally brought you into the world, but that didn't make me any less responsible for making sure you turned out okay."

"Still, I intend to pay you back for all of it one day," I said stubbornly.

"Fine, fine," he conceded, "I can wait until you're rich."

Card in hand, I exited the apartment, making sure to dodge all the questions from my grandparents about where I was going and what I was doing. I knew that if they caught even a sniff of my need for money that they would go out of their way to try to scrape it together, that was the last thing I wanted. Jessica was already waiting outside of the shop, hands on her hips as she watched me approach.

"So just like this you're off to some other country for the summer?" She didn't seem upset, but at the same time didn't seem very happy.

"French Guiana. Dr. Phillips is telling them I took an independent study class from her in exchange for my help," I explained. I intentionally wasn't going to tell her about the hint that the trip was right up my alley, that was a sure way to get a lecture I didn't have time for.

Jessica didn't say anything, lips pressed together as she studied my face. She was an expert at getting anything out of me that I didn't want to tell her, but this time I was determined and plastered a goofy smile on my face.

"Fine," she huffed, then motioned to the door.

We went in and were assaulted by the smell of dust, dampness, and whatever sickly chemical scent of the laundry detergent the shop used to wash all their donated clothing. Thanks to being right outside of campus, there was plenty of selection to choose from, someone was always moving and opting to donate a bunch of their stuff rather than lug it all with them. It only took us a few minutes to find a couple pairs of sturdy khaki pants, jeans, and several shirts to go with them. I wouldn't exactly be fashionable, but I would be somewhat protected from the hordes of biting insects there were sure to be.

After deciding on clothing, we meandered over to the miscellaneous section where one could typically find anything from an old abused chair to picture frames full of photos people didn't even bother to remove before donating. I doubted that there was much I needed from the section, but I was determined to save my dad as much money as I could. As luck would have it, sitting on a dirty shelf next to a retro crock pot was a cracked leather case in the shape of binoculars.

"Why do you need those?" Jessica's nose was ruffled in disgust as the case audibly cracked as I picked it up.

"I don't exactly know," I admitted, "but it's one of the suggested items to take for field work. Plus, look, it's only five bucks, it's a steal."

"It looks like it belongs in the trash," she countered.

I peeled open the top of the container and gently tugged on the binoculars. They took a bit of coaxing, but eventually they jerked out of their stuck position. They had seen much better days and the lenses looked a bit scratched, but when I held them up to my eyes they still mostly worked.

Purchases in hand, I felt slightly better, finding one of the more expensive items for cheap gave me hope that I would be able to find similar replacements for the others.

"Do you want to get lunch now or something?" Jessica offered. She always paid, it was an unspoken deal and I tried to ignore the charity.

"Sorry, I have to get home and spend some time with my grandparents," I lied. "They were supposed to spend the whole week with me, but, you know, this whole thing came up."

"About that." The same accusatory expression was back on her face. "Just tell me 'yes' or 'no.' Does this have anything to do with the topic of your final?"

"Maybe."

Jessica groaned. "Maybe was not one of the options I gave."

"Yes, the professor said it has something to do with it."

"It is as bad as I thought," she sighed. "Look, just don't let this person take advantage of you, she's obviously duped you into being free labor for the summer."

"Even if she was, which she isn't-" Of course now that had been put in my head, I did start to worry. "It's a great experience either way."

"I guess." She looked utterly unconvinced. "Be careful, you're a young woman setting off for an unknown situation, keep your eyes open and check in with me sometimes."

I nodded in agreement, then snapped my feet together and gave her a serious salute. "Yes captain Jess."

She rolled her eyes and tossed the bag she was carrying at me. "Someone has to keep your feet on the ground."