"What class are you?" is a periodic series that explores everyday lives inside the American class system. In today’s episode, we revisit Kytreana Patrick, who was a guest from the first class series back in 2022.
Back then, Kytreana was working as a cashier at Olney’s general store in Orleans. Since then, Kytreana’s gotten a job at a factory that manufactures combat helmets. She’s got a small apartment in Newport, and this past January she gave birth to her first child, a daughter, Emberlyn.
Erica Heilman: How old was Emberlyn when you went back to work?
Kytreana Patrick: They give you 12 weeks. But I stayed out for another week and a half, two weeks, so I just could not convince myself to go back to work. So I went like two weeks without pay. So she was about 4 months old by the time I finally went back to work.
Erica Heilman: So on a scale of one to 10, how stressed are you about money?
Kytreana Patrick: Extraordinarily. I mean, we are lucky to have my mom. She's a wonderful woman. She is the reason why we have a pack and play for her to sleep in. She's the reason why we have a car seat. I unfortunately, since Emberlyn has been born, have not been able to buy her anything except an occasional article of clothing or an occasional toy. But the big things, the things that are upwards of $80 to $200, I can't get those things unless I want to increase the credit that I already owe to this world.
Erica Heilman: What about the job?
Kytreana Patrick: So going back to work, I decided to go back just 30 hours instead of 40 hours. And with that, my paycheck predominantly goes to just bills.
Erica Heilman: What do you want her to have that you didn't have?
Kytreana Patrick: I mean, I would love it if she could come to me and be like, "I'm having a dance at school. Can you buy me a new outfit?" And that I can immediately say yes. She wants her hair done and I can say, "You've behaved. You've done well, of course you can." I don't want to have to be like, "Oh, I can't afford that right now." So I just want her to never realize that adults struggle, that I want her to grow up and think that life is so easy as an adult and not realize how hard it is.
Erica Heilman: What's your fantasy circumstance like? What do you want to feel like?
Kytreana Patrick: The vision is just to have, even as simple as a like a single wide trailer where she has her own bedroom. It would be nice if I can afford for her to partake in any sort of social thing, whether it be summer camp, basketball or a dance. I would love to be able to get her to play a musical instrument, rather than say, "Yeah, that'll happen when pigs fly." I want to be able to say, "You got it. You want to try it, we're going to do it."
Erica Heilman: You want these things for her why?
Kytreana Patrick: The more that she is able to experience in life, I feel the more she will be able to get along with anybody. I personally felt uncomfortable around girls that seemed like they had, I don't know, the more expensive clothes and the nicer looking hair and they had highlights in their hair. And I'm like, I'm lucky if I got a haircut. So I want her to just like, not look at the difference of what people have, because she is able to have what she wants, too.
The fantasy future is Emberlyn having a little brother. One day we have a beautiful house with a master bathroom. It would be nice to have a multi-story, multi-level house with a lawn. Because growing up, my lawn was you could lay down on the lawn and one end would be touching the other. You know, I just want a place for my kids to play outside, a barbecue pit for their father to barbecue on. And to not have to worry about ever losing it, because I will always think of how my parents had their own house for 14 years and then they lost it to bankruptcy. So I guess knowing how to take care of my finances is a very important thing that I'm still learning as I go.
Erica Heilman: You talked before about your dad and the wear and tear on his body at a factory job. How are you going to save yourself from that kind of wear and tear?
Kytreana Patrick: I plan to… I don't think I'll be finding my house anytime soon, but once I find a bigger apartment, the next goal is a new job. I don't know how I led myself on a path from being a cashier to being an assembly line worker in a factory, but that's not the path that I was looking for at all.
Erica Heilman: What do you want? What kind of job do you want?
Kytreana Patrick: Gosh, I mean, it would be awesome to be some sort of community worker and work with people that don't necessarily know how to advocate for their own selves. But honestly, probably, I'd probably be happy just being a receptionist at a car dealership.
Erica Heilman: You describe what your fantasy future is. What are you scared of?
Kytreana Patrick: The scary thing would be to end up being a single mother and having no job. That would be terrifying.
Erica Heilman: You're out and about in town, you're with the baby, you're, you know, doing life? Do you think that this town? What do they see you when they see you?
Kytreana Patrick: Gosh, I don't even know. I mean, I'm sure they see a good mom, because a lot of moms around here, the moms are in the pajamas and the kids in just a diaper. So they probably see me as well put together and responsible, which makes me happy, because, like, I'm trying. I'm really trying.
