After a day of packing, Kelly Nichols collapses on the couch to get a second wind before beginning her trip to Jackson, Mich., and continuing her journey to find a job.
Scott and Kelly spend much of their time watching TV, or playing games on their cellphones since they lost their jobs. Every day has become a slow-motion version of the one before, sitting around the house, each in the same spot, Kelly in the recliner, and Scott on the couch. Scott has gained 40 pounds since his last day on the job.
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Kelly Nichols and her daughter, Hailey, 2, take a walk down the street in front of the home they used to rent in Middlebury, Ind., which is now up for sale by their landlord. For years, a robust American economy had allowed the Nichols to live paycheck-to-paycheck.
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Scott Nichols originally moved to Elkhart County, Ind., to find a job in the recreational vehicle industry, and succeeded until the economy unraveled and he was laid off. Prior to the recession, this 40-acre field in Middlebury, owned by RV manufacturer Jayco, stored more than 800 purchased RVs waiting to be shipped. The field now only holds about 200 RVs.
Scott Nichols looks out the window while cooking dinner for his family on Mother's Day. He has mapped out a month's worth of meals for the family to help save money, planning dinners such as pancakes and sausages, or soup and sandwiches. Scott also does most of the grocery shopping and cooking for the household since losing his job.
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From right, Kelly, son Cody, 17, and Cody's girlfriend, Brandy Penner, dine at the table. The Nichols's daughter Hailey sits in her high chair as Scott stands and eats in the kitchen. The family has had to take free food from a church pantry, including boxes of Corn Flakes, bologna and Saltines.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
On Monday, Scott picks up his and Kelly's unemployment benefits. After paying some bills, he sometimes goes to the Winners Circle bar, the tan building reflected in the glass, where he recently won $100 in a NASCAR betting pool.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Kelly catches up on sleep after putting 2-year-old Hailey down for a daytime nap. In high school, Kelly had a 3.9 grade-point average and received a scholarship to a community college, but lost it after she started partying and stopped going to class. She eventually went back to school to finish her two-year degree.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Scott, left, finishes a beer with his friend Terry Gray, right, who is also a regular at the Winners Circle bar. On Mondays, after receiving his unemployment compensation, Scott sometimes hits the bar for hours of conversation and beer, hoping to find someone who might know something about a job.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
At the Winners Circle bar, Scott buys about $20 worth of lottery tickets as part of his Monday routine. Scott said he rarely drinks at home or in front of his kids, and he never drank at work. But sometimes he drinks here to relieve some stress. "I don't want to end up in a bell tower with a high-powered rifle," he said. "I need to let loose in some way."
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Hailey gives Kelly some dandelions that were growing in their front yard. For Scott and Kelly, Hailey is the central source of joy in their lives, especially since they lost their jobs.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
On Mother's Day, Kelly's sister, Stacie Lawrence, left, and mother, Diane Lawrence, center, came for dinner at the Nichols home. Diane, a retired public school teacher, offered her basement to the Nichols after they decided they would have to leave their house in Middlebury, Ind.
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Scott's son, Cody, jokes around with his girlfriend, Brandy Penner, 17. Cody does not want to leave Brandy to go to Michigan, saying he has a hard time envisioning sleeping with his parents in his grandmother's basement with no walls between them.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
Scott, right, talks with friends around a bonfire while hosting his family's own going away party in the backyard of the house they'll soon leave. Many of Scott's friends in Elkhart, Ind., were also hit hard by the recession.
Scott appears jovial at his farewell barbecue, supplying friends with food, drinks and games and saying that he hopes to return to Middlebury, Ind.
Kelly, center, and her sister, Stacie, left, joke with their mother, Diane, right, while viewing photos on Stacie's laptop on Mother's day. Diane scoffed at a warning by a friend to not take in the Nichols, saying of course they'll live with her -- they're family.
Linda Davidson-The Washington Post
After a day of packing, Kelly makes a comfortable nest on the living room floor for the night. Even though Forbes magazine ranked their destination, Jackson, Mich., as the number one worst small city to find a job, it is the Nichols's best option.
Moving day is filled with hugs and goodbye kisses between Cody Nichols and his girlfriend Brandy. With less than an hour to go before departure, little Hailey gets in some hugs too.
Kelly listens to her husband, Scott, while relaxing on the couch at the home the couple is about to give up after four years in Elkhart County, Ind.
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Hailey clings to her father, Scott, while he loads the family belongings into a U-Haul.
On moving day, Cody and his girlfriend, Brandy, say their final goodbye without knowing when they will see each other next. Jackson, Mich., is a two-hour drive from Middlebury, Ind., and neither teenager can afford to get a driver's license or a car.
The Nichols's home in Middlebury, Ind., stands empty after the family packed all of their belongings into a U-Haul to take to Jackson, Mich.
Two hours after leaving Middlebury, Ind., Scott, Kelly, center, and her mother, Diane, sit in Diane's basement, the Nichols family's new home.
Gallery Credits:
Reporter Paul Schwartzman
Photo Editor Dee Swann
Producer Chris Dunn
Text Editor Amanda Lilly, Liz Heron
