Unemployment diary: I'm a 39-year-old restaurant server in Mississippi who's been out of work since March

• The Unemployed States of America takes readers deep inside the decimated American workforce.
• Louis Bethley is a 39-year-old Applebee's server based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
• He lost his job as a server when the restaurant had to shut down in March; he's now getting around $100 a week in unemployment benefits.
• He's also in his first year of an online degree in business administration.
• This is his story, as told to Ingrid Cruz.

I was working at Applebee's, which shut down in March [because of] COVID-19. It's stressful for me having to deal with [the fact that] we're not getting our $600 booster anymore. That was a major help to me, because my weekly benefit amount doesn't allow me to be able to take care of my bills.

I'm just now getting over $100 per week.

You work to support yourself and your family, and when you become unemployed and have no income, you look at the benefits and hope you get enough. When you get [your benefits] and get a low amount you [realize] you've worked all of these jobs and it seems like you're not working hard enough.

I have two daughters.

My oldest is 23, my youngest is 12. They don't live with me, but I manage to pay a little child support. I go to school online and am majoring in business administration. This is my first year, so I have three more years to go. It's not a straight easy shot. You have to buckle down.

Before COVID-19 came, I was able to take care of my family. I had to look for a job because Applebee's shut down for legitimate reasons, but I still had to accept that I didn't have a job and they didn't have anywhere for me to go. I was back on my own trying to survive.

I had to apply for [unemployment benefits] online. If you're registered, you have to have your name and your passcode. If you're not registered, then you have to contact the local office before you can submit your claim. I've helped about 10 people file these claims.

Ten years ago I had unemployment, so I already had information I could use to log in. Once you file your claim and you fill out all that paperwork, you have to wait to hear from them to see if you have monetary benefits or if there's an issue. If there is, they'll contact you through email or online. The Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) has a mailbox where they'll send you correspondence.

I understand that the state of Mississippi is giving us $100-odd dollars a week, but look at the other states that can afford $400 per week; $300 on top of what we're getting might not satisfy some people, but some people might be okay with this. Whatever the system throws at you, sometimes you have to go with it.

As far as being unemployed, we're going through a lot right now.

People are trying to figure out how we're going to pay bills without jobs.

Mississippi is a good state and it's comfortable. Everybody's not perfect. Right now, I'm at a standstill. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches. Who's to say how long this pandemic will last?