I sent her a picture of my bank book showing today’s date to prove it. I had just withdrawn $170, so the balance should have been clear.
“You’re horrible to do this to your own parents. Fine, we don’t need your appliances. We’ll ask Mary and her family for help.”
“I don’t care, but you all need to leave quickly. That house is in my name.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
That was the last I heard from my mother. Inside, I hoped James could buy the house, not just the appliances.
A few days later, Mary contacted me sooner than I expected.
“Laura, I hope you’ve calmed down now. Can we talk just one more time, please?”
Her tone sounded different, as if she was being careful.
“What do you want? I’m busy with work. Make it quick.”
“I’ve been thinking. It was a mistake to try to kick you out. We’re family. Shouldn’t we live together?”
“After calling me a parasite, now you want to talk about family? Absolutely not. You guys have moved in already, haven’t you?”
“Yes, we moved in yesterday, but there have been some problems.”
“Oh, about James? He got fired from the hospital, right? I know. It’s amazing you kept quiet about it.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’m not as clueless as you think. A friend of mine works in admin at the hospital James was at. She told me he was fired for having an affair.”
It turns out that James had an affair with a nurse and got her pregnant. He tried to convince her not to have the baby to keep the affair a secret, but the angry woman exposed everything at the hospital.
Fearing for the hospital’s reputation, James’s father decided to fire him. James couldn’t tell Mary the truth, so he made up a story about building a new hospital to have a place to live.
“I just found out about it recently and was shocked. Now he has no money and is being sued for compensation by the woman’s husband. Plus, Dad has left home.”
“What happened to Dad?”
According to Mary, it seems my father also had an affair. He left a note and divorce papers before moving out, right before Mary and her family were supposed to move in.
Apparently, he wrote complaints about my mother in the note, and after reading it, my mother became bedridden.
“You can’t just leave us in this situation, right, Laura? You’ll help us, won’t you? You still have the money Grandpa gave you, right?”
“What are you saying now?” I asked.
And my mother showed me the photo of the bank book.
After all this time of not believing I could support myself, it’s funny how they finally believe I’m working just when it suits them.
“You can rely on me only when it’s convenient. I’m not coming back. I put up with everything because that house held Grandma and Grandpa’s memories, but now I realize those memories will always be with me.”
“Wait, please,” Mary begged.
“I don’t have any good memories with you, Mom, or Dad, so asking for my help now doesn’t feel right. And remember, the house is in my name, so you’ll need to move out soon.”
Saying all this out loud made my heart feel lighter, and I knew I could now find real happiness.
“Please, Laura. You’re really going to abandon your family like this?”
I didn’t respond to any more calls or messages from my mom or Mary. For the first four months, they kept trying, but they eventually gave up, and now my days are peaceful.
I heard that Mary and James opened a hospital with borrowed money, but no patients come, probably because James’s affair partner has been spreading bad rumors. My mom developed depression from the shock of my dad leaving and is now in the hospital.
When I moved out, I decided to sell the house, and I went through with it. Seeing the for-sale notice, Mary and her family had no choice but to move into a nearby apartment. With debts and no patients, they’re struggling, but that’s no longer my concern.
I do hope my nephew finds happiness. He’s innocent in all this.
As for me, my work is going well, and I’m even expanding my business. I’m grateful to my grandparents, and I hope to someday find a place where I truly belong. I’m determined to keep living my life to the fullest.
If you came here from Facebook because of this story, please go back to the Facebook post, hit like, and comment exactly “Respect” to support the storyteller. That small action means a lot and helps give the writer more motivation to keep bringing you real, emotional stories like this.