Turn it into something that serves the neighborhood.
I pressed my hands against my face.
***
Daniel showed up the next morning. When I opened the door, he held out a large box.
“For your kids.”
Inside were new and expensive toys.
“I thought we could talk,” he added.
He held out a large box.
I stepped outside.
“You don’t need to do this.”
“I know,” Daniel replied. “But let’s be realistic. You’ve got seven kids. That house could fix a lot of things.”
“I’m aware.”
He leaned closer. “Sell it. Split the money. Everyone wins.”
“And if I don’t?”
His jaw tightened. “Then you’re choosing the hard way for no reason.”
I held his gaze.
Daniel smiled, then left the box on the porch and walked away.
“Sell it. Split the money.
***
Claire came later that afternoon.
When I opened the door, she was holding grocery bags.
Fresh food. Meat. Fruit. Things I hadn’t bought in months!
“I’m not here to argue,” she said. “But I understand pressure, and you’re under a lot of it. Selling isn’t selfish. It’s practical.”
