Credit card payoff for Denise Martin: $22,000.
Cash withdrawals marked emergency: $31,500.
I had not added interest.
I had not included groceries.
I had not counted the missed opportunities, sleepless nights, or years I spent pretending at school that everything at home was fine.
Only numbers.
Clean.
Undeniable.
Dad threw the papers onto the table.
“Children do not invoice parents.”
“Parents do not demand salaries from children they financially drained,” I said.
Mom’s voice trembled.
“We were struggling.”
“You were gambling,” I said. “Shopping. Vacationing. Quitting every job that asked you to arrive on time.”
Dad jumped to his feet so quickly that the plant on my windowsill shook.
