“You don’t act grateful.”
I took a slow breath.
“Do you want me to pay you back for raising me?”
His eyes narrowed.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Because I’m trying to understand the accounting.”
“What accounting?”
“You keep talking like adulthood is a debt collection process. You fed me, housed me, took care of me. Thank you. You were my father. That was your responsibility.”
His face turned red.
“You ungrateful—”
“I bought you a house.”
That stopped him.
I continued.
“I paid off eighty-three thousand dollars of debt before that.”
He looked away.
“I replaced the roof.”
Nothing.
“I replaced the HVAC.”
Still nothing.
“I paid six thousand dollars after Tessa’s first company failed.”
“That wasn’t for us.”
“She was living with you.”
“She’s your sister.”
“Yes.”
“Family helps family.”
“Then why does help always travel one direction?”
His jaw tightened.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
