Chapter 4
The Truth
"The phone call," I continued. "Last Tuesday. You didn't hang up."
My son's face went white.
"I heard you tell Emma I was a burden. I heard you talking about selling my house. About how much it's worth. About how you could finally live once it was dealt with."
Emma's mouth opened. Nothing came out.
My son stood up.
"Mom, I —"
"You what? You didn't mean it?"
"It's not like that."
"Then what is it like?"
He ran his hand through his hair.
"We've been struggling, okay? Emma lost her job last year. We're drowning in debt. I was just venting."
"Venting."
"Yes."
"You called me a burden because you're in debt."
"I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
"How did you mean it?"
He didn't answer.
What I Told Them
"I'm accepting an offer on Monday," I said. "The house will close in thirty days."
"And then what?" Emma asked. Her voice was tight.
"Then I'm moving."
"Where?"
"Arizona. My sister has a guest house. She's been asking me to move out there for years."
My son stared at me.
"You're moving to Arizona."
"Yes."
"Because of one phone call."
"No. Because of two years of phone calls. Two years of visits where you measured my countertops and asked about my furnace. Two years of you trying to convince me to downsize. I just didn't know why until last Tuesday."
Emma's face flushed.
"We were trying to help."
"You were trying to cash out."
"That's not fair."
"Isn't it?"
The Offer They Made
My son sat back down.
"Okay. You're right. I'm sorry. We shouldn't have talked about you like that."
"No. You shouldn't have."
"But selling the house isn't the answer."
"Why not?"
"Because you don't have to. If you need help, we can figure something out. We can move in with you. Take care of the house. You wouldn't have to worry about anything."
I almost laughed.
"Move in with me."
"Yes. We'd pay rent. Help with expenses. It would solve both our problems."
"Except I don't have a problem. You do."
Emma jumped in.
"Mary, think about this. You'd have family around. You wouldn't be alone. And we could start saving money, get back on our feet."
"And then what? In five years, you ask me to put the house in your name? In ten years, you put me in a home and sell it anyway?"
"That's not —"
"Get out."
They didn't move.
"I said get out."
The Sale
I accepted the highest offer on Monday.
$920,000.
Cash buyer. No contingencies.
The house closed in twenty-eight days.
My son called me six times during that month.
I didn't answer.
May you like
Emma sent me a long email. She apologized. She said they were desperate. She said they loved me.
I didn't respond.
