the ending she wanted.
I stood at the head of the table inside the house I’d paid for.
Not helped pay for.
Paid for.
Five years earlier, Dad had called me crying because the bank was preparing to foreclose on the old family home. Jason had “business debts.” Diane had “medical expenses.” Dad said losing the house would destroy him.
So I bought it.
I paid off the mortgage and back taxes, replaced the furnace, and let Dad stay rent-free because he’d made one promise.
“This will always be your
