I said no.
He cried.
He said I didn’t love him.
I told him I loved him more than my own life.
That is why I said no.
He left without saying goodbye.
Moved the remaining cash into the freezer today.
Vanessa helped.
God help my boy.
I closed the notebook.
Then Vanessa told me everything.
Greg had started gambling casually with coworkers.
Then every weekend.
Then sports betting.
Then hidden accounts.
Their savings disappeared.
Then the children’s college fund.
Then a second mortgage.
The construction company was gone.
Greg hadn’t worked a real job in months.
He still left home wearing work clothes each morning.
Sometimes he went to the casino.
Sometimes he sat in his truck and bet from his phone.
He owed money.
A lot of it.
Possibly eighty thousand dollars.
Maybe more.
That was why his phone kept ringing.
That was why he wanted Mom’s house sold immediately.
