Chapter 5 - The Collapse of the Kingdom
By Friday, the reality of their situation had fully set in.
Without my multi-car corporate insurance policy, my father had tried to drive his truck to the local bank to beg for an emergency loan. He was pulled over for a broken taillight two blocks from the house. When the officer ran his registration and discovered the vehicle was completely uninsured, the truck was immediately impounded. He had to walk home in the ninety-degree heat.
Mason’s girlfriend, Chloe, realizing that the "wealthy suburban family" Mason had promised her was actually a bankrupt house cards with no running water, packed her bags, called her parents, and left him that afternoon.
The house was falling apart, and the financial deadline was looming.
At 8:00 PM on Friday night, there was a knock at my new apartment door. I checked the security camera. Standing in the hallway were my mother and father.
They looked unrecognizable. My mother’s perfect cream sweater was stained and wrinkled. Her hair was frizzy from the humidity, and her makeup was gone, revealing the deep, exhausted lines of her face. My father looked defeated, his shoulders slumped, his eyes red.
I opened the door, but left the security chain on.
"Hannah," my mother whispered, her voice cracking. "Please. You have to listen to us."
"I’m listening," I said, my voice completely devoid of emotion.
"We made a mistake," my father said, looking down at the carpet. "We were stressed. Mason put a lot of pressure on us... he said you had so much money you wouldn't even miss the house. We didn't realize... we didn't think you would actually cancel everything."
"You told me I was a moocher, Dad," I reminded him. "You told me I hadn't built a life. You told me to get out by eight o'clock."
"We were just angry!" my mother cried, reaching through the gap in the door, trying to touch my arm. I stepped back out of her reach. "Hannah, please. The bank called today. They said if the mortgage isn't paid by next week, they’re starting foreclosure proceedings again. And the city wants a $1,500 deposit just to turn the water back on! We don't have that kind of money. We’re going to be homeless!"
I looked at them. For years, this sight would have broken me. I would have felt the familiar, crushing weight of guilt. I would have opened my wallet, signed the checks, and apologized for causing them pain.
But looking at them now, all I felt was a profound, hollow emptiness. They didn't love me. They loved my utility. They didn't miss their daughter; they missed their ATM.
"You have a house," I said slowly. "Sell it."
"We can't sell it in a week!" my father snapped, a flash of his old anger returning before he quickly suppressed it. "Please, Hannah. Just pay the mortgage for three more months. Just until Mason finds a job. We’ll pay you back. We promise."
"With what money, Cullen?" I asked. "You haven't worked in years. Mason has never kept a job for more than two weeks. You built your entire life on the assumption that I would sacrifice mine to fund it. Well, the business of Hannah is officially closed."
"You're a monster," my mother hissed, her desperation finally turning back into venom. "We raised you! We fed you! You are leaving your own flesh and blood to starve in the dark!"
"I paid my debt to you ten times over," I said softly. "Goodbye, Vera. Goodbye, Cullen."
I closed the door.
May you like
I heard my mother screaming and banging her fists against the heavy wood for two minutes before building security finally arrived and escorted them out of the building.
I walked back to my window, looking out over the bright, beautiful city. I felt lighter than air. The leash was finally gone.
