“I need to borrow a thousand dollars,” he said.
Before I could ask why, my wife Natalie looked across the room.
“Tell him to get another job,” she said. “We’re not a bank.”
Dad didn’t argue.
That somehow made it worse.
His hands trembled slightly.
“That’s enough,” I told Natalie.
Then I took Dad outside.
The weather was warm, but he kept rubbing his palms together.
“I didn’t come here to cause trouble between you two,” he said. “If you can’t help, I understand.”
That nearly broke me.
This was the man who had spent his entire life helping me.
Now he was apologizing for asking once.
“What do you need the money for?”
He glanced toward the house.
“The money isn’t exactly for me.”
“What does that mean?”
“I need certified copies of some records. Legal help. And there’s a test I need done.”
