My daughter-in-law laughed as she gave me a $2 scratch-off for my 73rd birthday. Ten months later, my own son shoved a senior living brochure in front of me and said, “We already picked your room.” They thought I was too old to fight back. They had no idea what I had been hiding.

The Story Continues After Part 2

Then he went dead still.”What on earth is this?”

Jessica appeared at the top of the stairs.

I kept sipping my coffee…

Colin read the first page again, slower this time.

“Notice of termination of residential occupancy arrangement,” he said.

His eyes went to the next page.

“Proposed new lease terms?

What lease?

We own this house.”

“Do you?” I asked.

Jessica came down three stairs at a time, snatched the paper from him, and began scanning it.

Her jaw tightened in that way I had come to recognize from evenings when a client at her firm gave her an answer she didn’t like.

“This is a scam,” she announced.

“Some company is trying to frighten us into paying rent.”

“I would call the attorney listed at the bottom,” I said.

She stared at me.

“Why are you acting so calm?”