For Fourteen Years My Son Lived Rent-Free in a House He Believed Was His

“We’re a family,” Melissa said.

“Family means sharing the money burdens without having to be asked.”

I looked at the woman who had married my son fourteen years before.

I thought about the two thousand dollars missing from my account.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

I picked the white envelope up off the table.

I went out the kitchen’s back door without waiting for her to spray the polish again.

I crossed the trimmed back lawn toward the detached garage.