“I know,” he said, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand.

“The private real estate lenders have been backing me into a corner over a hundred and twenty thousand dollars of debt.”

He looked up at me with tired, softened eyes, his voice sounding reasonable and gentle.

“The collection calls were coming in four times a day,” he said.

“I felt like I was drowning, and I took all that stress out on you.”

“I never should have demanded your savings bond, Mom,” he added, staring down at the carpet.