I’ll have my lawyers straighten it out.”

“We owe over a hundred thousand dollars on the new industrial saws!” his father groaned, gripping the back of a lobby bench.

“We took out those equipment loans because you told us — you swore to us — that those monthly transfers were your executive bonuses!”

“Once my promotion to VP comes through this week,” Alejandro hissed at them, glancing around, lowering his voice for the first time, “that debt will be pocket change.

Will you please, both of you, relax.”

I stood just inside the doors and listened to all of it, and I felt the last thread of guilt I had carried — the reflexive, lifelong guilt of a woman about to withhold something from people who wanted it — snap.