Delia, on the way.
She was waiting in the driveway with extra diapers, a clean blanket, and a promise that Nell and I could stay with them for as long as necessary.
I passed Nell into her arms and kissed my daughter’s warm forehead.
“Stay with Aunt Delia, sweetheart.”
Delia touched my shoulder.
“We’re right outside.”
Inside, the kitchen smelled of burned coffee.
The shredder sat beside the refrigerator, unplugged, with a plastic bin full of narrow paper strips underneath it.
Mom stood near the counter in her cream blouse, her hair perfectly arranged.
Dad sat at the table with a folder clutched between his hands.
“Mara,” Mom said, “I don’t know what you’ve been telling Raymond, but this family has done nothing except help you.”
Ray placed his transfer confirmation on the table.
“Where’s her car, Suzanne?”
Mom looked at the paper.
“We needed the money for the house.”
“You told me you’d bought a car.”
“Expenses changed.
Mara has no idea how much it costs to support her.”
I stepped closer.
“You never told me Uncle Ray sent money.”
“Because I knew you’d waste it.”
Ray’s voice remained quiet.
“You asked me for that money for a specific purpose.
What did you do with it?”
Mom folded her arms.
“This isn’t your business.”
My father suddenly pushed his chair back.
“Suzanne, stop.”
He opened the folder.
The first pages were bookkeeping records from Bell Home Repair, his struggling company.
Beneath them were copies of bank statements and transaction receipts Mom had kept for tax preparation.
Ray leaned over the table.
He compared his transfer confirmation with the records.
May 14: $13,800 received by Suzanne Bell.
May 14: $13,800 transferred into Bell Home Repair.
The bookkeeping entry described it as an owner contribution.
My mother went completely still.
Ray continued reading.
The next pages showed transfers from the household checking account I shared with Mom into the business.
Some were hundreds of dollars.
Others were considerably larger.
The total matched the $7,430 I’d been trying to account for.
My father pressed his hands together.
“We were behind on supplier payments.
One of our customers still owed us almost forty thousand dollars.
I thought we could put everything back when he paid.”
“You knew?” I asked.
He lowered his eyes.
“I knew the business was receiving money.
I didn’t realize how little Suzanne was leaving you with.”
“Dad, I couldn’t afford a taxi when Nell was sick.”
My voice cracked on her name.
He looked toward the driveway, where Delia stood holding my sleeping daughter.
For once, he had nothing to say.
Mom reached for the folder.
“Philip, give me that.”
Ray moved it away.
“No.”
“Raymond, you have no right to come into my home and judge how I manage my household.”
“This isn’t about how you manage your household.
You took money meant for your daughter and granddaughter and told everyone it was for their benefit.”
Mom turned to me.
“And what have you contributed? You came here pregnant.
You stayed here without paying rent.
We fed you.
We gave you a place to sleep.”
“You asked me to come,” I said.
“Because I thought you would appreciate it.”
“I did appreciate it.
Until you started taking money and hiding my mail.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Careful, Mara.”
I
