The amount was almost half of my monthly pension, but I gave it to him because he was my blood. He promised to pay me back in three months, but those months turned into a year and the money never returned.
Whenever I brought it up, he always had a new excuse about unexpected expenses and budget reorganizations. In May, he even asked me to co-sign for a loan so they could buy a massive sixty inch television.
“Tiffany’s credit is a bit low right now, so we just need your signature to get the promotional price,” he said. I signed the papers because I wanted to be helpful, but within four months, the payments fell behind and the collectors started calling me.
My credit was ruined and my name was tarnished because of his irresponsibility, but the worst was still yet to come. I overheard a conversation between them in July while I was pruning the bushes near the fence.
“Your father is getting really insistent with these constant visits and calls,” Tiffany complained loudly in their yard. Julian sighed and replied that he couldn’t take it anymore either because I had nothing better to do than bother them.
“He is just a clingy old man who wants attention all the time,” Julian said while they both laughed at my expense. They mocked the smell of my back pain ointment and the stories I told about the old days.
I left my garden shears on the grass and went inside to sit in the dark, feeling the weight of Eleanor’s warnings. I stopped calling and visiting immediately because I wanted to see how long it would take for them to notice I was gone.
It took an entire month before Julian showed up at my door, but it wasn’t out of genuine worry. “Dad, you’ve disappeared lately, and we haven’t seen you around the house,” he remarked casually.
“I thought you were too busy for visits from a clingy old man,” I replied, watching his face turn pale as he realized I had heard them. He tried to make an excuse, but I told him that I finally understood that I was a burden in his life.
“I am going to give you exactly what you want, which is my total absence,” I said before closing the door. Our relationship deteriorated rapidly after that, and he only contacted me when he needed a signature for a legal document.
In October, I found out through a neighbor that they had thrown a massive birthday party for Tiffany without inviting me. Mr. Thompson mentioned how the street was packed with cars and the music played until three in the morning.
“I wasn’t invited to the party, Mr. Thompson,” I said, feeling the sting of the neighbor’s pity. He looked embarrassed and muttered something about it being a simple misunderstanding among young people.
When I called Julian the next day to ask about it, he told me it was just a small thing for their younger friends. He spoke as if I were a fossil that would have ruined the atmosphere of their celebration.
As December arrived, I felt the heavy anticipation of the holidays and the tradition of our family dinners. I bought an expensive dress shirt for Julian and a nice perfume for Tiffany, spending nearly half of my allowance.
I wrapped them in gold paper and wrote cards filled with love, hoping that Christmas would bring us back together. On the twenty third, I called to ask what time I should arrive for the dinner we always shared.
