I stared at him.
“There’s been a complaint,” he continued.
“Maybe two.”
“Your name came up.”
That was the moment everything shifted.
Yesterday, my son’s comfort objects were destroyed in front of everyone.
Today, my father was asking me to protect the same person who had caused that pain.
“Let me understand this,” I said.
“Derek humiliates my son. He shows no remorse. And now you want me to use my reputation to save him?”
Frank’s face hardened.
“Family helps family.”
I stepped closer.
“Did family help Lucas yesterday?”
For the first time in my life, my father had nothing to say.
The porch went silent.
And in that silence, I finally understood that the fire pit had not destroyed our family.
It had only revealed what was already there.
The next morning, I learned more about Derek’s situation.
The complaint at Peterson Tech was not a single mistake.
It was a pattern.
The same behavior that had appeared at home was appearing at work.
The same belief that hurting someone weaker made him powerful.
The same refusal to accept responsibility.
