Chapter 2 - The Four Hundred Thousand Dollar Bait
“I actually came home with good news.”
The change in my mother was immediate.
Her posture softened.
Paige stopped laughing.
“What good news?” Margaret asked.
I pretended to hesitate.
“The Department of Defense approved my deployment compensation and military benefits.”
I paused.
“Nearly four hundred thousand dollars.”
Paige’s eyes widened.
Margaret stared at me.
I continued before either could ask too many questions.
“There’s just paperwork involved.”
“What kind?” my mother asked.
“I need to prove what I own. Properties. Investments. Assets under my name.”
That was all it took.
Margaret started talking before we were even inside.
She mentioned renovations.
Paige mentioned another truck.
Then vacations.
Shopping.
Bigger plans.
I listened.
I nodded.
I let them imagine money that did not exist.
Neither one asked why Gwen looked like she could barely stand.
That told me almost as much as the lies.
Inside, the house was even more expensive than it had appeared from the yard.
New furniture.
Decorative pieces.
Fresh flooring.
Everything polished.
Everything chosen.
Every room looked cared for.
Except the person I had sent the money home to protect.
Gwen moved quietly through the house.
My mother barely acknowledged her.
At one point Gwen reached for my bag.
I stopped her.
“I’ve got it.”
Margaret gave a short laugh.
“You’ll spoil her.”
I looked at my mother.
“She’s my wife.”
May you like
Margaret’s smile held.
“Of course.”
