Charity Starts at Home

An hour later, I opened the door to our apartment.

Roddy was already on the sofa. He scoffed at my presence.

Ignoring him, I grabbed his ledger from the table and flipped through it.

I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to find.

[August 20, 2019 – Lent 8,000 to Lorelei for Natasha’s tuition]

[March 12, 2020 – Lent 20,000 to Lorelei for home renovations]

[June 7, 2020 – Lent 5,000 to Natasha for a laptop]

[September 1, 2020 – Lent 15,000 to Lorelei for Lorelei’s living and miscellaneous expenses]

[April 8, 2021 – Lent 8,000 to Lorelei for Natasha’s new phone]

[July 22, 2021 – Lent 2,000 to Natasha for cosmetic products]

[October 10, 2021 – Lent 12,000 to Lorelei for medical bills]

…

The entries were too many for me to keep up with.

My hands shook as I held the notebook.

The tremor came from an angry place.

I started to tally up the numbers with the calculator on my phone.

It was a grand total of 187,400 dollars.

I smirked in rage.

These were just the ones he had jotted down.

What about the loans Roddy had forgotten about, and all the small amounts he lent out here and there?

“It’s been three years.” I sneered, “We’ve been married for three years, Roddy. You’ve never contributed a single cent of your income to this family! I keep the house running, pay the mortgage with my income, pinching every penny just to stay afloat!

“And you? You basically gave away your money to the mother and daughter next door! I can’t believe you spent 187 grand on them. Roddy, it’s 187,000 dollars!”

I slammed my phone into his chest.

Roddy’s cheeks turned flush, and he averted his gaze. “W-Why are you yelling at me? It’s not as if I won’t pay you back. Lorelei and Natasha are in a tough spot. What’s wrong with helping them out? Don’t you have any compassion?

“Besides, nobody expected your father to fall ill. We had no idea that his treatment would cost so much. Money can be replaced, but people can’t. We’ll work something out.”

“Work something out?” I cut him off. “So your plan is to play the saint while draining us dry and letting my father die? Roddy, we’re talking about 187,000 dollars, not pocket change. Go next door and get the money now, every last cent of it.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Roddy shot up in outrage. “What’s Lorelei and Natasha going to think of me? How am I supposed to show my face anywhere? Our neighbors will all talk behind my back, saying that I look the other way when people are struggling! Laurel, when did you become so heartless and materialistic?”

Heartless? Materialistic?

I stared at the flustered and angry man, finding him so ridiculous.

My father was fighting for his life, waiting for life-saving money. Yet, Roddy had the nerve to call me materialistic.

“Fine. Since you’re not going, I’ll go.” I smirked.