Forgot to Take 20 Cents of Change, My Own Son Exposed Me Online for Stealing

[Your daughter-in-law only said what needed to be said. She’s young and you’re their father, so you should be more understanding.]

[Business is hard these days. Daniel works day and night to keep his factory running. Do you think it’s easy for him?]

[If you, his father, don’t help him, then who will?]

Soon after, my cousin joined in. [Damien, I have to say, what you did wasn’t right. It’s just a small misunderstanding. You shouldn’t take it so seriously.]

[At a time like this, when your son is struggling, it’s only natural for a father to help with both money and effort. Why would you quit now?]

[You’re just breaking his heart.]

Then my other sister sent a long voice message. I clicked on it and her usual lecturing tone filled the room. [Hey, listen to me, stop being so stubborn. There’s no real grudge between family, right?]

[You’re retired now and don’t have much to do, so it’s only right to help your son and he’s even paying you. That’s already generous.]

[If you leave like this, what will people say about the Sanders Family?]

[They’ll think we can’t even get along. People will laugh at us.]

As I read all those messages, seeing that each one blamed me without knowing the full story, my fingers went cold.

Then a distant cousin, the kind who rarely spoke to us but loved to gossip, sent a sarcastic message. [Oh wow, Daniel’s dad really has it good.]

[His son owns a factory and he gets to work there as a cook, earning easy money. Not like my useless son.]

[But really, you’re making such a big deal out of something so small. Maybe you just can’t get used to city life and want to go back home to act like a boring old man again?]

Another niece, who wasn’t very close to our family, chimed in too. [Uncle, Daniel is paying you just to keep you busy and give you a bit of income. Isn’t that better than doing nothing at home? Why can’t you just appreciate that?]

[The money is handled by your daughter-in-law. She’s just being careful for the sake of the factory. You did take the twenty cents, didn’t you? What’s wrong with them mentioning it?]

[It’s not like you’re losing anything.]

[That’s right,] added another relative. [Damien, we have no right to criticize you here, but try to be honest with yourself. When you’re old, won’t you still depend on Daniel and his wife?]

[If you upset them now, how will you live later? Just apologize and get back to work. We’re family, Damien, why make such a big deal out of it?]

The messages kept coming, one after another. They all blamed me, called me petty, unreasonable and ungrateful for my children’s so-called kindness.

None of them knew what it felt like to wake up at five every morning, to cook for nearly a hundred people alone, day after day.

Then my older nephew, who had had conflicts with me before, added with mockery, [Honestly, Danies is too kind. He should’ve hired a real chef instead of asking his dad. Look how that turned out. It’s easier to invite an expert than to send a useless person away.]

[Sure, twenty cents isn’t much, but it shows his character. Today it’s twenty cents, tomorrow who knows how much? Maybe the rumor about him pocketing grocery money is true.]

[That’s right,] that distant cousin added again. [Look how fast he’s trying to leave. Maybe his kids are right. If he has nothing to hide, why is he running away?]

Finally, Daniel sent another message.

[Dad, see? Everyone agrees. Stop being so stubborn, okay? Just come back to work tomorrow. I’ll talk to Wanda and give you a 30-dollar raise.]

I stared at the screen for a while, then opened the group settings and quietly left the chat.

At last, the world felt quiet again.

But an hour later, someone knocked on my door.