Stay Away From Biased Parents

My mom picked up a call intended for me and mistakenly thought I had taken out a high-interest loan.

Fearing that I might burden the family, she promptly shuffled all the proceeds garnered from selling our abode to my brother, Lonnie Nicolson.

What she didn't know was that the call she answered was actually from the lottery office.

***

I won ten million dollars in the lottery.

A call reminding me to pay taxes was accidentally picked up by my mom. In a panic, she asked me, "Did you borrow money from a loan shark?"

I decided to tease her and nodded solemnly.

Her face instantly turned pale.

Just as I was about to laugh and tell her she'd been fooled, she seemed to have made up her mind about something. My mother pulled a bank card out of a drawer and handed it to me.

"This is all I have. Take it and don't come back."

That card only had three thousand dollars on it.

Yet, as our community flourished, the value of our modest home skyrocketed, and my parents made a great sum of money from that deal. The developer offered us 500 thousand dollars and threw in two apartments as well. Although apartments in a small city like ours weren't worth much, this was a considerable fortune for an ordinary family like ours.

I was stunned for a moment, feeling a bit uneasy.

I blurted out, "Where's the rest of your money?"

My mom's tone turned stiff, her face grim.

"Your dad put it all in business."

I tightly gripped the lottery ticket in my pocket. I almost took it out just now, but after hearing what she said, I shoved it back in.

I sighed heavily, suddenly feeling lost for what to say.

My mom turned and walked out.

I stared blankly at the family photo of the four of us hanging on the wall, feeling a knot in my chest.

My dad came in, holding a cup of honey water.

Because I love honey, our house was always stocked with it.

He handed me the honey water.

He always got the ratio of water to honey just right. It was sweet but not cloying.

I took a sip, and the frustration in my heart eased a bit.

"Don't be upset. You know how your mom is. She has a bad temper.

"Well, I'll find a way to free up some funds and help you get this problem sorted out first.

"But remember, think twice before you act. You can never mess with high-interest loans, okay?"

My dad's gentle voice soothed my agitated and aggrieved feelings.

I was just about to speak and explain the truth when my father said, "In fact, our family's situation wasn't bad, but Lonnie recently quit his job to start his own business. He just borrowed a large sum from me."

My hand stiffened in my pocket.

I looked up and met my dad's meaningful gaze.

I forced a bitter smile and said, "Dad, that was just a scam call. I was joking with Mom."

My dad breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with a relaxed smile.

"I knew you wouldn't be that reckless.

"Get some rest."

The next day, Henson Deleon knocked on our door with a bouquet of flowers.

Henson was my boyfriend.

A while ago, we had an argument over something, and we hadn't spoken for two or three days.

He apologized to me, practically groveling.

"Charlette, it was all my fault. Please don't be mad at me, okay?

"Forgive me.

"I was just upset that your parents were so biased, giving the apartment to Lonnie. I was only standing up for you. I really meant well."

"My parents gave the second apartment to Lonnie because the taxes on it will be high if they keep both apartments."

I couldn't help but use the excuse my dad had given me to explain to him.

Originally, I believed my dad's explanation, but after what happened yesterday, I felt somewhat wronged.

Henson opened his mouth as if to say something but then clamped it shut.

His hesitant expression only irritated me more.

I shut the door and tossed the flowers back at him.

I didn't want to think about it, so I sat on the bed and started scrolling through my phone.

Then I saw on Twitter that Lonnie was showing off his property. Both apartments were registered in his name.

He was even flaunting his bank balance. That money was all given to him by his father.

This was an account I rarely used.

I had added Lonnie as a friend on Twitter using this account, but I had never contacted him with it, so he had probably long forgotten it was me.

Maybe that was why he felt so free to boast on Twitter. He posted: [It feels great to be the favorite child!]