Chapter 6 - The Morning After in Crestwood
The morning sun rose over Crestwood, painting the sky in brilliant shades of peach and gold. Inside our house, the atmosphere was light and peaceful. Ellie ate her pancakes with a genuine smile, humming a little tune she had learned in music class. Seeing her happy, unburdened by the venom of the previous night, confirmed that I had made the right choice.
By ten o'clock, however, my phone—which I had turned back on—began to vibrate furiously.
Calls from Tom. Calls from Jennifer. Calls from unknown local numbers that were undoubtedly local utility companies or bank representatives trying to reach Barbara's primary guarantor.
I ignored them all, focusing instead on weekend chores and spending quality time with Ellie. We built a Lego castle in the living room, baked chocolate chip cookies, and laughed at a silly comedy movie on television. It was the kind of normal, joyful weekend Leah would have loved to see.
By late afternoon, however, the chaos of Crestwood finally made its way to our doorstep.
A car door slammed loudly outside. Footsteps crunched rapidly up our front walkway, followed by a heavy, desperate pounding on our front door.
Thump, thump, thump.
Ellie looked up from her coloring book, her hazel eyes widening slightly with apprehension.
"It's okay, sweetheart," I said, offering her a reassuring smile. "Keep coloring. I'll handle it."
I stood up, walked calmly through the hallway, and pulled open the front door.
Standing on our porch was my younger brother Tom, looking disheveled, stressed, and visibly panicked. Behind him stood Barbara, her hair slightly out of place, her designer blouse wrinkled, and her face flushed with a mixture of utter fury and sheer desperation.
"Derek!" Tom blurted out, throwing his hands up in disbelief. "What the hell is going on?! Mom has been calling me all morning in hysterics! Her bank accounts are frozen, her car is flagged for repossession, and the bank sent her a default notice on the mortgage! Are you out of your mind?!"
I didn't invite them in. I simply stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance, resting one hand casually against the doorframe.
"Good morning, Tom," I said evenly. "And good morning, Barbara."
Barbara pushed past Tom, her eyes blazing with indignant rage. For a second, the old matriarch tried to summon her intimidating aura, but the panic underneath was unmistakable.
"How dare you?!" Barbara shrieked, pointing a shaky finger at my chest. "You cut off my funds! Do you have any idea what the bank told me this morning? They said my account is in default! They're threatening foreclosure! You promised Leah! You swore to her!"
"I promised Leah I would take care of her mother," I replied, my voice calm, measured, and entirely unyielding. "I did that for three years. But Leah never asked me to finance a woman who emotionally abuses her own granddaughter."
"It was a slip of the tongue!" Barbara yelled, her voice echoing down the suburban street. "Children are too sensitive these days! You're ruining my life over a harmless comment?!"
"Calling an eight-year-old child a disappointment isn't a slip of the tongue, Barbara," I said, my gaze locking onto hers with terrifying clarity. "That is who you are. And as of midnight last night, my financial sponsorship of who you are has officially been terminated."
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Tom rubbed the back of his neck, looking between us with immense discomfort. "Derek, come on, man... I know mom crossed a line last night. She shouldn't have said those things to Ellie. But cutting off her livelihood? Taking away her house? That's extreme! Can't you just reinstate the accounts and talk about this like adults?"
"No, Tom," I said firmly. "I can't. And I won't."
