Chapter 6 - The Fall of the House of Herrera
Without my monthly $2,200 injection, the reality of my parents' financial incompetence came crashing down on them with frightening speed.
For eleven years, my parents had been living far beyond their means, using their fixed retirement income to pay off credit cards, fund Marisol's lifestyle, and pretend to maintain an upper-middle-class existence. They had no savings.
On the first of the following month, the mortgage payment came due. For the first time in over a decade, my account was not debited.
A week later, my father tried to pay the mortgage using his credit card, but the transaction was declined due to maxed-out limits.
By mid-month, the strain began breaking their household apart.
I heard details through my cousin Lucas, the only relative who remained neutral and understood my side of the story.
"It's total chaos over there, Michael," Lucas told me over coffee one afternoon. "Your dad demanded that Marisol start paying $800 a month in rent if she and her kids were going to keep living there. Marisol threw a fit, claiming she couldn't afford it. Then her new boyfriend—the guy who was sitting at the birthday dinner—stole $2,000 from your mom's jewelry box and skipped town."
I shook my head slowly, sipping my coffee. "And Marisol?"
"She packed up her kids and moved out to stay with one of her friends after screaming at your parents that they were bad grandparents," Lucas said. "Your mom is devastated. She sacrificed her relationship with you and your kids for Marisol, and Marisol abandoned her the second the money dried up."
"And my dad?"
"He's looking into reverse mortgages, but the equity isn't enough because of the secondary lines of credit he secretly took out years ago," Lucas revealed. "Michael... they're going to have to sell the house."
Hearing those words brought a strange mix of emotions. That house was where I grew up. It was where I spent my childhood. But it was also the monument to my financial exploitation.
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"They brought this on themselves, Lucas," I said quietly.
"I know," Lucas agreed softly. "Everyone in the family sees it now. Nobody is taking their side anymore. When Marisol tried to turn everyone against you, Uncle Hector actually called her out. He asked why she wasn't paying the mortgage if she cared so much. She had no answer."
