Chapter 12 - I CUT TOO MUCH
I made another mistake.
Monday morning, furious, I instructed Marissa:
“Stop all non-medical family transfers.”
That included tuition.
Rent support.
A cousin’s short-term disability assistance.
Not just my parents.
By noon, three families had panic emails.
One cousin, Nicole, called.
“Thomas, did I do something?”
“No.”
“My daughter’s semester balance is due Friday.”
I stopped.
She had never mocked my children.
Never asked Robert to hide anything.
I had promised the tuition months earlier.
My anger had made everyone collateral.
I called Marissa.
“Restore any existing commitment directly to recipient or vendor. No new payments through Mom and Dad.”
“Got it.”
Medical support.
Tuition already promised.
Margaret’s residence.
One cousin’s disability support.
All restored directly.
No Robert in the middle.
That decision revealed something.
When people received notices from me instead of Dad, they learned who had actually funded things.
Phone calls began.
Not angry.
Confused.
“I thought your parents had a family fund.”
“I thought this came from Grandpa Robert’s trust.”
May you like
“I thought your dad paid you back.”
The myth started cracking without me announcing anything.
