Texting your sister during the Fourth of July BBQ when yo...

Conversation

1. Maya, where are you? Tell me you didn't invite Dad.
2. I did, he's here now, he flew in this morning.
3. What? You promised you'd never let him near our table.
4. Mom begged, she said it would heal things between them.
5. Heal things? He left us, Maya, he left me.
6. He's asking to apologize to you specifically, he wanted a seat.
7. He's been escorted to the head of the table.
8. I thought giving him the head would make it official.
9. You sat him there where he walked out on us?
10. I didn't make that choice lightly, please believe me.
11. Don't 'please' me, tell me what he said to Mom.
12. He told Mom he could fix things, that he paid for surgery.
13. Paid for surgery? What surgery? Who did he pay?
14. Mom's savings were gone, he covered the hospital bill.
15. So you invited the man who abandoned us because he paid?
16. He said he'd only come if we stopped talking about court.
17. Stop talking about court? He bought silence then.
18. It's not that simple, he cried, he had a folder for you.
19. Don't open any folder from him, delete whatever he gave.
20. You didn't see his face; he looked at you like he owned you.
21. He doesn't own me, but you let him buy our family.
22. I made a deal, I used his money for Mom's operation.
23. You used his money and then sat him at the head?
24. I did it to save Mom—I'm sorry, but I couldn't lose her.