Chapter 6 - A Father's Regret
The illusion of Tyler’s "fresh start" shattered right before Thanksgiving.
My phone rang. It was David. I almost didn't answer, but the persistent ringing told me it was an emergency.
"You were right," David whispered into the receiver. He sounded broken. "My God, you were right about everything."
Over the next twenty minutes, David poured out a horror story that sounded all too familiar. Tyler had lasted three weeks at the auto shop before getting fired for threatening a customer. He had been living in David's apartment, draining his bank accounts, drinking heavily, and destroying the property.
The climax had occurred the night before. Tyler had stolen David’s car while intoxicated, crashing it into a storefront window.
"He’s in jail, and the bail is fifty thousand dollars," David sobbed. "I don't have it. My car is totaled. I'm facing a lawsuit from the store owner. I didn't know, honey. I didn't know how bad it was."
"I told you," I replied softly.
"Can you help me? Just with the legal fees?" he pleaded.
"No," I said.
"What? But—"
May you like
"I spent ten years paying for his mistakes, David. You chose to bail him out. You chose to take him in. This is the consequence. I am not financing your guilt."
I hung up the phone and went back to my painting. The boundary was absolute.
