Chapter 15 - My Father Calls
Raymond Carter had not called me in six years.
Then suddenly:
“Baby girl.”
I almost hung up.
“What do you want?”
“I saw the plane.”
“Congratulations.”
“You looked like me.”
That insulted me.
He laughed.
“Calm before bad things.”
“I’m not you.”
“No.”
His voice softened.
“You’re better.”
I hated how much part of me still wanted that from him.
Approval.
From a man who left Mom with two children.
“Marcus tells me he messed up.”
“He did.”
“You gonna save him?”
“No.”
Pause.
“Good.”
I almost laughed.
“You don’t get to say that.”
“I know.”
For once, Raymond did not defend himself.
Then:
“Your mother used to tell me I helped everybody because being needed made me feel important.”
I became still.
“Why are you telling me?”
“Because Marcus got that from me.”
That explained something.
Not enough to excuse.
Marcus built the gym partly because saving people gave him identity.
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Then borrowed recklessly to keep saving.
Family patterns travel without bank wires.
