Chapter 6 - The Man Who Needed Forty-Two Thousand Dollars
Tanya arrived at Renee's house twenty-three minutes later.
She didn't knock gently.
Renee opened the door before the third pounding hit.
Tanya stepped inside.
“Where's Malik?”
“In the kitchen.”
“Where's the folder?”
“With Malik.”
“Give it to me.”
Renee folded her arms.
“No.”
Tanya stared at her older sister.
“You've lost your mind.”
“No. I found my spine.”
“This has nothing to do with you.”
“Your son is sleeping in my guest room.”
Tanya's expression flickered.
“That was his choice.”
Renee's voice sharpened.
“Do not rewrite what happened in front of me.”
Malik entered.
The withdrawal slip was in his hand.
Tanya saw it.
Her anger disappeared.
“Malik.”
“You gave him eighteen thousand five hundred dollars.”
Tanya's shoulders fell.
“Let me explain.”
“From Dad's money.”
“It was my money.”
“Legally?”
“Yes.”
Malik nodded.
“I know.”
That stopped her.
“I talked to someone,” he continued. “Dad's letter wasn't a trust. He didn't legally restrict the insurance money.”
Tanya relaxed slightly.
Then Malik added:
“So don't hide behind the law. I'm asking what you chose.”
Tanya's face crumpled.
“Darrell was in trouble.”
“So you rescued him.”
“He was going to lose his company.”
“How much did he owe?”
“You know.”
“Forty-two thousand.”
“Yes.”
“You gave him eighteen-five.”
“Yes.”
“And now he wants you to refinance the house.”
“He wants us to consolidate his remaining debt at a lower rate.”
“Us.”
“Stop doing that.”
“No.”
Malik held up the withdrawal slip.
“Did he pay any of this back?”
Tanya hesitated.
“That wasn't the agreement.”
“So it was a gift.”
“It was an investment in our future.”
“What future?”
“Malik.”
“The future where he's on the deed?”
Tanya's eyes darted toward Renee.
“Who told you that?”
“You did. By text.”
“I said we were discussing it.”
“Why?”
“Because we're building a life.”
Renee laughed without humor.
“And the first brick in that life was removing Malik?”
Tanya turned.
“He isn't being removed.”
Malik pointed toward his bags.
“Stop saying that.”
Tanya looked at the floor.
For the first time, she seemed embarrassed by the words themselves.
“I thought thirty days would give you motivation.”
“To do what?”
“Move forward.”
“I was moving forward.”
“You were comfortable.”
“I was saving for school.”
“You had almost seven thousand dollars saved.”
Malik froze.
“How do you know that?”
Tanya looked confused by his reaction.
“You told me.”
“No.”
“I've seen your banking app.”
“When?”
Silence.
Renee stepped closer.
“Tanya.”
Tanya rubbed her forehead.
“Darrell saw it once when Malik left his phone unlocked.”
Malik's face changed.
“He looked at my bank account?”
“He wasn't snooping.”
“What would you call it?”
“He noticed.”
“Numbers don't jump out of phones.”
Tanya raised her voice.
“You're turning every mistake into a crime!”
“No,” Malik shouted back. “I'm finding out how many mistakes there were!”
Silence crashed through the room.
Tanya's eyes filled.
Malik immediately lowered his voice.
“Did Darrell know how much I'd saved before he decided I could afford to leave?”
Tanya couldn't answer.
That was enough.
Malik sat down.
“He saw my account.”
Tanya whispered, “He thought you had enough for a deposit.”
“He thought.”
“Yes.”
“He decided.”
“We discussed it.”
“Did you ever ask me?”
“No.”
Malik nodded slowly.
“You know what the worst part is?”
Tanya cried silently.
“I would have moved eventually.”
“I know.”
“I might have moved this year.”
“I know.”
“You could have asked.”
“I was scared you'd say no.”
Malik stared.
“So instead of hearing me say no, you made it impossible for me to say anything.”
Renee looked at Tanya with open disappointment.
Tanya sank into a chair.
“I didn't think it would feel like this.”
“What did you think it would feel like?”
“Like a push.”
“It felt like replacement.”
Tanya covered her mouth.
For several seconds no one spoke.
Then Renee asked the question Malik had avoided.
“Why did Darrell need Malik gone before the refinancing?”
Tanya wiped her eyes.
“He didn't.”
“Then why the rush?”
“Because Darrell said if Malik stayed, nothing would ever change.”
“That isn't financial.”
“No.”
“Then what changed?”
Tanya stared at her hands.
Finally she whispered:
“Darrell said he wouldn't marry me while Malik was still living there.”
Malik's face went blank.
Renee whispered, “What?”
Tanya looked up.
“He said a grown son in the house would always make him feel like a guest.”
The room became completely still.
Malik remembered his father's letter.
Don't ever let somebody make either of you feel like guests.
He almost laughed at the cruelty of it.
Instead he asked:
“So to make sure Darrell didn't feel like a guest…”
Tanya closed her eyes.
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Malik finished quietly.
“…you made me one.”
