MY SISTER STOLE MY BABY'S COLLEGE FUND—THEN SHE ASKED ME FOR MONEY
MY SISTER STOLE MY BABY'S COLLEGE FUND—THEN SHE ASKED ME FOR MONEY
CHAPTER 1: CAN YOU LEND ME FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS?
"Can you lend me fifty thousand dollars?"
My sister asked the question like she was borrowing a sweater.
I nearly dropped my coffee.
"What?"
Across from me, Monica smiled.
"You heard me."
We were sitting at our mother's birthday dinner.
Twenty relatives filled the room.
Everyone suddenly became very interested in their food.
Nobody looked up.
That was the first sign something was wrong.
I glanced around the table.
My mother avoided eye contact.
My uncle looked uncomfortable.
Even my husband seemed nervous.
The knot in my stomach tightened.
"Why would I give you fifty thousand dollars?"
Monica rolled her eyes.
"Because family helps family."
I laughed.
"No."
Her smile disappeared.
"No?"
"No."
The room became silent.
My mother immediately jumped in.
"Grace, don't be selfish."
There it was.
The sentence I'd heard my entire life.
Whenever Monica wanted something.
Whenever Monica made a mistake.
Whenever Monica needed rescuing.
I was expected to fix it.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"What happened this time?" I asked.
Monica crossed her arms.
"Nothing happened."
That meant something definitely happened.
"Monica."
She sighed dramatically.
"I invested in a business."
"How much did you lose?"
Silence.
I already knew the answer wasn't good.
"Monica."
She looked down.
"Two hundred thousand."
The room exploded.
Even relatives who weren't listening before were listening now.
My jaw dropped.
"How?"
My mother immediately defended her.
"She trusted the wrong people."
I laughed in disbelief.
"Two hundred thousand dollars?"
Monica slammed her hand on the table.
"I said I made a mistake."
I stood up.
"And I said no."
Her face darkened.
Then she smiled.
A strange smile.
A dangerous smile.
"Fine."
I frowned.
"Fine?"
She leaned back in her chair.
"If you don't want to help me..."
She paused.
"...maybe I should tell everyone where your daughter's college fund went."
My blood turned to ice.
The room went silent.
Completely silent.
My daughter Lily's college fund.
The account I'd spent fifteen years building.
The account nobody should know anything about.
Slowly, I looked at Monica.
"What did you just say?"
Her smile widened.
And for the first time all evening...
She looked scared.
Not of me.
May you like
Of what she had accidentally revealed.
END OF CHAPTER 1
