On Christmas, my sister got a new Mercedes. I got a car air freshener. My mom laughed and said, “Be more modest, Sienna. Everyone gets what they deserve.”
I’m Sienna and I’m 31 years old. Three years ago, I landed my dream job as director of development at a fintech company. The salary was incredible, more money than I’d ever made before. I was so excited that I called my parents right away to tell them.
My parents, Richard and Carol, were thrilled. They insisted on having a celebratory dinner at their house. My younger sister, Madison, was there too. She’s seven years younger than me, 24 now.
We had a nice meal. My mom made her famous roast chicken and we opened a bottle of wine. Everyone was happy for me, or so I thought.
Then, right after dessert, my mom’s expression changed. She got this serious look on her face.
“Sienna, we need to talk to you about something,” she said.
“Okay,” I said, wondering what was wrong.
My dad cleared his throat. “The pandemic hit our bakery really hard. We’re behind on our mortgage payments.”
My parents owned a small bakery in town. They’d run it for over 15 years. I knew business had been rough during the pandemic, but I didn’t realize how bad it was.
“We’re struggling to keep up with the monthly payments,” my mom added. “They’re $1,800 a month.”
“We were wondering,” my dad said carefully, “if you could help us out temporarily, just until we get back on our feet. Six months at most.”
I looked at their faces. They looked genuinely worried. These were my parents. They’d raised me, paid for my education, supported me my whole life. How could I say no?
What happened next changed everything… FULL STORY on the next page.
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