After a heart attack left me struggling to pay my bills, I turned to my grandson Eric, whom I’ve always supported. It was hard to ask for help, but I had no choice. He refused.
So, I asked my son, who shocked me by saying, “So, all this time you never really trusted me, and now you need me?”
I sat there, stunned. The living room was quiet except for the faint ticking of the clock. I looked into my son’s eyes, hoping he’d say he was joking.
But he wasn’t. His arms were crossed, jaw tight, and I could see a storm behind his stare. I wanted to explain myself, but the words wouldn’t come.
“You always ran to Eric, paid his tuition, bailed him out when he wrecked that car, and never once asked me if I was okay,” he continued. “And now you show up needing help?”
It stung because he was right, at least in part. I had always felt closer to Eric.
Maybe it was because I saw so much of my late wife in him. Or maybe it was because my son, Ben, and I had drifted apart after she passed. I don’t know.
I just know that I never expected to feel like a burden to my own blood. “I didn’t come here to argue,” I finally managed. “I just… I need a little help until I can get back on my feet.”
Ben let out a long sigh.
He rubbed his temples and walked away into the kitchen. I sat alone on the couch, staring at the family pictures on the wall. One of them showed me holding Eric as a baby.
Another showed Ben as a kid, holding a fishing rod, grinning wide. Funny how time can turn memories into regrets. Ben came back with an envelope and placed it on the table.
“This is all I can give right now,” he said. “But Dad, maybe it’s time you ask yourself why you’re in this situation. Why didn’t Eric help you?
Ever thought about that?”
I didn’t answer. I thanked him and left. The bus ride home was cold and long.
I kept replaying his words. Why didn’t Eric help me? Had I failed to teach him compassion?
Or had I taught him that I would always be there, no matter what? At home, I opened the envelope. $300.
Enough to cover my electricity and meds for the month. Not enough for rent, but a start. I sat on my recliner, heart still aching—not physically this time, but from the kind of pain no medicine can fix.
That night, I made a list of people I could call. Friends? Most had either passed or were in no shape to help.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
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