I smiled. It was too much. But it wasn’t
enough to keep Uncle away from the
gambling tables.
13
Last time, gambling had been Uncle’s
downfall. Now, with the police involved, he
wouldn’t dare touch the villa. I had Dad hire
contractors to repair the damage. We still
needed to sell. Meanwhile, I sent Uncle daily
reminders about the $5000. At first, it was
just him cursing me out. Then Mom joined in.
“You heartless beast! You’re obsessed with
money! Are you trying to kill me?!”
I imagined her life must be pretty miserable
now, with Uncle taking out his frustrations on
her. I texted back: “Mom, material
<
possessions are meaningless, remember?
Don’t worry about such trivial things.”
That shut her up.
Three days later, I gave Uncle an ultimatum.
“Pay up, or I’m withdrawing the settlement
and letting the police handle it.”
“Just wait, you little punk! You’ll get your
money! I’ll burn it in front of you!”
I grinned. He’d started gambling again. And
once he started, he wouldn’t stop. Without his
interference, the villa sold quickly, for $3
million. Dad paid off his debts and still had a
substantial amount left. He wanted to put it
all in a savings account for me. I knew he felt
guilty.
L
“Dad, it was your house anyway. I don’t need
a dowry. If you really feel bad, I’ll use it to
start my own business. Then I’ll buy an even
bigger villa.”
