Chapter 5

Mom opened the door. Her eyes were slightly swollen.

As she took my coat, she said quietly, "Your dad's waiting in the living room… Try to talk things out."

Dad was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in front of him. He glanced at me but said nothing.

I greeted, "Dad."

He hummed in acknowledgement and pointed to the couch opposite him. "Sit."

The dining table was already set with a full dinner, including the ribs I loved. There really were my favorite ribs. We sat in silence for several minutes. The only sound in the living room was the news playing on the TV.

"How's the cafe been doing lately?" Dad finally asked, his voice stiff.

"Not bad," I replied.

He cleared his throat and went on, "So… As for the matter with the Leroys, I've thought about it. I admit I didn't think things through."

I said nothing.

His tone shifted. "But, Hugh… They're really at their wit's end right now. The lady's family has made it clear that she won't marry Jared unless he has a house. He's already 30, and he finally found someone he wants to marry…"

I watched the steam rising from my cup.

"How much is your shop worth now?" Dad asked.

"Why are you asking?" I responded.

He continued, "I'm just asking… Look, you're already having a hard time keeping the business going. Why don't you… Why don't you sell the cafe? I asked around. Given the location, you could get a pretty good price for it.

"You could use some of the money to help Jared with his down payment, then use the rest to start some small business of your own…"

I finally looked up at him.

"Dad," I said, "do you know how much I still owe on the loan for this shop?"

Dad hesitated and asked, "How much?"

I answered, "28,000 dollars. If I sell the cafe now, it will probably just about cover the loan, plus a little for the depreciation on the renovations. I'd be lucky if I ended up with 20,000 dollars in my hands."

Dad's eyes lit up. "20,000, huh? That's enough! Jared needs 40,000 dollars for the down payment. I have 8,000 dollars from my retirement savings, your mom can probably come up with some more, and with your 20,000 dollars, it's more or less that figure."

The more he talked, the more excited he became. It sounded as if he'd finally solved the problem.

"What about me?" I asked.

"What about you?" Dad responded.

In a quiet voice, I asked, "What am I supposed to do after I sell the cafe?"

Dad answered as if it were obvious. "You're young and capable. Just find another job, or take some of the money and start a small business. Running a cafe is too exhausting anyway. It's not right for you."

I laughed. In fact, I laughed so hard that my shoulders shook.

Dad frowned. "What's so funny?"

When I'd laughed enough, I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. Then, I took out my phone, opened the business listing, and turned the screen toward him.

I said, "You don't need to worry about it. I've already put the cafe up for sale."

Dad stared at the screen. I watched his eyes widen little by little.

He shot to his feet. "Y-You're crazy! That's your shop! How can you just decide to sell it?"

"My shop?" I repeated his words. "Weren't you just telling me to sell it?"

Dad quickly said, "I meant sell it and use the money to help the Leroy family! I didn't mean actually sell it!"

I asked, "What's the difference?"

After a slight pause, I said, "If I sell it, the money goes to me, and then you come asking for it because the Leroys need it. What happens if I say no? You'll call me a wretch. But if I give it to you, what am I supposed to do?"

Dad was speechless.

Standing up, I said, "So, I've figured it out. As long as I keep the cafe, someone will always have their eye on it. If I sell it, pay off the loan, and have 20,000 dollars left…"

I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to repay your debt to the Leroy family? Forget the money you've already taken from me. Take this 20,000 dollars and give it all to the Leroys to buy their house. From now on, we're even."

Dad's face blanched, and his lips trembled. "What… What do you mean? What do you mean by we're even?"

I said slowly, "It means, from this day forward, I'm no longer your son, and you're no longer my father."