Chapter 3

With a cold expression, I said, "Whoever wants the job can take it. I'm not going."

Then, I turned around, went into my room, and slammed the door behind me.

I had barely sat down when my phone lit up. It was a message from one of the retirees I'd been playing chess with in the park.

"I heard your daughter found you a warehouse job. Don't take it. They only hire people under 50 years old. Your daughter lied about your age when she applied for you. And she only negotiated half the normal pay. She specifically told them to deposit the pay into her account."

I stared at the message, reading it again and again. At that point, my heart was already numb. I couldn't even work up any anger.

My own daughter had schemed against me just to try to squeeze three thousand dollars out of me.

The next morning, I got up and found the same breakfast waiting on the table—half a stale bread roll that was hard as a rock, and a few dried-up pickles.

When Christine saw me come out, she immediately pulled a face and refused to speak to me. Daniel was no better, making snide remarks from the sidelines.

In the house I'd helped pay for, I felt like an unwanted guest.

Over the next few days, I went out as usual.

Just like before, the owner of the restaurant downstairs always stared at me whenever I passed by. She was barely five feet tall but weighed 180 pounds.

Normally, she had no sense of personal space, always touching people unnecessarily and looking at them too intensely when she talked.

Today was even worse. The moment she spotted me, she blew me a kiss from across the street. The sight made my skin crawl, and I hurried away as fast as I could, avoiding her gaze.

Since Christine still had all my bank cards, if I wanted something hot to eat, I had to earn it myself. So, I spent the day collecting recyclable bottles.

With the five dollars I made, I bought two small meat pies. Only after eating them did the aching in my stomach from having nothing but bread rolls and pickles for the past few days finally ease.

The sky gradually turned dark, and the temperature outside was dropping. With nowhere else to go, I reluctantly headed home.

Before I even reached the front door, I noticed several large garbage bags sitting in the hallway. As I got closer, I realized they were filled with my belongings.

Clothes, bedding, toiletries—everything I owned had been stuffed inside bags and dumped outside.

My heart dropped. I pulled out my key and unlocked the door.

The moment the door opened, Christine appeared. She was holding up a brand new outfit, comparing it against me with a bright smile on her face.

I grew even more uneasy.

Even since I'd moved in, I couldn't remember the last time Christine was nice to me. She had never bought me anything before either. Even my bedding had been brought from my old home.

The way she was acting now wasn't right.

I pushed her hand away. "What made you decide to buy me clothes?"

Christine didn't look annoyed. In fact, she smiled and said, "You know, Dad, even though you're already in your 60s, you've still got plenty of charm. No wonder that woman from the logistics center likes you. You two should get together. I think you'd make a wonderful couple."

My mind went blank. After a long moment, I finally snapped back to my senses. "What did you say? Say that again."

At some point, Daniel had come out of the bedroom. Standing at the side, he said with a smile, "Look at that—Dad's shy. Don't worry. We're not old-fashioned. We fully support you finding someone new."

I quickly cut him off.