Too Late to Call Me Home

Michael played a dirty trick on me five years ago. He stole my mother's belongings from Nicole, sold them, and claimed that I was the one who did it.Nicole flew into a rage. She punished me by making me kneel in the snow for three days and three nights while constantly questioning me about where I had sold the belongings.Of course, I had no idea.I told Nicole that it was Michael's scheme to sow discord because he just couldn't stand how nice she was to me. Sadly, she absolutely refused to believe me.Stealing, disrespecting our late mother, and being reluctant to admit my mistake—all these three offenses hit her nerves.Due to Michael's lies, Nicole confiscated all my money and kicked me out of the house.I did fairly well for the first six months. I found a sales job, which was enough to support myself and even leave me with some money to spare.However, everything changed six months later.Nicole called me for the only time in five years.As soon as I answered the call, s

Nicole and Michael were having dinner when I got home.She glanced at me. Her tone was flat as she spoke, "So you've finally decided to grace us with your presence?""What gives you the right to make the manager fire me?" I questioned expressionlessly, completely changing the subject."Five years have passed. Haven't you humiliated me enough?"She merely arched a brow at me and answered indifferently, "I'm doing this for your own good. You won't know that home is the best place for you if I don't let you suffer a little."Jack, do you know what the word is on the streets about you? I've been the one to keep those nasty comments from reaching your ears. Yet, you've never once thanked me for my efforts!"Just then, Michael put down his fork and knife and added sarcastically, "Nicole, Jack doesn't appreciate how good you are to him at all. Look at him. He's clearly blaming you!""Shut up!"I couldn't take it anymore. So, I rushed over and raised my hand to punch him.However, Nic

When I ordered the cremation urn, the shop owner learned I was ordering it for myself and made an exception. So, he asked me to leave the phone number of an emergency contact person.I thought about it for a long time. Suddenly, I realized that I had no friends or relatives left ever since I was kicked out.No one was willing to get in touch with me due to Nicole's threats.That meant that she was the only person for the job.In the end, I chose to leave her phone number. At the same time, a faint sense of anticipation rose inside me.Would she be sad and heartbroken if she found out I was dead one day?Would she reflect on her actions and reinvestigate what happened five years ago?In the quiet of her office, Nicole looked up from a pile of documents and frowned."What cremation urn?"The shop owner laughed in exasperation on the other end. "I saw you on the financial news channel a few days ago. You're so rich, yet you won't even give your brother 500 bucks to settle his pay

I tried to clear my name before I died.Although I no longer cared whether Nicole believed me, I still left a message in my notes."First of all, I'm committing suicide, so please don't waste police resources on me. I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and I have the medical report on my phone. This is me facing my death with no regrets. "Secondly, I still want to tell my sister, Nicole Thompson, that I didn't sell our mother's belongings five years ago. That was all Michael. The pawnshop owner definitely knows him. Go ahead and look into it if you don't believe me. The truth will come out eventually. "You should be able to find out what you need with some effort. Finally, I still wish to have a nice final resting place. There are only 500 bucks left of the balance. Nicole, please have some pity on me and help me settle the payment. "Now that I think about it, I don't owe you anything. I drank three bottles of whiskey that day, so you technically owe me 500 dollars. It's time t