All Chapters of In Dad's Eyes, Strangers Deserve More: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I couldn't stand being there for another second. I felt like I was suffocating.Before I left, I turned around and said, "Do whatever you want with everything else. Leave my cafe out of it. I opened it with all my savings and a loan after I got laid off. I have to make a 5,000-dollar loan payment every month."I looked at my dad, Leonard Cohen, straight in the eye. "I need that money to get by and stay alive, Dad. If you want to play the saint, don't do it by giving my life away freely."The entire hall fell silent.Dad's lips trembled as he pointed at me and scolded, "All you care about now is money! You've forgotten how to be a decent human being!"I nodded and said, "You're right. All I care about is money. Because without money, I'll die. My cafe won't survive either. But do you care about that? All you care about is what these people down there think of you."I turned to leave.My gaze fell upon the gold-plated trophy for my dad's "selfless dedication" on the stage, gleamin

Chapter 2

Over the phone, I said to Mom, "So, I had no choice but to buy the cheapest bus ticket and sat ten hours home. With the money I had left, I bought you a bag of apples. You said they were so sweet."There was nothing but the sound of breathing on the other end."Now," I said, "he wants my business. Every waking and sleeping moment, I'm wracking my brains about how to run the cafe. That is the only hope I have to cling to."I sat up. The cafe's ledger was sitting on my nightstand.I opened it and read aloud the figures by the light of my phone. "I had invested 65,000 dollars in total. I dumped in my entire savings of 35,000 dollars and got a startup loan of 30,000 dollars. You gave me 20,000 dollars."The cafe generates a monthly revenue of about 7,800 dollars. The rent costs 2,500. Then, I need to pay 2,200 for ingredients, 500 for utilities, and another 5,000 for my workers' wages. I have a monthly loan payment of 1,600 dollars. In the end, I make a net loss of 4,000 dollars."

Chapter 3

I said, "I'm merely speaking the truth."Then, I stopped smiling and added, "Uncle Liam, Aunt Jane, you two are my elders, and I respect you. But I will not hold back against anyone who tries to make a move on my cafe. Whatever Dad promised the Leroys, he can deal with it himself."Liam shot to his feet furiously. "You… You're impossible!"He and Jane stormed out without taking a single sip of their lemonade.The next few days felt like an endless loop. Uncles, aunts, cousins, and every relative who could come showed up. They all said more or less the same things—Dad had it hard, so I should be more understanding. They also stressed that the Leroy family was struggling, so I should be kind. And since we were family, we should value harmony. They advised me to back down.I went through the motions in more or less the same way for a few days.Just when I thought this would drag on forever, Jared showed up uninvited.I was in the back kitchen testing out a new coffee grinder

Chapter 4

I stared at him for three seconds.Then, I pulled out my phone and turned on the recording function before placing it on the table.I said, "Say that again, Dad. You brought over this man, Jared Leroy, to work at my cafe, right?"Dad froze for a moment. "Why are you recording this?"I replied, "To have a record of what you said. Now, you and Mr. Leroy need to leave my cafe. Otherwise, I'll call the police immediately and report you for trespassing and disrupting my business.""Are you seriously going to call the police and have your own father arrested?" Dad asked, staring at me in disbelief.I shot back, "This is my cafe. I don't care if you're my dad."I dialed 911 and held up the screen for him to see. "You're trespassing. Three seconds. Three, two…""Let's go!" Mom suddenly rushed in through the door.It turned out she had been waiting outside and had heard everything. She grabbed Dad by the arm and urged, "Let's go, Leonard. Do you really want Hugh to call the police an

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 a

Chapter 6

The living room fell completely silent.Mom rushed out of the kitchen, still holding a soup ladle. "Hugh, what kind of nonsense are you talking about?"I remained calm as I replied, "I'm not talking nonsense. Dad wants money. I'll give it to him. But what I want and need is peace. From now on, we'll go our separate ways."Dad took a step back and grabbed the back of the couch for support. He looked at me as if I were a stranger."Are you really going to cut ties with me over a little bit of money?" he asked angrily. I responded, "A little bit of money? Dad, this is the money I need to stay alive. You want to trade my life for your reputation. Well, I've had enough. I refuse to keep fueling your vanity anymore."I put on my coat and headed for the door."Stop!" Dad shouted.I didn't turn back.His eyes were red as he pointed at me. "If you walk out that door today, don't ever come back!""I never planned to," I retorted.As the door closed behind me, I heard Mom crying and D

Chapter 7

I nodded and said, "So that's why you're in such a hurry, right? You're afraid my dad will change his mind, and that he won't be able to mortgage the house. You're afraid the money you've been counting on will slip away."Jared started wiping away the moisture in his eyes. "Hugh, we're really desperate. Lily's pregnant. Her mom won't let her have the baby unless we have a house…""Pregnant?" I looked at Lily's stomach.She instinctively covered it with her hand and avoided my eyes.I didn't ask any more questions. I took a picture of the promise note and handed it back to him.I said, "I'm not giving you a single cent. My dad made that promise. He can keep it himself. It has nothing to do with me."Lily suddenly started screaming. "How can you do this! Your family promised us! Are you trying to drive us to our deaths?"She suddenly dropped to the floor and began wailing. "There's no justice! Rich people refuse to honor their promises! You're trying to get a pregnant woman killed

Chapter 8

202 wrote, "You never really know someone just by looking at them. He always seemed like such a good person."303 wrote, "@Leonard, care to explain yourself?"402 wrote, "Wait, isn't Hugh the guy who caused a scene at the community event last time? Didn't his dad want to give his cafe away?"501 wrote, "I heard about that too. Mr. Cohen was pressuring his son to give his shares in the cafe to the Leroy family's son for free."602 wrote, "Aren't the Leroys going too far? Why should someone else's son give his own cafe to them?"703 wrote, "It takes two to tango. If Mr. Cohen never made that promise, would they be saying all this?"The group chat descended into chaos.I scrolled up and saw that Mom had posted earlier. She had written, "Gavin, that's not fair. Leonard has been helping your family for 30 years."People immediately flooded the chat with replies."Helping someone out is doing a favor. He had a right to choose not to help.""That's emotional blackmail.""Mr. Cohen

Chapter 9

The banner was soaked through. The red dye from the fabric had run, staining his hands red. The gold lettering showing the words "Respected and Revered" was still visible.I stared at the photo for a long time.At 3:00 am, Mom called again.I'd just fallen asleep on the folding bed in my studio when the ringing woke me. It was still raining outside. The rainy season in this city seemed to never end. It was long enough to make anyone despair.Mom's voice was painfully hoarse. "Hugh, can you… can you come back for a while?"I asked, "What's the matter?"In a trembling voice, Mom said, "Gavin and the others are here. They said they want to take you in as their godson."It took me three seconds to process what she'd just said. "What do you mean?"Mom lowered her voice and nearly broke out in a sob. "They're in the living room right now. They're saying you should become their godson and take care of them when they're old. In exchange, they won't bring up the house anymore."I laugh

Chapter 10

After hanging up, I couldn't fall asleep again.Just before dawn, I sent Mom a document. It contained a checklist of everything needed to file a police report, a lawyer's contact information, and the phone number of a moving company.Mom replied with one word. "Okay."Life went on like that.I exchanged messages with Mom every now and then. All the while, I never called Dad. He never contacted me either.It wasn't until three months after I'd settled into the new city that I heard about his stroke.The studio had landed its first long-term project. I received a 30,000-dollar advance payment.I moved into a slightly better rental that had its own bathroom. It was still only 160 square feet, but it faced south and received sunlight.Mom called out of the blue. Her voice was surprisingly calm as she said, "Hugh, your dad's in the hospital."I asked, "What happened?"She replied, "He had a mild stroke. The left side of his body isn't moving well, and he's having trouble speaking.

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