Pretending To Be In A Tight Spot, I Asked For One Safe Night Indoors. My Well-Off Kids Said It Wouldn’t Work. Only My Youngest Son, A Teacher, Took Me In, Ready To Sell His Wedding Ring To Cover Groceries. Next Morning, My Lawyer Arrived With A $100m Check, And Their Expressions Changed…

I set the pill bottle on the granite counter and walked to the window overlooking my backyard. The roses I’d planted when Richard was still alive bloomed in defiant bursts of red and pink, their thorns sharp enough to draw blood if you weren’t careful. Like everything beautiful in life, they demanded respect.

My phone buzzed against the counter. A text from Sandra, my daughter. “Mom, we need to talk.

Can Donald and I come over tonight?”

I stared at the message, feeling that familiar tightness in my chest that had nothing to do with my medical condition. Sandra and her husband Donald lived 20 minutes away, but visited maybe once a month, usually when they needed something. Their last visit had been to ask if I’d co-sign a loan for their new BMW.

Before that, they’d wanted me to babysit their golden retriever while they went on a cruise to Alaska. “Of course, dear. I’ll make dinner.” I typed back, then immediately deleted it.

Instead, I sent, “Yes, 6:00.” I’d learned the hard way that kindness was often mistaken for weakness, especially by family members who’d grown accustomed to taking without giving. The lesson had cost me dearly over the years. Richard’s life insurance money that I’d loaned to Sandra for her master’s degree and never seen again.

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