Chapter 3: The Account Nobody Knew About
I felt a knot form in my stomach.
“What else is there?””
My mother looked toward the window.
For the first time in my life, she looked nervous around me.
Not sad.
Not angry.
Nervous.
“Mom, please tell me.””
She rubbed her fingers together.
“I didn’t want you to worry.””
“That’s what people say right before they tell you something you should have known.””
She gave a small, tired smile.
“You always were too smart.””
I waited.
Finally, she said:
“I’ve been helping someone.””
“Who?””
She didn’t answer immediately.
That scared me more than anything.
“Michael?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
“Then who?””
She looked at me.
“Your old babysitter.””
I blinked.
“What?””
“Mrs. Collins.””
I remembered her immediately.
She had watched me when I was a child.
She lived three houses away from my mother for nearly thirty years.
“She’s ninety-one now,” Mom said quietly.
“Her daughter moved across the country. She doesn’t have anyone nearby.””
I stared at her.
“Mom…”
“She needed help.””
“So you’ve been giving her money?””
My mother nodded.
“Some of it.””
“Some of it?””
She looked down.
“The rest goes to Caleb.””
I sat back.
Suddenly everything made sense.
The cash.
The secrecy.
The exact amount.
But I still had one question.
“Why didn’t you just tell me?””
My mother’s eyes became glossy.
“Because I knew what you would do.””
“What?””
“You would take over.””
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
Because she was right.
I would have.
I would have sent money.
I would have made calls.
I would have tried to fix everything.
“That’s what families do,” I said.
She nodded.
“Yes.””
“Then why carry it alone?””
She smiled sadly.
“Because sometimes parents still want to be the ones who give.””
That sentence stayed with me.
My mother had spent my entire life giving.
And when she finally found a way to keep giving, I had accused her of becoming someone else.
I reached across the table and held her hand.
“I’m sorry.””
She squeezed mine.
“I know you were hurt.””
“I thought you didn’t care anymore.””
Her face fell.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
“I thought you looked at Caleb like a responsibility instead of family.””
She shook her head quickly.
“Never.””
The word came out instantly.
Strong.
Certain.
“Never.””
I wiped my eyes.
Then I looked at the notebook again.
“How much is in the account?””
She hesitated.
“Mom.””
She sighed.
“Almost twelve thousand dollars.””
I stared.
“Twelve thousand?””
She nodded.
“For his first car? College? Whatever he needs.””
I laughed softly through my tears.
“You saved forty dollars at a time.””
She smiled.
“One babysitting day at a time.””
For the first time in weeks, I felt peace.
But it didn’t last.
Because when I was leaving, my mother stopped me at the door.
“Wait.””
I turned around.
She looked uncomfortable.
“There’s one more thing you need to know.””
My smile disappeared.
“What?””
She reached into a drawer and pulled out a small envelope.
Not the same one as before.
A different one.
“This came in the mail yesterday.””
I took it.
“From who?””
She looked at me with worried eyes.
“I don’t know.””
I opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
A picture of Caleb.
Taken outside my mother’s house.
Recent.
My hands went cold.
May you like
Because on the back of the photo, someone had written three words:
*“He knows now.””*
