“What’s going on is that I have a daughter in everything but name, and apparently that’s a crime.”
I took a breath.
“Has Tessa asked you for money?”
Margaret’s chin lifted.
“I have helped her financially. She’s pregnant and struggling. I promised to help with the baby.”
“How much have you given her?” Roy asked.
“That is none of your business.”
“Mom, if somebody is using you—”
“Using me? She is the only person who makes me feel as though I still matter.”
Her voice cracked.
She began talking about her age, her loneliness, and how difficult it had become to manage everything alone. She described the long evenings when nobody called and the stairs that had become harder to climb.
For a moment, I felt my anger soften.
Loneliness could make a person vulnerable. Perhaps Tessa had found a way into Margaret’s life by offering the attention she desperately wanted.
