It wasn’t a fortune. Ray had never earned enough to become wealthy.
But it was enough to cover several months of basic household expenses, provided we were careful.
I pushed the box toward him.
“I can’t take your money.”
He pushed it gently back.
“You aren’t taking it.”
“Ray, this is everything you’ve saved.”
“And the house is where your mother lives.”
I shook my head.
“You shouldn’t have to sacrifice everything because of us.”
He looked directly at me.
“Your mother kept a room for me for fifteen years. She could have listened to the people who told her to turn me away. She could have decided that my mistakes made me unworthy of a place in her home.”
He closed the cash box.
“But she opened the door.”
His voice grew quieter.
“I’m not paying her back. I’m doing what family is supposed to do.”
I sat on the bottom step, overwhelmed by the weight of his words.
