I raised an eyebrow.
She sighed.
“Wrong sentence.”
“Very.”
She rubbed her hands.
“I’m not good at apologies.”
“I noticed.”
She almost smiled.
Then said.
“I treated you badly.”
“Yes.”
“I thought you had retired because you couldn’t keep working.”
“I did retire because I couldn’t keep working at the same pace.”
She nodded.
“But I also thought you had no money.”
“Yes.”
“And I treated that like it meant you had less value.”
That surprised me.
She looked down.
“That’s ugly.”
“Yes.”
“I know.”
She continued.
“My dad lived with us when I was a kid.”
I stayed quiet.
“He didn’t work.”
“He drank.”
“My mom paid everything.”
“He sat on the couch.”
“When she finally asked him to leave, he said family was supposed to take care of him.”
I understood more.
Not excuse.
Context.
Vanessa continued.
“When Ethan said you might move in after retiring, I panicked.”
