Chapter 1
The ATM printed out a receipt.
On it was shown "Balance: $0.00."
I stared at the numbers for ten whole seconds.
Yesterday, there was still $60,082.54 in there.
Overnight, it was wiped clean.
I thought it was a system glitch. I reinserted the card and checked again.
"Balance: $0.00."
My fingers felt numb as I fished out my phone and dialed my mom's number.
She picked up after two rings, as if she'd been waiting for this call. "Natty, I was just about to tell you…"
"Where's the money in my account?" I cut her off.
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
"Your brother was short on money for his apartment's down payment. I figured you had some money in that account that you weren't really using… so I went ahead and made the decision for you."
"Made the decision for you…" Those words felt like nails being hammered, blow by blow, into my temples.
"Mom, that's more than $60,000," I reminded her.
"I know," she replied.
"I've been saving that for five years."
"I know," she said again.
"When are you going to give my money back?" I asked.
There was silence on the other end.
It wasn't the kind of silence caused by a bad connection. It was the silence that said, "You shouldn't be asking that."
Three seconds… Five seconds…
My mom finally spoke with a hint of impatience, "We're family. Surely there's no need to be so formal. Your brother buying a house is a serious matter, and you're going to…"
I ended the call.
It wasn't because I couldn't stand listening anymore.
It was because I had been hearing that line for 27 years.
*****
I stood in front of the ATM for almost five minutes until someone behind me started coughing in annoyance.
I retrieved my card with trembling hands.
It wasn't because of the cold. It was late October, and it wasn't even that chilly yet.
It was because this $60,000 was scraped together from the money I saved by eating microwave meals for three straight months instead of eating out. It included the performance bonus I earned by giving up every weekend, turning down every social gathering, and working overtime until after 9 PM every day. It also included every single dollar I saved by never setting the air conditioner below 82 degrees and using every last drop of laundry detergent before buying a new bottle.
That was five years, or 1,825 days' worth, of savings.
All those little coins of joy I had pulled out of my pocket time and again added up to this number. These were small sums saved by skipping that cup of coffee or not buying clothes until a big sale with massive discounts was on.
A total of $60,082.54 had now turned into bricks for an apartment I would never get to live in.
I took a deep breath. Then I pulled out my phone and booked a train ticket home.
*****
Four hours later, when I opened the door, the smell of beef stew filled the air.
The living room was very bright.
My brother, Heinz, and sister-in-law, Lilou, were sitting on the sofa with a thick stack of floor plans spread out in front of them. Lilou was circling things on the plans with a pen, muttering, "This layout is north-south facing, but the landscaping in the complex could be better…"
My nephew Jona was sitting on the carpet playing with building blocks, while my mom was cooking in the kitchen.
It was a picture of perfect tranquility.
I stood in the doorway, but nobody even noticed me.
After a few seconds, Jona looked up and noticed me. "Aunt Natty, you're back!"
Heinz finally lifted his head and glanced at me. "Oh, you're back? Perfect timing. My wife has picked out a few floor plans. Could you give us your opinion?"
"When are you going to pay back my $60,000?" I asked outright.
The whole room fell silent.
The bubbling of the beef stew from the kitchen suddenly sounded louder.
My mom popped her head out of the kitchen. Her face looked very strained, as if she had swallowed something bitter.
"Natty, why are you back so suddenly? I didn't get a chance to explain everything to you…"
"No need to explain. Just one question. When are you paying back my $60,000?" I asked crisply.
Lilou was the first to answer. She set her pen down and leaned back against the couch. Then she crossed her legs and looked at me with that all-too-familiar smile.
"Oh, you're back to demand payment?"
She paused for a moment, as if she felt the punchline wasn't strong enough, then added, "Is it really too much to ask of family?"
I didn't even look at her. I was staring at Heinz.
"Heinz, what about the money? Say something."
Heinz pushed the floor plans aside, leaned back on the couch, and crossed his arms behind his head. "All right, all right. It's just money, isn't it?"
He yawned before adding, "It's not like I'm not going to pay you back."
"So when will you pay it back?" I asked again.
"I just bought the place and still need to renovate. I'm a bit short on cash right now. Give me some time," he muttered.
"How long?" I refused to let up.