Chapter 5: The Price of a Lie
"Don't touch my phone!""
Denise clutched it against her chest.
Isaiah stood across the kitchen, watching her.
"Who is threatening you?""
"Nobody.""
Malik laughed bitterly.
"Mom, the message literally says he's coming over here.""
"He's not threatening me.""
"Then why are you shaking?""
Denise turned toward her son.
"Go upstairs.""
"No.""
"Malik, I said go upstairs!""
"I'm twenty years old. Stop talking to me like I'm twelve.""
Isaiah placed the bank statement on the counter.
"How much does Marcus want?""
Denise looked away.
"That doesn't concern you.""
"It concerns me when you use my daughter's money to pay him.""
"Your daughter's money?"" Denise snapped.
"Everything in this house has been paid for by somebody. You think I haven't sacrificed anything?""
Isaiah stared at her.
"I worked two jobs before taking that contract outside Detroit. I sent money home every month.""
"And you think money solves everything?""
"No. But it could have paid for Zoe's education.""
Denise shook her head.
"You don't understand what happened.""
"Then tell us.""
She looked at Malik.
For several seconds, she seemed unable to speak.
Finally, she sat down.
"Marcus was someone I knew before I met you.""
Isaiah's expression hardened.
"How long before?""
"Years.""
"And what does he want?""
Denise rubbed her hands together.
"He owns a small event business. We used to work together.""
Malik frowned.
"You worked together?""
"Yes.""
"Doing what?""
"Managing bookings and finances.""
Isaiah pulled out the chair opposite her.
"Keep going.""
Denise took a breath.
"Last year, the business got into trouble. Marcus asked me to help him. He said he needed temporary financial assistance to cover a contract.""
"With whose money?""
She didn't answer.
Isaiah leaned forward.
"Denise.""
"Some of it was mine.""
"How much?""
She stared at the table.
"About two thousand.""
Malik's eyebrows rose.
"You had two thousand dollars?""
Denise ignored him.
"Then the business lost the contract. Marcus couldn't pay me back.""
"So you kept sending him money?"" Isaiah asked.
"I was trying to recover what I'd already lost.""
Isaiah stared at her.
"That makes no sense.""
"He promised he could fix everything if I gave him a little more.""
"And you believed him?""
Denise's eyes filled.
"He said he'd pay me back.""
Isaiah stood and walked toward the window.
"How much have you given him?""
"I don't know.""
"Guess.""
"Maybe six thousand.""
Malik let out a low whistle.
"Six thousand?""
Denise looked at him.
"Don't judge me.""
"You're telling me you gave some stranger six thousand dollars while telling Zoe she couldn't have a thirty-dollar motor?""
"He's not a stranger!""
Zoe finally spoke.
"Did you give him my scholarship money?""
Denise looked at her.
"I was going to replace it.""
"When?""
"Once Marcus paid me back.""
"But he hasn't.""
"He's going to.""
Zoe shook her head.
"That's what you kept saying about my money.""
The kitchen fell silent.
Isaiah picked up the printed statement.
"How much is left in the account?""
Denise hesitated.
"There's enough.""
"That's not an answer.""
"There's enough to cover the bills.""
"Then why did you let Zoe believe I wouldn't support her?""
Denise's eyes flashed.
"Because she kept asking questions! Every day it was a new request. A motor.
A circuit board. A tool. I couldn't keep explaining everything.""
"You could have told her the truth.""
"And have her look at me like this?""
She gestured toward Zoe.
Isaiah shook his head.
"She looks at you this way because you lied.""
For a moment, Denise seemed to collapse into herself.
Then she stood and grabbed her purse.
"I'm going to talk to Marcus.""
Isaiah frowned.
"You're not sending him another dollar.""
"I need to settle this.""
"Not with Zoe's money.""
Denise walked toward the door.
Malik followed.
"Mom, wait. I'm coming.""
She turned.
"You're staying here.""
"Why?""
"Because I said so.""
Malik looked at Isaiah.
Then at Zoe.
Finally, he stepped back.
Denise left without another word.
The front door slammed.
Two hours later, Zoe was back in the garage.
Isaiah had placed the damaged robot on the workbench.
The new parts were still inside their shopping bags.
Zoe examined the broken arm, turning it gently beneath the overhead light.
"I think I can make a replacement bracket.""
Isaiah stood beside her.
"Then make one.""
She glanced at him.
"Even if it's not perfect?""
"Especially if it's not perfect.""
He smiled.
She returned to work.
For nearly an hour, the only sounds in the garage were the hum of a small soldering iron and the occasional click of a screwdriver.
Then Malik appeared in the doorway.
"Can I talk to you?""
Zoe didn't look up.
"About what?""
"The money.""
She tightened a screw.
"What about it?""
"I didn't know Mom was using your money.""
Zoe finally looked at him.
"You knew I didn't have anything.""
Malik lowered his eyes.
"I thought Dad wasn't helping.""
"That's what she told me.""
"I figured it was between you two.""
Zoe gave a short, exhausted laugh.
"Convenient.""
Malik stepped closer.
"I didn't know about Marcus.""
"But you knew about the robot.""
He glanced at the broken arm.
"Yeah.""
"You watched me build it for four months.""
He didn't answer.
"You saw me working on it every night. You saw me bringing home old parts from school. You knew I was trying to get into that scholarship program.""
Malik rubbed the back of his neck.
"I was angry.""
"Why?""
He hesitated.
Then he said something Zoe hadn't expected.
"Because Dad kept talking about your engineering program.""
Zoe stared at him.
Malik continued.
"He told me you were smart. He told me you were going to do something important. Every time he called, he asked how your robot was coming along.""
"And?""
"And he never asked about my plans.""
Zoe put down her screwdriver.
"That doesn't give you the right to destroy my work.""
"I know.""
"Do you?""
Malik looked at the concrete.
"I thought it was just another project. Something you'd give up on.""
Zoe's voice became quiet.
"That's what Mom wanted you to think.""
He looked up.
She picked up the broken arm.
"I wasn't building this because I wanted Dad to love me more. I was building it because I love engineering.""
Malik didn't respond.
After a moment, he turned toward the doorway.
"Mom called Marcus.""
Zoe frowned.
"What?""
"I heard her on the phone before she left. She said she needed him to stop asking for money because Dad had found the transfers.""
Zoe stared at him.
"Did he say anything?""
Malik nodded.
"He told her something about a contract.""
"What contract?""
"I don't know.""
Malik hesitated.
"Then Mom said something that sounded strange.""
"What?""
He swallowed.
"She said, 'If Isaiah finds out what happened in May, we're finished.''"
Zoe slowly put down the robotic arm.
May.
That was the month she'd received an email from the scholarship committee asking her to confirm her registration.
She remembered Denise telling her the registration had been paid.
She had never questioned it.
Malik reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
"I took a picture of the message she got.""
He showed Zoe the screen.
It was a screenshot of a conversation.
*MARCUS:* You said the money was coming.
*DENISE:* I need more time.
*MARCUS:* You told me the account was yours.
*DENISE:* It was supposed to be.
*MARCUS:* What about the registration payment?
*DENISE:* Don't bring that up.
Zoe read the last two messages again.
Her stomach tightened.
"What registration payment?""
Malik shook his head.
"I don't know.""
Zoe took out her own phone and opened her email.
She searched for the scholarship competition.
The confirmation email was still there.
She scrolled to the payment section.
Her registration had been marked as paid on May ninth.
But the receipt attached to the confirmation showed a transaction from a card ending in 4821.
The household card.
Zoe stared at it.
Then she noticed the amount.
$350.
She remembered Denise telling her the fee had been waived.
Her hands began to shake.
"Malik.""
"What?""
"Did Mom ever say anything about my scholarship application?""
He looked confused.
"Why?""
May you like
Zoe turned the phone toward him.
"Because I think there's something else she hasn't told me.""
