Chapter 6: Forty-Seven Thousand Dollars and One Terrible Answer
My mother kept the phone against her ear.
“I'm sorry,” she said.
“Can you repeat that?””
The bank representative repeated the amount.
Forty-seven thousand five hundred dollars.
The figure seemed to hang in the air.
I watched my mother's fingers tighten around the phone.
“Are you saying I owe that money?””
The woman explained that the account was registered under Denise's identity and that the transactions needed to be reviewed. Since Denise disputed authorizing the application, the bank would open an investigation.
“Do not make any payments or provide additional information to anyone claiming to represent the lender until we verify the case through our official channels,” the representative advised.
My mother nodded.
Then she ended the call.
For several seconds, she simply stared at the table.
Calvin was standing near the kitchen entrance.
I was beside the counter.
Nobody knew what to say.
Finally, Denise lifted her head.
“Where did the money go?””
Calvin rubbed the back of his neck.
“It's invested.””
“In what?””
“Business.””
“What business?””
He sighed.
“Denise, you're making this sound worse than it is.””
She stood up.
“Forty-seven thousand dollars is missing from an account with my name on it. Tell me where it went!””
He raised both hands.
“I didn't steal from you.””
“Then where is it?””
“I used some of it to settle old debts.””
My mother stared at him.
“What old debts?””
Calvin looked at me.
“Can we have this conversation privately?””
I laughed without humor.
“No. You made this everybody's business when you used my mother's identity and tried to take over my apartment.””
Denise moved toward him.
“Answer me.””
He looked trapped.
Then he finally spoke.
“I had some problems with a previous investment.””
“What investment?””
“Real estate.””
“You told me your real estate business was successful.””
“It was.””
“When?””
He looked away.
“Before.””
My mother took a step backward.
I could almost see the memories rearranging themselves in her head.
The expensive restaurant dinners.
The flowers.
The weekend hotel stays.
The gold ring.
The promises of a comfortable retirement.
She had believed Calvin was financially secure.
He had allowed her to believe it.
And now we were discovering that the man who had spent six weeks living off my groceries had been borrowing money using her identity.
“Calvin,” she whispered.
“Are you in debt?””
He didn't answer.
“How much?””
He shook his head.
“It's complicated.””
“HOW MUCH?””
His voice dropped.
“About a hundred and twenty thousand.””
My mother covered her mouth.
I felt my stomach turn.
“One hundred and twenty thousand dollars?””
Calvin looked at me.
“Not all of it is mine.””
I stepped forward.
“What does that mean?””
He sighed.
“Some of it belongs to business partners.””
“Some of it?””
He looked irritated.
“Do you have to question every word I say?””
“Yes.””
He walked toward the sofa.
Then stopped when he saw the duffel bag beside the door.
His jaw tightened.
“I'm not going anywhere until this is sorted out.””
I pointed at the bag.
“You have until Sunday.””
He laughed bitterly.
“You still think this is about the apartment?””
“No. I think the apartment is the only thing you haven't managed to take from us yet.””
My mother flinched.
“Malik.””
I turned to her.
“I'm sorry, Mom. But that's what this looks like.””
She looked at Calvin.
“Did you really plan to marry me next month?””
He softened his expression immediately.
“Of course I did.””
“Then why did you hide all this?””
“I was protecting you.””
“By using my information?””
“I was going to pay everything back.””
“When?””
“Soon.””
She shook her head.
“You keep saying soon.””
He walked toward her.
“Denise, look at me.””
She didn't.
“I love you.””
She closed her eyes.
“Don't.””
“Baby—”
“Don't call me that.””
He stopped.
I had never heard my mother speak to him that way.
Calvin looked at me.
“This is your fault.””
I blinked.
“My fault?””
“You've been trying to separate us from the beginning.””
I stared at him.
“You used her identity.””
“Because I needed help!””
“You forged my signature.””
“I was trying to secure a place for my future family!””
“You have no right to use my home as collateral for your problems.””
He moved closer.
“You think you're so much better than me because you have a job and an apartment?””
“No. I think I'm better off without you living here.””
He clenched his fists.
My mother stepped between us.
“Enough, Calvin.””
He looked at her.
“Are you really choosing him over me?””
She stared back.
“I'm choosing the truth.””
His expression hardened.
Then he reached for his phone.
“I need to make a call.””
He walked into the spare bedroom.
The door closed.
My mother sank into the sofa.
I sat beside her.
For a few minutes, we didn't speak.
Then she began to cry.
Not loudly.
Just quiet, exhausted tears.
“Malik, I feel so stupid.””
I looked at her.
“You're not stupid.””
“I believed him.””
“You wanted to be loved.””
She covered her face.
“He said he was going to marry me.””
I put a hand on her shoulder.
“You deserve somebody who doesn't need to borrow your identity to build a future.””
She leaned against me.
For the first time in weeks, she didn't defend Calvin.
She simply cried.
At 4:20 p.m., I went into the kitchen to get water.
Calvin was on the phone again.
The spare bedroom door was slightly open.
I wasn't trying to listen.
But then I heard my name.
“Yeah, the son is still here.””
I stopped.
Calvin continued.
“He's making things difficult. I thought I could get the lease changed before he figured it out.””
My grip tightened around the glass.
A pause.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
“No, the apartment is perfect. It's a good location, and once the paperwork is done, we can use the address for the operation.””
I moved closer.
“What operation?””
He continued speaking.
“I know. I know. I'm working on it.””
Another pause.
“Rachel, just give me until the weekend.””
Rachel.
The woman from the phone call.
The same woman who had mentioned the bank.
Calvin lowered his voice.
“There's something else. Denise still has access to the joint account. If she starts asking questions, we're finished.””
My heart began pounding.
Joint account?
My mother had never mentioned a joint account.
Calvin continued.
“I'm telling you, she doesn't know about the transfers.””
I stepped backward.
My foot hit the edge of the hallway rug.
The floor creaked.
Calvin stopped talking.
“Who's there?””
I turned toward the kitchen.
Too late.
The bedroom door swung open.
He stood in the doorway, phone in hand.
His eyes narrowed.
“How long have you been standing there?””
I looked at him.
“Long enough.””
He ended the call.
“Were you listening to my conversation?””
“You mentioned a joint account.””
His face changed.
“That has nothing to do with you.””
“Does Mom know about it?””
He walked toward me.
“Stay out of my personal business.””
“Is her name on another account?””
“Malik, don't.””
“Have you been transferring money from her bank account?””
He grabbed my arm.
I immediately pulled away.
“Don't touch me!””
My mother appeared at the end of the hallway.
“What is happening?””
I looked at her.
“Mom, do you have a joint account with Calvin?””
She froze.
Calvin turned toward her.
“Denise, don't answer that.””
My mother's eyes moved between us.
Then she asked quietly:
“Why are you asking?””
I took a breath.
“Because I just heard him talking about transfers.””
Denise looked at Calvin.
“Transfers?””
He shook his head.
“Malik misunderstood.””
I held his gaze.
“Then explain it.””
Calvin took a step toward my mother.
“Baby, listen to me. We opened an account for wedding expenses. That's all.””
My mother frowned.
“You said that account was empty.””
He said nothing.
She slowly turned toward me.
“Malik, give me your phone.””
I handed it to her.
She dialed her bank.
Calvin suddenly stepped forward.
“Denise, don't do this.””
She raised one hand.
“Be quiet.””
The call connected.
She verified her identity and asked for the balance of the joint account.
I watched her face.
First, confusion.
Then disbelief.
Then something close to panic.
“What do you mean the account was closed?””
She listened.
“Who closed it?””
Another pause.
“When?””
Her hand began shaking.
She looked at Calvin.
Then she asked the bank representative one final question.
“Can you tell me who withdrew the remaining balance before the account was closed?””
The answer came through the speaker.
My mother slowly lowered the phone.
She looked at Calvin as if she had never seen him before.
Then she whispered:
“It wasn't Rachel.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Denise's eyes filled with tears.
“The money wasn't transferred to his business.””
She turned the phone toward me.
A transaction record was displayed.
The recipient's name was unfamiliar.
But the address attached to the transfer was not.
It was an apartment building across town.
And beneath the recipient's name was a note:
*FINAL PAYMENT — FAMILY SETTLEMENT.*
Calvin lunged for the phone.
I caught his wrist before he could reach it.
My mother stepped backward.
“Calvin,” she whispered.
“Who is that woman?””
He pulled his hand away.
For the first time, he had no explanation ready.
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face went completely white.
Because the caller wasn't Rachel.
It was a name my mother recognized immediately.
Her sister.
Patricia.
May you like
And when Calvin answered, the first words she spoke were:
“Why did you send my daughter money using Denise's account?””
