Chapter 11 - THE APOLOGY ERIC TURNED INTO A DEAL
Eric asked to meet Jenna.
Public café.
Daniel nearby but not at table.
Eric looked thinner.
No expensive casual clothes now.
Simple jacket.
He said:
“I’m sorry about Mason.”
Jenna waited.
“For leaving him outside.”
Waited.
“For yelling.”
Waited.
“For trying to scare him because he saw the papers.”
There.
Finally.
Then:
“I didn’t think it would rain that hard.”
Jenna’s face changed.
Excuse.
Eric saw.
“Sorry.”
“Again.”
He exhaled.
“I knew it was raining. I didn’t care enough.”
Better.
Then Jenna asked:
“Why call it discipline?”
“Because it sounded better than panic.”
Good.
Then he shifted.
“Can you help me now?”
Of course.
“How?”
“I need twenty thousand to settle tax debt.”
Jenna laughed.
He looked offended.
“You asked for an apology meeting.”
“I apologized.”
“And turned it into financing.”
“I’m desperate.”
“Yes.”
He leaned forward.
“Dad would want us to help each other.”
Jenna stared.
“Dad wrote a letter telling us not to use guilt.”
Eric looked away.
Then:
“He always liked you more.”
There.
Old wound.
Jenna almost laughed.
“You think Mom favored you because Dad favored me?”
“Yes.”
Maybe.
Frank trusted Jenna more financially.
Linda protected Eric more emotionally.
Each child saw the other’s advantage.
Then Jenna said:
“I will not loan you money.”
Eric stood.
“Then what was the point?”
“The point was whether you could apologize without getting paid.”
He froze.
Then sat again.
May you like
For the first time, he understood.
He had failed the test immediately.
