Chapter 12 - The Cost of Being Everywhere
The siding issue turned into a bigger repair after Luis and I inspected the wall. Moisture had reached the sheathing beneath the trim. The work would require a licensed crew, photographs, and a revised budget.
At the same time, Owen developed a fever. Rachel was scheduled for a full day of patients, and our sitter was away. I tried to manage both from home with a thermometer in one hand and a contractor estimate in the other.
By noon I had missed an important return call from the insurer. By two, I'd answered a tenant's email too sharply. At three, Owen threw up on my shirt, and I sat on the bathroom floor feeling as if I had failed at every job I claimed to do.
Rachel came home early after rescheduling her final appointment. She saw the towels, the laptop balanced on a laundry basket, and me staring at the wall.
"Why didn't you call me?" she asked.
"You had patients."
"And you have a family. We can change plans."
I'd made a virtue of being the available parent, but availability had become a trap when I refused to ask for help. Rachel took Owen while I called the insurer and confirmed the inspection requirements. Luis handled the contractor access the following morning.
Our emergency reserve could cover the repair, but it would delay a kitchen upgrade at the vacant unit. I explained the cash impact to Rachel. We agreed to hold off on the cosmetic work and prioritize the building envelope.
On Thursday, Trevor stopped by with soup for Owen. He stayed for coffee and admitted he'd resented me when Patricia first told him Rachel was financing our life alone.
"It's easier to feel entitled to somebody else's help when you think they've had everything handed to them," he said.
"You needed help," I answered. "But that doesn't mean we could safely promise a guarantee."
He nodded. "The accountant says keeping the restaurant small might save it. I don't know why Mom couldn't hear that."
Before leaving, he told us Patricia was hosting a family anniversary dinner the next weekend. She wanted everyone present, including us, and had asked him to pass along an invitation.
Rachel looked at me. "Do you want to go?"
May you like
The difficult part wasn't the invitation. It was the possibility that attending would teach Patricia she could ignore everything we'd said.
