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786words
Patricia paused before answering. ["But... I'm divorced now. How can I just go back to my parents' house? They won't want that."]
["You're their daughter! You're divorced, broke, and homeless. What's wrong with going home? How can they be so unfair? They made you donate a kidney! Made you nurse Kevin!"]
["They squeezed every bit of use out of you, and now they just dump you?!"]
["What kind of parents are they?"] I pretended to be outraged on her behalf.
My words hit a nerve. Patricia exploded.
["Vanessa Johnson, watch your mouth! Those are my parents! My parents! How dare you talk about them like that in front of me?"]
["So what if my parents favor Kevin a little? He's a boy!"]
["He's the Davis family heir! He's the one who'll carry on the name! Us sisters, once we're married, if we get mistreated by our in-laws, we'll need Kevin to stand up for us!"]
["Donating my kidney was my choice! Taking care of Kevin was my choice!"]
["How dare you say my parents are unfair?!"]
I knew it! People obsessed with propping up their siblings never see the problem. She was beyond saving.
After her tirade, I said calmly, ["If it was all your choice willingly, then you have nothing to complain to me about."]
["You have no home and no money? That's your choice. You're so capable, figure it out yourself."] And I hung up.
I thought that was the end of it, that we'd burned the bridge. I never imagined she could sink lower.
One day, I was crunching numbers when my boss called.
Thinking it was urgent, I stopped what I was doing and answered.
He sounded hesitant. ["Um, Vanessa... have you... upset anyone recently?"]
["Huh?"] I was confused.
["Well... there's a woman here at the office... making a scene... saying..."]
["Saying what?"]
["She says... that it's because you convinced her to terminate her five-month pregnancy with twins to save her brother with kidney failure... which led to her husband divorcing her, her parents abandoning her, and her being left with chronic health problems..."]
["She wants you to be responsible for her for the rest of her life... and wants us to redirect your salary into her bank account."]
I was speechless. Utterly gobsmacked.
I pulled out my phone and checked my blocked numbers. Sure enough, after our fight, Patricia had tried calling me repeatedly. Her number was blocked, so I never saw them.
She'd actually gone through with it. Unable to find me, she'd gone straight to my company headquarters.
And spun this outrageous web of lies.
Even miles away in Denver, I felt my professional reputation crumbling.
Forcing down the rage bubbling inside me, I said, ["Put Patricia on the phone. Let me talk to her."]
My boss mumbled an assent. After some rustling sounds, I heard Patricia's voice crackle through the line.
["Vanessa Johnson, you've got some nerve answering! Don't think hiding out in Denver means I can't get to you!"]
["It's all your fault I ended up like this! I don't care what you say, you are responsible for my life from now on!"]
Her audacity was breathtaking. I actually barked out a laugh.
["Patricia Davis, have you been huffing paint thinner? Have you completely lost touch with reality?"]
["It was you who ignored your doctor, your husband, and your mother-in-law and insisted on terminating the pregnancy. Remember? You snuck off to that fly-by-night clinic to avoid getting caught!"]
["It was you who stole thirty grand from Mark to pay for your brother's surgery!"]
["And it was you who insisted on playing Florence Nightingale for Kevin while you were still recovering from major surgery yourself!"]
Patricia snorted dismissively. ["So what? He's my brother. They're myparents. That's my duty."]
["Exactly! It was your duty. Your choice. So why the hell are you trying to pin any of it on me?"]
["Because you didn't STOP me! It's YOUR fault!"]
["If you'd just tried harder to talk me out of it back then, I wouldn't have lost the babies, and Mark wouldn't have divorced me!"]
["Why didn't you stop me? Why did you just WATCH me jump into that fire?"]
I let out a long, slow breath of understanding. ["Ohhh... so you knewit was a fire all along?"]
My tone sent Patricia into a rage. ["Vanessa Johnson, I don't care! This is on YOU! I'm holding YOU responsible! If you don't take care of me, I'll camp out at your company every single day!"]
I shook my head, disgusted. ["Go ahead. Try it."] I hung up.
Camp out at the office? Good luck getting past security.
