Chapter 8 - The Cornered Rats
The reality of their defeat did not sit well with Janet and Clara.
Deprived of their favorite source of income and facing the threat of criminal prosecution, their world began to collapse. Without my monthly "contributions," Clara’s landlord finally lost patience. She received an eviction notice for non-payment of rent, her endless cycle of excuses finally running out of steam.
Janet, who had spent years using my money to maintain her middle-class social standing, had to sell her car to cover her own credit card debts.
On a rainy Friday afternoon, a week after they agreed to our legal terms, I received a notification on my computer. Since I had blocked their numbers and social media, they had resorted to the only avenue left: an email from a newly created address.
It was from Clara.
Rachel,
I hope you’re happy. The landlord is kicking us out. The kids are going to have to change schools. Mom is sick with worry, and her blood pressure is through the roof because of the stress you’ve put her through.
How can you sleep at night? You have this perfect life, and your own family is going to be homeless. We don't want your money anymore. We just want our sister back. Please, Rachel. Just talk to us. We’re sorry for the lawyer letter. Mom was just desperate to see her granddaughter.
Please don't do this to us.
I stared at the screen.
In the past, an email like this would have broken me. I would have spent sleepless nights crying, wondering if I was indeed the monster they said I was. I would have sent a check just to make sure my niece and nephew had a place to sleep.
But looking at it now, all I saw was the same old script. The same manipulation. The same refusal to take responsibility for their own choices. Clara had been evicted because she refused to work an honest job, preferring to live off my military pay. Janet’s blood pressure was high because her house of cards had finally collapsed.
They didn't want their sister back. They wanted their ATM back.
I forwarded the email directly to Sarah Jenkins.
Within an hour, Sarah’s office sent a formal warning to Janet’s attorney, notifying them that Clara’s email was a direct violation of the preliminary non-contact agreement, and that if another communication occurred, we would file the civil suit for the $48,000 immediately.
Ten minutes later, the new email address was deactivated.
May you like
I closed my laptop, walked over to the window, and watched the rain fall on the green lawn of our base housing. The air inside the house was warm, smelling of cinnamon and baby lotion.
The storm was outside. And it was never getting back in.
