Chapter 16 - The Refund
He called Vanessa the next morning. She spoke without the bright performance she'd once used when she wanted good news to sound better.
"The venue agreed to refund part of the unused reception service," she said. "Not the deposit. But the food order can be reduced, and the transportation can be canceled. I have the terms in writing."
"How much will come back?"
She gave him the figure and explained which funds had originally paid for each item. "I want the refund sent toward your emergency account first. Then I can pay your mother from my paycheck."
"Why that order?"
"Because I accessed your account without asking. That money needs to be restored immediately."
It was the kind of answer he'd wanted months ago. It didn't make him happy. It made him sad to know she had been capable of saying it all along.
"I wrote an apology to Mom," she said. "I haven't asked her to answer."
"Thank you."
"That's not why I did it."
He almost said he was proud of her. The words rose too easily, too much like a reward for basic decency. Instead he asked for the documents.
Later, he drove Evelyn to the bank. They confirmed the incoming payment schedule and discussed steps to protect her savings. Evelyn insisted on doing the talking herself.
"I'm old," she told the teller with a dry smile, "not helpless."
Outside, Marcus laughed despite himself. His mother linked her arm through his. "I don't want you spending the rest of your life fighting my battles."
"What if I want to?"
"Then learn to ask whether they're yours to fight."
May you like
That evening, Marcus received a photo from Vanessa: the silver-green patterned jacket, folded neatly on a table, with a handwritten note beside it. He stared at the picture before realizing what was wrong.
The jacket in the photo wasn't the one his mother had worn away from the wedding.
