“Dad! I’ve paid off David’s penthouse apartment in full, and I even hired a live-in house manager. David won’t have to worry about a thing in his retirement!” My son, Kevin Miller, sounded thrilled. I, however, was stunned, somewhat at a loss. After my divorce, I had worked tirelessly, alone, to raise my son. He graduated college and successfully landed a coveted offer from a top tech company, earning a hefty six-figure salary. But the first thing he did after receiving his first-year bonus was to arrange a lavish, all-inclusive retirement for my own brother, David Stone. “David was so good to me when I was a kid. Now that I have the means, naturally I want to repay him first!” “He looked out for me then, and now I’ll look out for him!” Watching my brother, David, and my son, Kevin, chummily with their arms around each other, I couldn’t help but laugh. Last month, I’d tried to bring up wanting to catch up on my missing social security payments. What did he say again? “Social security is all a scam! At your age, you should be focused on your career!” “It’s pathetic to think about taking it easy before you’re even old enough. You have no ambition!” Thinking of that, I tossed the already melted pill into the trash. When I spoke again, my voice was devoid of emotion. “Alright, then. Let’s find a time for you to formally separate your residency from mine.” The moment the words left my mouth, the living room fell into a dead silence, which was then shattered by Kevin Miller’s furious roar. “Dad! You’ve really lost it!” “How can you be so petty at your age? Your heart is smaller than a pinhead!” David Stone looked awkward, patting Kevin’s back, his words hesitant. “Mark… I know… I know you think I’m taking advantage of Kevin’s filial devotion. I also feel it’s not right, but Kevin is such a loyal kid…” I remained expressionless, pulling open the front door. “Got it. This is my house. Please leave!” Kevin Miller was so enraged his face flushed crimson. He clenched his fists, about to step forward. Seeing the situation escalating, David quickly pulled and pushed Kevin out the door. “Mark! You’re angry right now. I’ll take Kevin for now. We can talk again in a couple of days when you’ve cooled down!” I watched, wide-eyed, as the uncle and nephew walked away with their arms around each other, feeling a huge chunk of my heart hollowed out. For the next week, Kevin acted as if I didn’t exist, completely silent. It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon that my ex-wife’s call came through. “Mark, I swear, ever since we divorced, you’ve become more and more unreasonable!” “You’re going to hurt your son over something so trivial?” “It’s been a week, and you haven’t even bothered to reach out. Don’t you know you should apologize to your son when you’ve done something wrong?” I held the phone in silence, not uttering a word. “Mark! Are you listening?! Kevin’s been in a terrible mood these past few days, drinking himself miserable! Do you, as his father, even have a heart?!” “I’m warning you, Kevin is my only son!” “You were so adamant about raising him back then. If I’d known you’d act like this, I never would have agreed to let you take him!” Her words cut through me like a knife. She was right! All these years, I’d pulled double duty as both his mom and dad, raising him alone. How much he used to depend on me when he was little. But I don’t know when it started, my sacrifices were simply taken for granted. No matter how much I did, it seemed it could never compare to a few superficial words of warmth from his mom, whom he only saw twice a year. I choked back the lump in my throat, my voice trembling. “Is that so? I haven’t been good enough to him?” “Sarah Johnson, have you given a single penny in child support all these years? His food, his clothes, parent-teacher conferences, every ache and sniffle—which one wasn’t me?” “How dare you accuse me?” The woman on the other end was speechless, unable to utter a word for a long time. I wiped my eyes and simply hung up the phone. Before I could put my phone down, it rang again. It was David Stone. I hung up immediately. The next second, SnapChat notifications started pinging, one after another. [Mark! Aren’t you being too much?! What did Sarah do wrong? What did Kevin do wrong? Can’t you ever look for reasons within yourself?] [The way Kevin is now just proves he’s a good kid who knows how to repay kindness. I truly can’t understand how you could be a father like this!] [No matter what, Kevin is your only son. Do you really want to sever ties with him forever?] [Alright, I know you’re mad at me. I apologize, is that enough?!]
His condescending tone made me laugh bitterly. My temper boiled over, and I typed a reply directly. [What? So you *do* know you shouldn’t have taken it? If he treats you like his real dad, then I’ll step aside. From now on, he’s your son! Isn’t that perfect?] David Stone’s chat box showed “typing…” for a long time. In the end, not a single word was sent. I sat on the sofa, looking at the empty apartment, and couldn’t hold back my tears. How could a person end up like this? After being betrayed by my wife and my own brother, even my only son stabbed me in the back. What else is this but being completely alone and betrayed? … In the darkness, I dreamt of my first half of life. Married for 24 years, I hadn’t lived a single day for myself. At first, I tried desperately to be good to my wife, only for her to get involved with my own brother. Later, I devoted myself to my son, only for him to leave me with nothing. When I opened my eyes again, I looked at the paltry four-figure balance on my phone and the payment reminder from the social security office, finding it utterly absurd. I should have cried for myself. But I didn’t. I opened a local job search app, carefully sifting through suitable positions. From now on, every penny I earned would no longer be for anyone else. Only for myself. They say children are your retirement plan. But now, even my own son couldn’t be relied upon. Who else could I rely on? Only myself! The next morning, I finalized an agreement with a high-end property management company, taking on a live-in house manager position, with food and accommodation included. I started packing my luggage. Kevin Miller had a lot of things, and I sorted them out too. Since I decided to cut ties with this ungrateful wretch, I might as well be thorough. I was still debating whether to call him to pick up his stuff when the door was pushed open with a bang. Kevin Miller stormed in, fuming. “Dad, are you crazy?! I already told you, if I needed cash, I could just do some freelance work. Why would you become a live-in house manager? Isn’t that embarrassing?!” “You packed all your bags and didn’t even tell me?” “If the property management company hadn’t sent the contract confirmation to my email, I would still be in the dark!” I watched him explode, expressionless. While he caught his breath, I pointed to the pile of packages on the floor. “Perfect timing. All of this is your stuff. Take it with you.” His face immediately turned ashen. “What do you mean? Are you really kicking me out? Just because I object to you becoming a house manager?” “Dad, you’re almost fifty, can’t you use your brain?!” “If people find out that my dad, Kevin Miller’s dad, is working as a house manager, how am I supposed to show my face after that?!” I stopped what I was doing, looking at him, feeling a bit estranged. “Is that so? What do your feelings of shame have to do with me?” “You only think about yourself. Have you ever considered my situation?” Kevin Miller’s brows furrowed, “What situation could you possibly be in?” “I’m working myself to the bone out there, and you’re living comfortably at home. What more do you want?” I couldn’t help but sneer. “Kevin Miller! Did I raise you to be too naive?!” “The little money I earned from odd jobs all these years, you completely drained it before the end of each month. Now I only have a few thousand bucks left in my account!” “How many times has the social security office sent payment reminders? Do you understand what that means?!” Kevin Miller looked impatient. “Didn’t I tell you? You have me as a son; that crappy insurance is a waste of money!” “Do you really think I’d abandon you when you’re old?” I pulled at the corner of my mouth, “Oh, I couldn’t possibly trouble you.” “You still have to impress your mom and her lover. What about me?”
“What I said yesterday came from the heart. You’re an adult now, and you’re also your mom’s son. From now on, you don’t need to worry about my affairs.” Kevin Miller trembled with rage, his fists clenching audibly. “Enough! What ‘lover’?! What ‘lover’?!” “Hasn’t David done enough for you? After you divorced my mom, to spare your feelings, David hasn’t even agreed to marry Mom yet!” “Just for that, what’s wrong with me supporting him in his retirement?!” I nodded, not arguing further, simply politely pushing the luggage towards him, then ‘escorting’ him out. The moment the door closed, I immediately contacted a locksmith. See? How could I entrust my golden years to an ungrateful wretch who couldn’t tell right from wrong? On my first day of work at my employer’s house, I received a call from my dad. “Mark, Kevin just called me. What’s going on? Did you really go and become a house manager?” “And don’t be so harsh with the boy. Kevin was really hurt by you this time; his voice sounded hoarse on the phone.” Hearing that, a pang of sadness hit me. “Dad.” “Was I wrong?” “Yes, I admit that right after Sarah and I divorced, David, as his uncle, did help look after Kevin for a few days.” “But David stole my wife! Kevin was a victim too!” “How could he turn around and forget me, the father who raised him from diapers, and go support the man who broke up my family in his retirement?” There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment. “…What?” “Didn’t Kevin tell you? I scrimped and saved to put him through college, helped him find a job.” “Now that he’s received his bonus, the first thing he does is arrange retirement for Sarah and David, and then he turns around and calls me petty!” “Now their ‘happy little family of three’ is doing just fine. What am I supposed to do?” “I only have a few thousand dollars in my account, and social security keeps sending reminders. If I don’t renew it this year, am I really supposed to rely on that ungrateful wretch?” Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably, yet I laughed aloud. “I’m earning money with my own hands to secure my own future. What’s wrong with that? Now, just because he finds it embarrassing, I have to back down?” “Do you think that’s fair?” After a long time, there was a deep sigh from the phone. “Mark, I know the boy didn’t act honorably, but no matter what…” “Kevin is still your only son, after all…” Before he could finish, I interrupted him directly. “Dad!” “I don’t have the same good fortune as you and Mom. I know my own son; I can’t rely on him in the future.” “So, starting today, I have to plan for myself.” Hanging up the phone, I stood in the small room assigned to me at my employer’s house, a jumble of conflicting emotions swirling inside me. Even though everyone said this line of work, “serving people,” wasn’t respectable. But this employer offered a very good salary – twelve thousand a month, with food and accommodation included. It wasn’t until now that I fully understood. The idea that children are your retirement plan. Sometimes, your own flesh and blood can be less reliable than the actual balance in your bank account! My own son, just to save a few grand, declared social security a scam. But the salary my employer provides, if I save it for a year, I can fill that entire retirement fund shortfall! I thought my attitude had made everything clear, and the matter would be over and done with. To my surprise, a month into my job, David Stone showed up at my employer’s house with Kevin Miller. Seeing me, Kevin Miller’s frown was so deep, you could almost see him crushing something between his brows. “Dad! How long are you going to keep this temper tantrum up? That’s enough!” David Stone looked around the staff room, his face still wearing that phony look of apology. “Mark! No matter how angry you are, you can’t embarrass Kevin and Sarah like this!” “Ignoring your own son to come serve strangers, doing this kind of work—what were you thinking?” “Just to spite us?”
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