Even after the divorce and the affair that broke our family, my dad still swallowed his pride and made me ask my mom for money. I didn’t ask for much. Just fifty dollars a month. Every time Mom sent the money transfer, she attached the same note: Tell your father to stop raising you to be as shameless as he is. This month, for the first time, I gathered the courage to ask: Mom, can you please send me a thousand? She replied with a voice memo within seconds, her tone dripping with ice. It’s only been three years, and you’re already just like him. Greedy. Insatiable. But then, the bank notification popped up. She’d wired two thousand. If you want a penny more, tell your father to crawl back here and get on his knees to beg for my forgiveness. I stared at the screen, my hands shaking so hard I could barely hold the phone. Mom didn’t know. Dad was already dead. All I wanted was to cover the thousand-dollar cremation fee. … “Sweetheart, where is your adult?” the lady behind the hospital billing window asked, her forehead creasing with a frown. I stood on my tippets, straining to press my cracked phone screen against the thick glass barrier. “I have the money now, ma’am. My mom just sent me two thousand dollars. Can you cremate my dad now?” The lady froze, then let out a heavy sigh. “Sweetheart, it’s not just about the money. Cremation requires an immediate family member’s signature. You’re too young. Where is your mother? Have her come down here herself.” My chest tightened, and I lowered my gaze to my worn-out sneakers. “She’s busy. She won’t come. Besides… she doesn’t want to see my dad.” The lady shook her head, her tone turning firm. “That won’t work. Rules are rules. Call your mother again. Otherwise, your father has to stay in the cooling unit.” The refrigeration room was freezing. I’d gone in to see him once. He lay there with his eyes closed, a thin layer of frost dusting his eyelashes. Dad had always hated the cold. I didn’t want him to stay there. I retreated to the quietest corner of the waiting room. On my phone, the screen was still open to my mother’s last voice memo. …tell him to crawl back here and get on his knees. I swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and dialed her number. “Mom,” I whispered. “What now, Todd?” Her voice was flat, devoid of any warmth. “Your father wanted a thousand, I gave you two thousand. Is that still not enough? What kind of game is Dave trying to play this time?” I shook my head rapidly, even though she couldn’t see me. “No, Dad isn’t playing a game. Mom, can you please come to Marvin County Hospital?” A pause on the other end, followed by a bitter, mocking laugh. “Marvin County Hospital? He gets the money, and now he’s faking an illness? Tell Dave to drop the pathetic theatrics.” “Katherine, honey, who is that?” A soft, smooth male voice drifted through the receiver. I knew that voice. It was Simon. Back when Dad used to take me to Mom’s office, Simon would always smile and give me candy. But after Dad and I left, Simon took Dad’s place beside Mom. “It’s Todd,” Mom’s voice softened slightly as she spoke to him. “Todd? Is Dave using the kid as an excuse to harass you again?” Simon sighed. “Dave really is something else. He’s the one who made his bed, yet he keeps using the child as a bargaining chip. Don’t let him get to you, Katherine. It’s not worth ruining your day.” Mom gave a cold murmur of agreement. “Todd, I don’t have time to play house with your father. Three years ago, he pretended to be so noble, asking for a measly fifty dollars a month. I guess he can’t keep up the act anymore, can he? If he wants to use you to squeeze money out of me, tell him to crawl over here and ask me himself.” Tears hot and heavy welled in my eyes. “Mom, Dad can’t come. He really can’t. Please, just come and sign the paper. It’s so cold in the freezer. Dad is going to freeze.” Silence stretched over the line. After a few seconds, Mom spoke again, her voice sharp with ancient anger. “Three years ago, he sold out my company just so he could sleep with my best friend for cash. Now he’s teaching you to lie like this? A freezer? Why doesn’t he just tell you he’s dead and be done with it!” The line went dead. The dial tone buzzed painfully in my ear. I lowered the phone, staring at the dark screen. It reflected my messy, unwashed hair and my red, swollen eyes. Mom didn’t believe me. She thought Dad was lying. But Dad was really dead. I shoved the phone into my pocket and walked out of the hospital into the biting wind. It nearly knocked me over. Three nights ago, Dad was lying on our mattress, so thin his bones looked like they might pierce his skin. He couldn’t keep any food down. Every cough rattled his chest, bringing up thick spatters of blood. But that night, he suddenly seemed energetic. He called me to the bedside and touched my cheek, his palm slick with cold sweat. “Todd, Daddy is going to take a very, very long nap.” I squeezed his hand, shaking my head. “Don’t sleep, Daddy. I’m scared.” He smiled weakly, a single tear slipping into his hairline. “Be a good boy, Todd. Daddy is just so tired. Every month, on the first, you must remember to text your mother. Don’t ask for much. Just fifty dollars.” I didn’t understand. “Why only fifty, Daddy? Fifty dollars isn’t enough for rent.” His eyes grew unfocused, staring at some distant point on the peeling wallpaper. “Fifty is small… as long as she sends it, it means she still recognizes you as her son. If she still wants you… then after I’m gone, you’ll still have someone in this world.” Those were the last words he ever said to me. Then he closed his eyes. I called his name for hours, but he never woke up. Later, the landlady came by for the rent. She smelled something in the apartment and called the police. The officers took Dad away, bringing him to this cold, sterile hospital. I rubbed my frozen fingers together and walked to the bus stop. If I couldn’t explain it over the phone, I would tell her in person. Dad couldn’t stay in the freezer forever. The doctor said he needed to be cremated. If we put him in a warm little box, he wouldn’t be cold anymore. The bus jolted and swayed for over an hour before stopping in front of the tallest skyscraper downtown. Marvin Enterprises. I used to hold Dad’s hand as we walked here to bring Mom lunch. Back then, Mom would lift me up, laughing, and press warm kisses to my cheeks. Now, the building was the same, but I couldn’t get past the lobby. A security guard blocked my path. “Hey, street rat, you can’t come in here.” I looked down at myself. I’d slept in the corner of the hospital waiting room last night. My jacket was covered in dirt and soot. I did look like a street rat. I looked up and said quietly, “Sir, I’m looking for Katherine Marvin. She’s my mom.” The guard let out a harsh laugh. “Katherine Marvin’s son? Get real, kid. Scram before I call the cops.” I didn’t leave. I stood just outside the revolving glass doors, shivering. The wind grew stronger, and the gray sky threatened rain. I tucked my hands into my sleeves and kept my eyes glued to the elevator bank inside. My legs went numb from standing. Finally, the elevator doors chimed open. A group of executives in tailored suits walked out. At the front was Mom. Her brow was furrowed as she listened to a junior assistant. Simon walked beside her, leaning in to whisper something that made her lips twitch with a faint smile. I threw myself against the glass doors, banging with all my might. “Mom!” Mom froze. She turned her head, and through the thick glass, her gaze landed on me. There was no shock in her eyes, no maternal instinct to run to me. Only an overwhelming, heavy exhaustion. The guard rushed over, terrified. “Hey! I told you to beat it!” “Wait,” Mom’s cool voice sliced through the air. The glass doors slid open, and she stepped out into the cold. Simon followed right behind her. Her eyes swept over my filthy jacket and my blue, chapped lips. “Did Dave send you?” I shook my head, but the cold air hit my lungs, throwing me into a fit of coughing. “No, Dad didn’t… Dad is…” “Why didn’t he come himself?” Mom cut me off. “Using a seven-year-old for sympathy. Dave’s tactics are getting pathetic.” Simon stepped forward, offering a gentle, pitying smile. “Todd, how did you get so dirty? Your father really is heartless. Even if he wants to play the victim, he shouldn’t drag you into the mud like this.” He turned to Mom, his voice dropping to a soothing murmur. “Katherine, the boy is innocent. It’s freezing out here. Let’s not let him catch pneumonia.” Mom didn’t look at Simon. She kept her eyes locked on me. “Todd, your father teaching you to perform these little sob stories… it’s shameless.” I didn’t know what that word meant, but I knew she was insulting my dad. I stomped my foot, my tears finally spilling over. “He didn’t! Dad didn’t teach me anything! He’s asleep, and I can’t wake him up! Mom, please come to the hospital with me. If you just sign the paper, we can bring him out.” I reached out my dirty, freezing hand to grab hers, but she took a step back, avoiding my touch. Simon chimed in smoothly. “Todd, a good boy doesn’t tell lies. I saw your dad’s Instagram posts from Cabo just a few days ago. The beaches looked beautiful. He looked like he was having the time of his life.” I stared at him, my chest heaving. “You’re a liar! Dad has been in bed for months! He coughs and coughs and can’t go anywhere!” Simon’s face fell into an expression of hurt. “Todd, how can you speak to me like that? I’m only telling the truth.” Mom’s expression turned entirely to stone. “What else has Dave been teaching you? Lies and manipulation. You’re turning out exactly like him.” She turned away from me, addressing her assistant. “Gary, drive him back. And tell Dave this is his absolute last warning. If he sends this child to disrupt my office again, I will file charges for what he did three years ago.” With that, she spun on her heel and walked back into the warmth of the skyscraper. Simon followed, casting a small, satisfied look over his shoulder at me. Gary, the assistant, sighed beside me. “Come on, Todd. Let me take you home.” I stood frozen, watching the elevator doors close behind my mother. My tears tasted salty as they slipped into my mouth. Dad was right. Mom hated him, but she wouldn’t let me starve. She just didn’t care whether Dad lived or died. The sedan drove smoothly. Gary kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror. “Todd, tell me the truth. What’s going on with your dad?” I looked down, remembering the officer at the hospital telling me my dad was dead. I didn’t fully understand what death meant, but they said it meant he could never come home. “He’s dead,” I whispered, rubbing my numb fingers. Gary slammed on the brakes, pulling the car abruptly to the curb. He turned around, his eyes wide. “Todd, that’s not something you joke about!” I stared out the window at the gray street. “I’m not joking.” Gary stared at me for a long moment, then shook his head and shifted the car back into drive. “Your mother was right. Your father has completely ruined you.” He didn’t speak to me for the rest of the drive, dropping me off at the entrance of our narrow alley. “The street is too tight for the car. Walk the rest of the way, Todd.” I nodded and got out. But I didn’t walk toward our apartment. I turned around and began the long walk back to Marvin County Hospital. By the time I reached the hospital morgue, the sun had set, and the clerk at the window had gone home. I slipped past the empty security desk and found my way into the cooling room. It was so cold. I dragged a small step stool from the corner, climbing onto the high stainless steel gurney. I pulled back the heavy white sheet and crawled into my dad’s arms. His body was colder than ice, covered in a frost that didn’t melt when I touched it. “Don’t worry, Daddy,” I whispered, wrapping my arms tight around him. “Todd is here to keep you warm.” The cold seeped deep into my bones, making my entire body shiver violently. But after a while, holding him close, the shivering stopped. I didn’t feel cold anymore. Just very, very tired. My eyelids felt like lead. In the quiet darkness, I drifted back to a time long ago. We were all together—Mom, Dad, and me. On the coldest winter nights, Mom’s arms were always the warmest place in the world. Then it was just Dad and me in that drafty, leaking apartment. Dad would hold me just like this, stroking my hair. ‘Sleep now, Todd. Close your eyes. Once you’re asleep, you won’t feel the cold.’ I pressed my cheek against his frozen chest and closed my eyes. I thought it would be nice to stay here with Dad forever. I wouldn’t have to beg for fifty dollars anymore, and Mom wouldn’t have to push me away. Even if I never woke up… it would be okay. Meanwhile, in the library of the Marvin estate. Katherine sat at her mahogany desk, the wind rattling the glass panes. A strange, cold unease clawed at her chest. If Dave was just trying to extort money, why hadn’t he called to gloat? It had been years since she last saw him. What if… what if something actually was wrong? She stood up, reaching for her car keys, deciding she would see for herself. But just as she reached the door, her phone vibrated violently. Todd’s name flashed on the screen. The momentary worry vanished, replaced by instant irritation. Of course. He was still playing his games. The daytime stunt hadn’t worked, so now he was trying a late-night call. She answered, her voice sharp. “Todd, what does your father want now?” But it wasn’t my voice that answered. It was a deep, authoritative voice of an officer. “Is this Katherine Marvin? Your son was just found in the County Hospital morgue. He is suffering from severe hypothermia. We are performing emergency resuscitation right now.” Katherine’s anger flared. “What is Dave doing?! Leaving a child in a morgue in the middle of the night?! Is this his idea of parenting?! Put him on the phone!” A heavy silence hung over the line. “Mrs. Marvin, Mr. Dave Marvin cannot come to the phone.” Katherine let out a dry, bitter laugh. “Coward. He’s too ashamed to face me, isn’t he? To use our son’s life for a payout—he’s lost his mind!” “Ma’am, please shut up!” the officer snapped, his voice crackling with anger. “Dave Marvin isn’t playing a game. He is dead.”
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