Back at his modest home, Dennis made himself a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table.
He gathered his bank statements and began calculating how much he had contributed over the previous five years.
The numbers were difficult to ignore.
At $2,800 per month, his regular mortgage contributions alone amounted to $33,600 per year.
Over five years, that came to $168,000.
And that figure didn’t include the additional expenses, credit card purchases, renovations, and other financial help he had provided.
Dennis stared at the total.
He had spent years worrying about whether Michael had enough money, whether Isabella was happy with their home, and whether their lifestyle met their expectations.
But who had been worrying about Dennis?
His own windows still let in cold air. He had learned to buy cheaper groceries and delay necessary repairs. He had repeatedly postponed his own comfort to maintain theirs.
And after everything, he wasn’t even welcome at Christmas.
