3: 3

Seeing that I really meant to leave, my mother stepped in front of me again. "What is wrong with you? You throw a fit over a few words and now you want to walk out?"

"We already agreed to pay you the tutoring money, so why are you still making a scene?"

I gave a cold laugh. "The money you're offering isn't tutoring money."

"Two months for fifteen hundred dollars, like your sister-in-law said, that's a plain homework club. Dozens of kids in one class, they just make sure the students finish their assignments. There's no real teaching at all."

"I'm a top-earning tutor. Coming back to tutor her means one-on-one, math, English, everything, plus a study plan built just for her. Do you honestly think those two things are worth the same?"

Guilt flickered across my mother's face. "We're all family. Splitting hairs over this makes you look like an outsider."

"That's your own niece. She's the one who'll take care of you when you're old. Are you really going to nickel-and-dime a child?"

Whenever she had no ground to stand on, she'd fall back on the child. It was my mother's go-to move, and it always worked.

Not this time. I was about to speak when the sound of the front door opening came from the entryway.

"Auntie, you're back."

A small figure rushed over and threw her arms around me, and my heart went soft.

My mother saw it, and something calculating crossed her eyes. "Look how close Vicky is with you. You're going to tutor her and still argue over money? Think how much it'll hurt her to hear that."

I looked down at the child, and just as I hesitated, Victoria Pruitt shoved me away.

"Auntie, what does Grandma mean? You're charging me money to tutor me?"

"Didn't my mom say you still owe us twelve thousand in living expenses? She said we'd use that to buy me a tablet. If you take the money back, how am I supposed to get my tablet?"

"Auntie, if you want money, then when I grow up I won't take care of you in your old age. Let's see what you do then."

Looking at this child, not even twelve years old, watching her face slowly become her mother's face, I woke up all at once.

I'm a committed single woman. I'd said I would never marry, never have kids in this life, and my mother said fine, then treat Vicky like your own child and let her take care of you when you're old.

I only smiled at the time. But I did love her like my own.

Looking at her now, she was just another ingrate.

Seeing that I said nothing, my mother rushed to clap a hand over Victoria's mouth. "She's just a kid, she likes to run her mouth. June, you wouldn't hold it against your own niece."

"Vicky, hurry up and apologize to your aunt."

Victoria shoved my mother's hand away, planted her hands on her hips, and shouted at me. "I didn't say anything wrong. My mom said she has no kids, so when she's old she'll have to depend on me for everything, which means all her money is mine someday. I didn't say anything wrong. Isn't that what you said too?"

I turned to look at my mother. "You said that too?"

She gave an awkward little laugh. "I was just talking. But is it not true? You won't have children, so who else will you depend on when you're old but Vicky? All your money and everything will go to her in the end, obviously."

I was still young, and the whole family already had their eyes on my money.

I looked at Victoria and smiled. "You're not my child, and none of what I own will ever be yours."

"As for tutoring over summer break, I don't have time to tutor you."

Then I took out my phone and sent a message to the parent from before. "I can take your summer tutoring job now."

4: 4

The parent's reply came fast. “Thank you, Teacher Pruitt. Here's the tutoring fee, please accept it.”

Then the thirty thousand dollars landed in my account.

I let a smile tug at my mouth. I'd just wheeled my suitcase to the front hall when my father appeared, holding two fish.

The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up. “June, I heard you were back, so I went and caught two fish just to bring you something good to eat.”

He grabbed my hand and steered me back inside. “Whatever it is, save it for after dinner.”

Looking at the sweat all over his face, the refusal caught in my throat and wouldn't come out.

At the table, he kept piling fish onto my plate. “I remember you always loved fish. The belly meat is the tenderest part. Here, this piece is for you.”

My mother chimed in from the side. “See how much your dad loves you? The second he heard you were home, he took three buses just to bring you fish. Family's supposed to be warm and close like this.”

“Right, family, and someone still brings up money. I don't know how she even gets the words out.”

“Shut it. Is that any way to talk to your sister?”

Dad cut Leon off sharply, then turned to me. “June, your brother just has a bad mouth. At the end of it, you two are the closest family there is.”

“How can you bring up money for tutoring Vicky?”

I set down my chopsticks and looked straight at him. “Your wife was the one who said I should pay rent and food money to stay here. She asked me for money first.”

Dad gave an awkward laugh, a flicker of calculation in his eyes. “That was your sister-in-law misspeaking. It wasn't really her asking for money, she was asking on my behalf.”

“The rent for the fish farm is twelve thousand short today. Just treat it as a loan to me.”

Something in me went cold for good. I really shouldn't have held out even a sliver of hope for a single person in this family.

A cold smile pulled at my lips as I stared hard into my father's eyes. “So when rent and food money didn't shake the cash loose, you just swapped it for a different excuse?”

“Dad, I remember the fish pond rent isn't due until December every year.”

“You've got it wrong.”

I shook my head and pulled out my phone, showing him the transfer to his account. “Last December's rent was paid by me. Here's the record.”

Only then did my father fall silent.

I stood and picked up my suitcase. “Mom, Dad, I'm heading back now.”

Behind me came the sudden crash of a bowl shattering. My father jabbed a finger at my back and roared, “June Pruitt, walk out that door and you don't get to call me your father anymore.”

“It's just twelve thousand. It's not like you don't have it. Can't you just call it looking after your mom and me?”

Leon snorted and set his chopsticks down too. “Getting Dad this worked up over a little money. June, are you even a Pruitt?”

My mother joined in. “Your dad's right. Just treat the money as something you gave your dad and me to spend. Come over and apologize to your father right now, and today can be behind us.”

I hadn't done a single thing wrong. Why should I be the one to apologize?

“I didn't do anything wrong. I won't apologize.”

I turned to go, and then a vicious slap landed across my face. “You unfilial girl, I can see you've turned against us. You're not going anywhere this summer. You're staying to tutor Vicky.”

Seeing me struck, Vicky clapped her hands in delight. “Grandpa's amazing, do it again.”

A child like that didn't deserve my tutoring.

“I absolutely won't.”

With that I turned, and pushing my suitcase, opened the door.

“If you walk out that door, you're no longer our daughter.”