Derek signed an acknowledgment agreeing to repay the disputed household funds based on an accounting Inez would prepare.
Nobody mentioned lawsuits.
Nobody asked for punishment.
There were records.
There would be repayment.
There would also be boundaries.
That afternoon, Derek and Veronica moved their things out of the main bedroom.
Not out of the house.
Mom surprised me there.
“They can stay for two weeks,” she said.
“Mom.”
“Two weeks.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Dad nodded.
“With rules.”
The rules were simple.
The house belonged to Mom and Dad.
No guests without asking.
No financial decisions on their behalf.
No borrowing.
No rearranging their lives to avoid uncomfortable conversations.
“And,” Mom said, looking directly at Veronica, “I eat at my kitchen table whenever I want.”
Veronica’s eyes filled.
“Of course.”
“No crying your way out of agreeing,” Mom said.
To my surprise, Veronica laughed.
Then Mom laughed too.
It did not fix everything.
