“And the house?” my father asked.

“The bank sent a notice last week.”

“They said we are three months behind.”

My mother flinched.

“We’ll figure it out, Arthur,” she said quickly.

“We can take a loan against the pension.”

“There is no pension left,” my father said.

He looked up, his eyes glassy.

“I cashed it out in November.”

“To pay for the laser surgery in Munich.”

He turned his gaze back to Megan.

“The surgery you said saved your spine.”

Megan’s mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.

She looked at my mother.

The silence in the room stretched.

The phone on the table began to vibrate again.

The screen lit up with a text message notification.

It was from an unknown number.

The preview of the message was visible on the lock screen.

It read: *Where are you? The deposit for the boat charter is due by five.*

My father saw it.

He reached out and picked up the phone.

Megan tried to snatch it, but he held it out of her reach.

His thumb swiped the screen.

“Arthur, put that down,” my mother commanded.