Chapter 15: The New Foundation
Life moved on, lighter and infinitely more peaceful. We cut total contact with Janet, Robert, Sabrina, and Carter. They became ghosts, cautionary tales of entitlement and greed. Last I heard, Carter was working a minimum-wage job, having completely failed out of community college, while Sabrina blamed everyone but herself. Robert and Janet were working retail shifts to pay the rent on their small apartment.
But in our house, the air was clear. It was a Friday night, exactly six months after the disastrous dinner party. Owen was home. We ordered pizzas and sat around the living room. Anna was sitting on the floor, surrounded by her art supplies. She held up a canvas she had been working on. It was a beautiful, chaotic, vibrant painting of a phoenix rising out of a pile of grey ash.
May you like
“It’s for my portfolio,” Anna said proudly. “For art school applications.” I looked at the painting, then at my brilliant, resilient daughter. The money was safe. Her future was wide open. And the people who had tried to dim her light were gone forever.
I smiled, taking a slice of pizza. “It’s beautiful, Anna. It’s absolutely perfect.”
