Chapter 8: What Raymond Knew
Raymond arrived at eight fifty-five.
He was shorter than I remembered — or maybe I was just looking at him differently now.
He came in without the ease of someone visiting family.
He sat at the kitchen table with both hands wrapped around the coffee cup my dad set in front of him, and he didn't look comfortable for a single second.
Felicia was in the kitchen too.
My dad had asked her to be there.
She sat at the far end of the table and didn't look at her brother.
Marcus sat next to me.
"You said you had something to tell me," my dad said.
Raymond nodded.
He looked at Felicia first.
She didn't look back.
"When Felicia called me six weeks ago," he said, "she told me the money was from a savings account she'd been building on her own.
That it was hers, free and clear, and that she wanted to help me." He paused.
"I asked her twice if Dwayne knew.
She told me yes."
My dad was very still.
"She told me you'd agreed to it," Raymond said.
"That it was a family decision."
The phrase landed in the room like something dropped from a height.
"A family decision," my dad said.
"Yes."
"She used those exact words."
"Yes."
Felicia's jaw tightened.
She was still looking at the table.
"Raymond." My dad's voice was careful.
"Why are you telling me this now?
Yesterday you said you didn't know where the money came from."
"Yesterday I was scared," Raymond said.
"I thought if I said too much I'd make it worse for Felicia." He looked at his sister finally.
"But last night she called me and told me to say the transfer was my idea.
That I'd pressured her into it." He set his coffee cup down.
"I'm not going to do that."
Felicia looked up.
"I'm not going to lie for you," Raymond said.
"Not about this.
I have two kids.
I'm not going to stand in front of a bank dispute and claim I pressured you when you called me."
"I never said you pressured me—"
"You said to tell them it was my idea.
That's the same thing."
"Raymond—"
"No." His voice was quiet but it didn't move.
"You helped me and I'm grateful.
But you lied to me to do it.
You told me Dwayne agreed.
You told me the money was yours.
And now you want me to take the blame for the whole thing." He shook his head.
"I can't do that."
The kitchen was completely silent.
I looked at my dad.
He was looking at Felicia.
"You called him last night," he said.
"After you told me you'd cooperate with the bank review."
Felicia said nothing.
"You sat at this table and told me you'd sign whatever I needed.
And then you went to the back bedroom and called your brother and asked him to lie."
"I was scared—"
"So was I," my dad said.
"I've been scared since the moment I saw that account balance.
The difference is I didn't lie about it."
Marcus stood up from the table.
He walked to the counter and stood there with his back to the room for a moment, then turned around.
"Mom," he said.
"Stop.
Just stop."
She looked at him.
"You've been trying to manage this since it started.
You sent Rochelle.
You called Raymond.
You're still trying to find the angle that gets you out of this clean." His voice wasn't angry.
It was tired.
"There is no clean exit.
It's done.
The only thing left is whether you make it worse."
Felicia looked at her son for a long moment.
Then she looked at my dad.
"I'll sign the repayment agreement," she said.
"Today.
Whatever amount, whatever schedule you set."
"And the bank review?" my dad asked.
"I won't fight it." She said it like it cost her something.
"I'll cooperate fully."
My dad looked at Raymond.
"I'm going to ask the bank to note your statement.
That you were told the transfer was authorized.
That will affect how they assess the situation."
Raymond nodded.
"I'll tell them whatever I told you.
All of it."
My dad stood up.
"Thank you for coming."
Raymond stood too.
He looked at Felicia one more time.
She didn't look back.
He picked up his jacket from the back of the chair and walked to the front door.
It closed behind him.
May you like
The four of us sat in the kitchen — or stood, in Marcus's case — and nobody said anything for a while.
Then my dad picked up his phone and called the bank.
