Chapter 14 - Megan's Mother Knew Everything
"Eleanor, we need to talk privately."
Diane's voice was unusually tight.
I was sitting on the balcony at the inn, reading a novel I'd purchased from a little bookshop near the harbor.
"Good morning to you too, Diane."
"Please. This isn't funny."
"I didn't say it was."
She exhaled.
"Has Patrick told you about their townhouse?"
I lowered the book.
"What about it?"
A silence followed.
Then she said:
"They've been having financial difficulties."
I looked toward the sea.
"Patrick told me business was slow. That's why I helped with the cruise expenses."
"No. Eleanor, I mean serious difficulties."
My stomach tightened.
"How serious?"
Diane hesitated.
"I think you should ask him directly."
"Diane, you called me."
Another pause.
Finally, she admitted that Megan and Patrick had accumulated substantial credit-card balances, partly through home improvements, vehicle expenses, and maintaining a lifestyle that increasingly exceeded their income.
Some of their household costs had been deferred.
Patrick's townhouse payments were still current, but the couple had been struggling to manage everything else.
I was surprised.
Not because Patrick had asked for help.
But because he had continued making expensive purchases while quietly allowing me to pay routine bills.
"How long have you known?" I asked.
"Several months."
I sat back.
"Did they ask you for help?"
"Of course."
"And?"
"Richard and I contributed what we could."
I thought about their complimentary cruise cabins.
Apparently, they had contributed in a rather different direction.
Diane cleared her throat.
"Megan believed the lake property would eventually provide a solution."
There it was again.
My house.
Their solution.
"What kind of solution?"
"Well, once ownership transferred, they could potentially sell the townhouse, consolidate their expenses, and make improvements to the lake house."
I closed my eyes.
"And when exactly was this transfer supposed to happen?"
"I assumed you had discussed it."
"Diane."
She sighed.
"Megan said Patrick was working on it."
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
My daughter-in-law had been preparing renovation plans for a property she didn't own while discussing an ownership transfer with her mother.
And Patrick had been allowing me to pay his SUV installment.
I wondered how much of their financial strategy depended on the assumption that I would continue being generous.
"What did Megan tell you about the cruise?" I asked.
"She wanted some time with her parents."
"Why couldn't I attend?"
Diane hesitated.
Then gave me an answer I would remember for years.
"Megan thought you might use the trip to discuss the financial support you've been giving them. She didn't want uncomfortable conversations during the vacation."
I laughed once.
It came out sounding almost like a cough.
"So I was welcome to fund the holiday, but not welcome to discuss the funding."
"Eleanor, that's an unfair interpretation."
"Is it?"
Diane didn't answer.
I stood and walked toward the balcony railing.
A ferry was crossing the harbor, leaving a thin white trail behind it.
"Did Patrick agree with her?"
Another silence.
"Yes."
That hurt.
More than the renovation folder.
More than the Facebook post.
Because for days, a small part of me had wondered whether Megan had persuaded Patrick at the last minute.
Perhaps he'd simply been trying to keep the peace.
Perhaps he'd felt trapped.
Now I understood that my son had participated in the decision.
He had chosen to exclude me because my presence might remind everyone how much of their holiday I had paid for.
"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked.
Diane's voice softened.
"Because Megan is very upset, and Patrick isn't handling it well."
"What would you like me to do?"
"Perhaps you could help them get through the next few months. Just until they recover."
I almost admired her consistency.
Even after everything, the proposed solution was still my checkbook.
"No, Diane."
"You haven't even heard what they need."
"I don't need to."
"Eleanor, think about the children."
"I do. Every day."
"Then how can you refuse?"
I took a breath.
"Because I want Oliver and Sophie to grow up with parents who can make responsible decisions. And because financial assistance should never be the price of admission to my own family."
Diane became cold.
"Well. You've certainly changed."
"Yes," I answered. "People keep telling me that."
I ended the call politely.
Then I sat down and stared at my untouched coffee.
I was angry.
Not because Patrick had financial problems.
I would have helped him develop a repayment plan if he'd approached me honestly.
I was angry because he had concealed the situation while treating my home as a financial asset he was entitled to control.
That afternoon, I called Daniel.
I explained what Diane had told me.
He advised me to keep clear boundaries around my financial information and reminded me that Patrick's debts were not automatically mine.
We also discussed the educational provisions I wanted to establish for Oliver and Sophie.
I wanted them to know that their grandmother loved them.
But I no longer wanted my love delivered through unrestricted transfers to their parents.
Daniel suggested several arrangements that could preserve funds for the children's future while maintaining appropriate safeguards.
For the first time in weeks, I felt excited about spending money.
Not because someone demanded it.
Because I had found a purpose that genuinely reflected my values.
After the call, I received a message from Patrick.
Mom, Diane says you've been asking about our finances.
I sighed.
He continued.
You had no right to discuss that with her.
I looked at the screen.
Then typed:
She called me, Patrick.
His response arrived immediately.
We need to have a serious conversation about Dad's estate.
I read the sentence twice.
Then I called Daniel again.
May you like
Because if Patrick wanted to discuss George's estate, I thought it might be useful for him to hear the facts from the man who had handled it.
And Daniel had recently uncovered something in George's old records that he believed I should see.
