Chapter 8 - The January Trap
January 1st arrived with a brutal winter freeze across Texas.
And with it came the next $1,480 mortgage payment for 1412 Sycamore Lane.
Predictably, Caroline and Todd could not make the payment. Todd’s construction company had shut down operations for two weeks due to the ice storms, meaning his paycheck was virtually non-existent.
On January 5th, Wells Fargo issued a formal Notice of Delinquency.
Because they had been delinquent three times in the previous calendar year, Wells Fargo refused to grant a workout plan unless the entire account balance, including back legal fees and tax escrows, was paid in full within thirty days.
Total amount required to cure: $8,940.00.
Caroline was completely trapped.
On January 12th, my father showed up at my office building in downtown Dallas.
He didn't scream. He didn't yell. He walked into my private office wearing an old coat, looking ten years older than he had two months ago.
He sat down in the leather chair across from my desk, resting his hands on his cane.
"Sam," he said quietly, his voice raspy. "I'm asking you as a man. Help your sister. Just this once."
I leaned back in my chair, looking at my father. "Dad, where were you when Caroline was humiliating Luke?"
He lowered his head, staring at the floor. "I was wrong. Okay? I was wrong for letting her act like that. Your mother and I... we favored Caroline. We always did, ever since you kids were little. You were always independent and smart, and she was always struggling. We thought you didn't need us."
"I didn't need your money, Dad," I said softly. "I needed you to protect my son."
A single tear rolled down my father’s weathered cheek. "I know. And I failed you. But please... don't destroy her family. They're going to lose the house. Wells Fargo is listing it for auction on February 1st."
I looked at a file sitting on my desk.
"I won't let them go homeless, Dad," I said.
May you like
My father looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes. "You'll pay it?"
"No," I said, pulling out a legal document drafted by Arthur Vance. "I won't pay their mortgage. But I will buy the house from them."
