In Dad's Eyes, Strangers Deserve More

At a community party held to commend Dad, the community association director taps the microphone and makes an announcement. He says, "Mr. Cohen is selfless indeed. He has donated all the profits from his son's cafe to Jared Leroy. He solved the biggest problem that Gavin Leroy's household is facing." I think I must have heard him wrong. So the reason my accounts never added up was because my dad, Leonard Cohen, had given away my cafe's profits. But Dad straightens himself and says to me, "Gavin once saved my life, Hugh. Now, his family can't even afford the rent. What's wrong with you helping them out a little?" "Then what about me?" I ask in a shaky voice. Dad says with a frown, "You're different. After all, you're young. A little hardship will help you grow." Tears fall onto the account book clenched in my hands, blurring the ink. "If you're so desperate to have someone repay your kindness like you're their savior," I say, tearing out the last page of the ledger. "Then let Jared be the one to support you when you're old." Chapter 1 I couldn't stand being there for another second. I felt like I was suffocating. Before I left, I turned around and said, "Do whatever you want with everything else. Leave my cafe out of it. I opened it with all my savings and a loan after I got laid off. I have to make a 5,000-dollar loan payment every month." I looked at my dad, Leonard Cohen, straight in the eye. "I need that money to get by and stay alive, Dad. If you want to play the saint, don't do it by giving my life away freely." The entire hall fell silent. Dad's lips trembled as he pointed at me and scolded, "All you care about now is money! You've forgotten how to be a decent human being!" I nodded and said, "You're right. All I care about is money. Because without money, I'll die. My cafe won't survive either. But do you care about that? All you care about is what these people down there think of you." I turned to leave. My gaze fell upon the gold-plated trophy for my dad's "selfless dedication" on the stage, gleaming harshly under the lights. I walked back and picked it up. "Hugh!" Mom screamed. I looked at Dad. His eyes were filled with shock, anger, and the humiliation of having the hypocrisy of his act of kindness laid bare in front of everyone. But among the mixture of emotions in his eyes, there wasn't a trace of guilt. I said, "It's your trophy. You keep it." Then, I let go. The trophy crashed to the floor, and its base split into three pieces. The shards scattered across the floor and hit Jared Leroy's dress shoes. He jumped back. I walked off the stage and through the crowd, which parted to let me through. When I reached the door, I looked back. Dad was still standing there, staring at the shattered trophy on the floor. There was even a hint of hatred in his eyes. I had been deeply upset. Upon seeing that look, all I felt now was utter disappointment. I clenched my fists and said, "From now on, I'm no longer your son. My life is mine, and I need to ensure my own survival." The door closed behind me, cutting off every sound from the hall. … My phone vibrated at 2:00 am. I stared at the ceiling for three seconds before reaching for it. Mom's caller ID was displayed on the screen. I answered but said nothing. Her voice was choked with tears. "Hugh, your dad's heart condition is acting up…" I stayed silent. "He refuses to go to the hospital. He says he won't go unless you agree to help the Leroy family. Please, Hugh. Just swallow your pride and agree for now, okay? Let's get him to the hospital first. I'm scared…" I pulled the phone away and took a deep breath. Then, I put it back to my ear and said calmly, "Mom, how many times has this happened?" There was silence on the other end. "In the year I was about to sit for my SAT, I ranked in the top ten in my grade on the first mock exam. My teacher said I was almost guaranteed a spot at a top college, but I needed to pay 1,800 dollars for an intensive prep course. Do you remember what happened in the end?" Mom said in a small voice, "Hugh, that was a long time ago…" I went on, "Dad lent the money to the Leroys to pay their medical fees. Gavin's wife was pregnant with her second child, and if they couldn't pay for that procedure, she would have a miscarriage. Gavin knelt outside our home and cried." I paused and continued, "So, I didn't get into a top college. You told me it was okay, and that I would do well in life as long as I was capable and talented enough. During the summer after my sophomore year of college, I interned at an advertising company for a month and a half. "I earned 4,200 dollars. That was the first paycheck of my life. I wanted to buy you a necklace. The day I received the money in my bank account, Dad called me and said the Leroys wanted to start a small business but were short 5,000 dollars in startup capital. "I told him I only had 4,200 dollars. Dad said it was perfect and asked me to give him all of it, and that he would chip in another 800 dollars to make up the balance." Chapter 2 Over the phone, I said to Mom, "So, I had no choice but to buy the cheapest bus ticket and sat ten hours home. With the money I had left, I bought you a bag of apples. You said they were so sweet." There was nothing but the sound of breathing on the other end. "Now," I said, "he wants my business. Every waking and sleeping moment, I'm wracking my brains about how to run the cafe. That is the only hope I have to cling to." I sat up. The cafe's ledger was sitting on my nightstand. I opened it and read aloud the figures by the light of my phone. "I had invested 65,000 dollars in total. I dumped in my entire savings of 35,000 dollars and got a startup loan of 30,000 dollars. You gave me 20,000 dollars. "The cafe generates a monthly revenue of about 7,800 dollars. The rent costs 2,500. Then, I need to pay 2,200 for ingredients, 500 for utilities, and another 5,000 for my workers' wages. I have a monthly loan payment of 1,600 dollars. In the end, I make a net loss of 4,000 dollars. "I thought I just wasn't cut out for business. I kept losing money month after month, only to find out Dad had been taking my money and giving it to someone else. "Mom, I haven't paid myself in six months. Every day, I eat the leftover bread from the cafe and drink expired milk. I had a physical last month. The doctor told me I had mild fatty liver disease and a stomach ulcer. He told me I needed to eat regular meals." When I first opened the cafe, Dad came to help out. He even told me to leave my bank card with him so he could keep it safe. I thought he was looking out for me. It turned out that I was just fooling myself. I closed the ledger. Then, I said, "I've always understood Dad's logic. He thinks I'm young, so I can tough it out. Even if I lose the cafe, I can still find a job. Jared is basically useless, so he'll starve without any support. "Dad believes that we need to keep helping them whenever they say they need us to. That's unreasonable, don't you think? Mom, I'm almost starving to death too. It's just that no one can see it." I heard Mom crying quietly on the other end. "Tell Dad three things," I said, "First, I want the Leroys to pay back every penny. Second, if any one of them sets foot in my cafe again, I'll call the police immediately. Third, if he's really sick, I'll pay his medical bills, but I won't go to the hospital to see him." There was a long silence. Mom's voice was hoarse as she pleaded, "Hugh, he's your father…" I replied, "I know. That's why I'm still answering your calls." After I hung up, I sat alone in the darkness. My phone buzzed again. It was an automated bank reminder that read, "Your loan payment is due in 27 days. Please ensure sufficient funds are available in your account." I placed my phone face down on the table. I went back to work, but my hands were trembling slightly. When it was time for a break, I reported that I'd lost my bank card and had a new one issued. That afternoon, my uncle, Liam Cohen, and his wife, Jane Smith, came by. They made quite an entrance, taking the best booth in the cafe and ordering two of the cheapest lemonades. Liam was a retired government official. He liked to speak bossily with an air of authority. "Hugh, I'm not trying to lecture you, but you know your father. He cares about his reputation more than his own life. You humiliated him in front of everyone yesterday. He has a heart problem. Are you trying to make him have a heart attack?" I brought them their drinks without responding. Jane chimed in, "Exactly. You're a business owner now, and you've gotten so full of yourself that you don't listen to your elders anymore. I asked around about the Leroys. They're genuinely struggling. Your dad is a man who takes gratitude seriously. What's wrong with helping them out? "Just think of it as doing a good deed and building your reputation. Your good deed will eventually be rewarded." I stared at her and said, "Aunt Jane, we have more than a hundred thousand dollars in debt. Whatever the cafe makes each month is barely enough to cover the loan and operating expenses. Before doing good deeds and building my reputation, shouldn't I take care of myself first? "If I had the means, I wouldn't mind helping. But right now, I'm barely keeping my own head above water. Besides, hasn't Dad already taken my profits and given them away?" "There you go again!" Liam rapped his knuckles on the table. "You need to think long-term. If you help the Leroy family, all the neighbors will see it. They'll say you are generous and kind. You can't put a price on that kind of reputation. It'll help your business!" I laughed and countered, "Trade all the profits from my cafe for a good reputation? Do you want that reputation, Uncle Liam? I'll sell it to you cheap." Liam's face darkened. "How dare you speak to your elder so rudely!" Chapter 3 I said, "I'm merely speaking the truth." Then, I stopped smiling and added, "Uncle Liam, Aunt Jane, you two are my elders, and I respect you. But I will not hold back against anyone who tries to make a move on my cafe. Whatever Dad promised the Leroys, he can deal with it himself." Liam shot to his feet furiously. "You… You're impossible!" He and Jane stormed out without taking a single sip of their lemonade. The next few days felt like an endless loop. Uncles, aunts, cousins, and every relative who could come showed up. They all said more or less the same things—Dad had it hard, so I should be more understanding. They also stressed that the Leroy family was struggling, so I should be kind. And since we were family, we should value harmony. They advised me to back down. I went through the motions in more or less the same way for a few days. Just when I thought this would drag on forever, Jared showed up uninvited. I was in the back kitchen testing out a new coffee grinder when one of my staff from the front came running in. "Hugh, someone's here to see you." I washed my hands and went out. The moment I stepped out, I saw Dad sitting at a table by the window with Jared standing beside him. He was wearing that same plaid shirt. As always, his hair was slicked back with enough gel to make it shine. A bulging canvas bag sat on the table. Dad spoke up first. "I brought Jared here to learn the trade from you. He's decided not to buy a house for now. He wants to get a proper job and work for a while." He didn't mention the house again. I stopped drying my hands. Dad continued, "You're short of staff anyway. Let him work here. Just provide room and board. You can decide his salary. The kid's smart and a quick learner." Jared grinned. "I'll work hard. I promise." I didn't spare Jared a glance. I just looked at Dad. I asked, "Dad, what exactly is our relationship now?" Dad froze for a moment before responding, "Legally, we're father and son." I continued, "But here, in this cafe, what are we? Are you a shareholder, a business partner, or the manager?" Dad's expression darkened. "What are you getting at?" I continued, "I'm asking what gives you the right to bring a complete stranger into my cafe and demand that I give him a job." Dad raised his voice. "What do you mean by stranger? He's Gavin's son. He's practically family. He's the reason our family got through those hard times!" My voice remained steady as I said firmly, "In my cafe, I only recognize two kinds of people—employees and customers. Is he here to apply for a job? Does he have the required food-handler certification? Does he have any experience working as a waiter?" Jared cut in, "Hugh, my brother, I promise I'll learn and work hard…" I turned to him sharply and said, "What brother? My surname is Cohen. Yours is Leroy. We're not related." The smile on Jared's face froze. Dad shot up, causing the chair legs to scrape harshly across the floor. He berated, "Since when have you become so cold-blooded? If we give up a little profit, we can save an entire family!" I repeated the word, "We? Who's we?" Dad glared at me. I said each word slowly, "This is my cafe. My loans. My rent. My equipment. My ingredients. I wake up at 4:00 am every day and go to bed at 1:00 am. I drink my own expired milk and leftover food no one wants. I haven't paid myself a salary in six months. "What about you? Other than claiming we're in this together, what have you actually done?" I walked over to the register, opened the drawer, and pulled out last month's gas bill. "Do you know how much the gas bill went up this month? Do you know how much I had to pay when the local authorities came for an inspection just to avoid getting fined? Do you know how many regular customers I lost because of the noisy construction next door?" I slapped the bill onto the table. I said evenly, "You don't understand any of it. All you know is how to take what belongs to me and trade it for your reputation." Dad's face flushed and paled rapidly. He pointed a trembling finger at me and scolded, "You wretch!" I nodded and said, "Yes, I'm a wretch. Because I refuse to hand over my own life to someone else." Just then, Jared spoke up. "Leonard, maybe we should just forget it. Hugh doesn't seem to want me here—" "Don't be afraid!" Dad grabbed his arm and turned toward me. "You're taking him whether you like it or not. You have to. If you don't, I'm sitting right here, and I'm not leaving!" Chapter 4 I stared at him for three seconds. Then, I pulled out my phone and turned on the recording function before placing it on the table. I said, "Say that again, Dad. You brought over this man, Jared Leroy, to work at my cafe, right?" Dad froze for a moment. "Why are you recording this?" I replied, "To have a record of what you said. Now, you and Mr. Leroy need to leave my cafe. Otherwise, I'll call the police immediately and report you for trespassing and disrupting my business." "Are you seriously going to call the police and have your own father arrested?" Dad asked, staring at me in disbelief. I shot back, "This is my cafe. I don't care if you're my dad." I dialed 911 and held up the screen for him to see. "You're trespassing. Three seconds. Three, two…" "Let's go!" Mom suddenly rushed in through the door. It turned out she had been waiting outside and had heard everything. She grabbed Dad by the arm and urged, "Let's go, Leonard. Do you really want Hugh to call the police and have you arrested?" As Dad was dragged toward the door, he turned back and glared at me. "Just you wait! This shop of yours is going to go under sooner or later!" The door slammed shut. I stood there, bracing myself against the register. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. My staff came over cautiously. "Hugh, are you okay?" I straightened up and replied, "I'm fine. Mop the floor by the entrance. There's a weird smell." That night, after closing the cafe, I sat down and ran the numbers. If Jared came to work here, even if I only paid him minimum wage and provided room and board, I'd have to spend at least another 3,000 dollars a month. That didn't include the cost of his food and lodging. Given his history of stealing money, I could even end up losing some of my revenue. Those 3,000 dollars could pay for my food budget for the month, next quarter's property management fee, and the repair fees for the broken air conditioner. It was the tiny bit of margin I had left to survive. And that was exactly what Dad wanted. He wanted me to give up the last bit of money I had left to stay afloat. It was all for the sake of his reputation as the kindest and most generous gentleman. I closed the ledger and locked up the cafe. On my way home, I passed a real estate agency. In the window was an advertisement for the exact kind of residential complex Jared wanted to buy. It showed, "Two-bedroom apartments, down payments starting at 40,000 dollars." 40,000 dollars… Dad should still have around 8,000 dollars in his retirement account. Mom's private savings were probably gone by half, as she'd given me 20,000 dollars before. There was a 12,000-dollar balance. How was Dad planning to come up with the rest? The answer was obvious. Mom called again on Friday night. Her voice sounded exhausted as she said, "Hugh, your dad realizes his mistake. He just can't bring himself to admit it. Tomorrow's the weekend. Come home for dinner, okay? We can sit down and talk things out as a family." I said nothing. Mom's voice softened as she continued, "I bought the ribs you love. I'll make you some soup too. You've gotten so skinny lately—" "Mom," I interrupted her, "how many times has this happened?" There was silence on the other end. I recounted, "The year I was supposed to take the SAT, you said the same thing. You told me to come home for dinner because Dad knew he messed up. When I was in college, you said the same thing too. You told me to come home for dinner because Dad was just too stubborn to admit it. "What about this time? What is he going to say at dinner? Is he going to say that he's come to his senses and will leave my business alone?" Mom didn't respond. I continued, "Or is he going to say the Leroys are struggling again and ask if I could kindly—" "No!" Mom hurriedly cut me off. "Your dad has reflected on what he did. He hasn't been sleeping well these past few days, and his blood pressure is high again…" I said coldly, "So, if I don't go home for dinner, his blood pressure will get even higher, and that'll be my fault, right?" "That's not what I meant…" In the end, I agreed anyway. "I'm closing the cafe for a day tomorrow. I'll come home at 5:00 pm." After hanging up, I sat alone in the cafe. I needed to do something for myself. I took out my phone and opened a business-for-sale platform. I registered an account, uploaded photos, and filled out the information. For the reason, I typed, "Family circumstances. Unable to continue operating." I stared at that last line for a long time. Then, I hit "Publish". At 5:00 pm on Saturday, I knocked on the door of my parents' home right on time. Chapter 5 Mom opened the door. Her eyes were slightly swollen. As she took my coat, she said quietly, "Your dad's waiting in the living room… Try to talk things out." Dad was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in front of him. He glanced at me but said nothing. I greeted, "Dad." He hummed in acknowledgement and pointed to the couch opposite him. "Sit." The dining table was already set with a full dinner, including the ribs I loved. There really were my favorite ribs. We sat in silence for several minutes. The only sound in the living room was the news playing on the TV. "How's the cafe been doing lately?" Dad finally asked, his voice stiff. "Not bad," I replied. He cleared his throat and went on, "So… As for the matter with the Leroys, I've thought about it. I admit I didn't think things through." I said nothing. His tone shifted. "But, Hugh… They're really at their wit's end right now. The lady's family has made it clear that she won't marry Jared unless he has a house. He's already 30, and he finally found someone he wants to marry…" I watched the steam rising from my cup. "How much is your shop worth now?" Dad asked. "Why are you asking?" I responded. He continued, "I'm just asking… Look, you're already having a hard time keeping the business going. Why don't you… Why don't you sell the cafe? I asked around. Given the location, you could get a pretty good price for it. "You could use some of the money to help Jared with his down payment, then use the rest to start some small business of your own…" I finally looked up at him. "Dad," I said, "do you know how much I still owe on the loan for this shop?" Dad hesitated and asked, "How much?" I answered, "28,000 dollars. If I sell the cafe now, it will probably just about cover the loan, plus a little for the depreciation on the renovations. I'd be lucky if I ended up with 20,000 dollars in my hands." Dad's eyes lit up. "20,000, huh? That's enough! Jared needs 40,000 dollars for the down payment. I have 8,000 dollars from my retirement savings, your mom can probably come up with some more, and with your 20,000 dollars, it's more or less that figure." The more he talked, the more excited he became. It sounded as if he'd finally solved the problem. "What about me?" I asked. "What about you?" Dad responded. In a quiet voice, I asked, "What am I supposed to do after I sell the cafe?" Dad answered as if it were obvious. "You're young and capable. Just find another job, or take some of the money and start a small business. Running a cafe is too exhausting anyway. It's not right for you." I laughed. In fact, I laughed so hard that my shoulders shook. Dad frowned. "What's so funny?" When I'd laughed enough, I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. Then, I took out my phone, opened the business listing, and turned the screen toward him. I said, "You don't need to worry about it. I've already put the cafe up for sale." Dad stared at the screen. I watched his eyes widen little by little. He shot to his feet. "Y-You're crazy! That's your shop! How can you just decide to sell it?" "My shop?" I repeated his words. "Weren't you just telling me to sell it?" Dad quickly said, "I meant sell it and use the money to help the Leroy family! I didn't mean actually sell it!" I asked, "What's the difference?" After a slight pause, I said, "If I sell it, the money goes to me, and then you come asking for it because the Leroys need it. What happens if I say no? You'll call me a wretch. But if I give it to you, what am I supposed to do?" Dad was speechless. Standing up, I said, "So, I've figured it out. As long as I keep the cafe, someone will always have their eye on it. If I sell it, pay off the loan, and have 20,000 dollars left…" I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to repay your debt to the Leroy family? Forget the money you've already taken from me. Take this 20,000 dollars and give it all to the Leroys to buy their house. From now on, we're even." Dad's face blanched, and his lips trembled. "What… What do you mean? What do you mean by we're even?" I said slowly, "It means, from this day forward, I'm no longer your son, and you're no longer my father."