At the time Susan bought me the Steinway grand piano, that piano, new, sold for $85,000. I’m sure that, since the piano was used, my daughter didn’t pay that much, but the price was still multiple thousands of dollars. My daughter has never told me where the money came from, but I think I figured it out.
Her mother and I had separated and divorced many years before that. During the divorce proceedings, just as I took the witness stand to testify to my wife’s failures in the marriage, a neighbor came into the courtroom with one of my daughters and sat in the front row. My wife had arranged for one of my children to be present during my testimony, believing, correctly, that I would clam up rather than enumerate her sins in the presence of one of her children.
The result was that I lost heavily in the divorce. I ended up a pauper with my wife being awarded the house we had shared—that I went on playing the mortgage on—plus a hefty monthly alimony. I found myself living in a rented room, the best I could afford.
At the time of the divorce, one of my daughters sided with her mother. The other two daughters, including Susan, and my son either expressed no opinion or leaned toward supporting me. I always suspected that Susan, as the eldest child, felt that the outcome of the divorce, with her mother gaining and me losing, was unfair.
Over time, as I was promoted in my job, my finances improved as my income rose. I was finally able to afford a better place to live. One day, I got word that my ex-wife had died. I thought it improper for me to go to her funeral, but my four children all attended. They inherited what she left behind. As far as I know, all that she had was the house which she had owned free and clear. It was sold and the resulting sum was divided among the four children.
More next time.
Tom Glenn, Writer 