“I need you not to panic.”
I remember the mug in my hand. White ceramic. A chip in the rim. Cheap coffee going cold.
“What happened?”
He looked at the floor first. Then at me. “The bank froze the business accounts.”
I had known things were tight. I knew his roofing company had been struggling after two bad seasons and a commercial contract fell through. I knew he had borrowed against equipment. I knew he’d started drinking more than usual and saying things like I’ve got it handled in a tone that meant the exact opposite.
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