Chapter 3

Keith Norris had always done exactly as I said.

So the next day he called Jason and told him to come home.

Jason showed up in less than half an hour with his wife, Frieda. The two of them came empty-handed, and when they saw only a few plain home-cooked dishes on the table, they both frowned.

"You called us over just to eat plain vegetables?"

"If we'd known, we might as well have had lunch before coming back!"

I cut off Keith before he could explain and pointed at his lower back.

"Your dad twisted his back yesterday, so he can't stand at the stove for long. There are groceries in the fridge, and it's still a while before dinner, so we asked you to come home and help cook a meal!"

Frieda rolled her eyes.

"I just got my nails done. I can't cook."

Jason didn't bother with an excuse. He just turned nasty.

"Are you kidding me? I'm this busy, and you specially called me back here to cook a meal? What's wrong with just grabbing something to eat?"

Keith frowned, but in the end he said nothing, only waving the two of them over to sit down and eat.

They'd barely eaten a few bites.

Keith spoke up on his own.

"Actually, the main reason I called you back today wasn't to cook. You're the eldest son, so I wanted to ask what you think about how the property buyout money should be split."

That was exactly the line Jason had been waiting for.

He threw down his chopsticks, grabbed Keith's hand, and his eyes lit up.

"I've already got it all worked out. Ten million dollars in buyout money—you give me eight million and give that married-off girl two million. She doesn't even carry the Norris name anymore. Once the money leaves this house, it all goes straight to my brother-in-law's family. You can't be that stupid!"

Keith looked a little regretful. He lowered his head and took a bite of greens, but he couldn't get it down.

I spoke up for him.

"And what about your dad and me?"

Frieda smiled.

"Mom, Jason and I are both dutiful kids. Once you give me the money, we'll rent you a one-bedroom near our place, and when you can't take care of yourselves anymore, we'll send you to the best nursing home!"

I smiled.

"That's good. Now we know where we stand."

Jason and Frieda left satisfied, and on their way out they made sure to take every bit of Keith's and my good tea with them.

Five:

Before I could finish talking things over with Keith, Myra came storming into the house with her husband, Blake. When she saw the four sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, Myra's face fell at once.

"I knew I was right—you two play favorites with Jason!"

Blake tugged at Myra's sleeve.

"No, Mom and Dad know how things are with us. There's no way they'd favor your older brother."

"Mom, Myra told me your phone broke and you hadn't had time to get a new one, so I went out of my way to find you a good one. Use this for now, and once the buyout money comes in I'll get you the newest model!"

I took the phone and had a look.

It really was funny. This was my phone—the one I bought new last year, before Myra took it. Now the screen was smashed to bits, and here it was, back in my hands.

Seeing that I'd taken the phone, Myra hurried to keep going.

"Mom, Dad, I take everything you say to heart."

"They all say a daughter is her parents' warm little coat. You two aren't the kind to favor sons over daughters, so you can't just look at whether it's a boy or a girl and ignore how much someone cares."

"On top of that, I'm even planning to have a second child who'll take your surname, so the money won't be going into an outsider's pocket!"

I nodded.

"Then it's good you're home. How do you think the buyout money should be divided?"

Myra had her answer ready long ago.

"I'll take nine million, and give Jason one million."

"It's not that I want a lot of money, but my child will carry your surname down the line, so he'll definitely need a share. Besides, Jason's better off than I am, so it's only right he gets less. If he gets more than that, then you're playing favorites!"

I nodded, and Keith couldn't hold it in.

"And what about your mom and me?"

Myra looked at him, a little puzzled.

"Don't you two have your pensions? That's plenty for your retirement."

Blake put in a word.

"If you'd like to come live with us, you're more than welcome. We'll hold on to your pension cards for you, and we'll be sure to take good care of you."

Keith let out a cold snort and gave a twist of his mouth.

"You're right."

"Don't you worry. I promise I'll never play favorites with my son Jason."