And so I kept spinning like a top, year after year, without rest.
Finally, Bertram passed the college entrance exams and got married.
Adeline graduated from college too.
The weight on my shoulders eased, just a little.
Once I put Lucius through school, I'd have fulfilled my duty.
I was thirty-six that year. A matchmaker set me up on a blind date.
The woman was from the next village over. Divorced, no kids. She liked me.
I wanted to give it a try. We met a few times, but Mrs. Abbott refused to approve it.
I had no choice but to let it go.
I thought things would slowly get better.
But five years later, Mrs. Abbott was suddenly paralyzed.
Eating, drinking, bathing, using the bathroom—she needed someone for everything.
Bertram said he was too busy with work. Adeline had just gotten married.
Lucius said he needed to focus on his studies.
Nobody was willing to step up.
So I shouldered the burden again, spending every waking hour at her side.
Feeding her. Bathing her. Turning her over. Emptying bedpans.
Day after day, without a single break.
Two years passed like that. Lucius graduated.
He couldn't find a job he liked after graduation, so he insisted on studying for the civil service exam.
He studied for three years.
I supported him without question for all three.
I had poured the best years of my life—half a lifetime of youth and sweat—into this family.
I thought that even if I couldn't claim any credit, at least my suffering counted for something.
But Mrs. Abbott said I was an outsider. That I'd contributed nothing to this family.
Eight million dollars in demolition compensation, and I didn't see a cent.
A shrill ringtone cut through my thoughts.
It was Mrs. Abbott.
"Where are you?"
I looked up and around. "At the orchard."
Twenty-five years. Trial and error. I'd replanted the peach trees three times over. Next year would finally bring a harvest.
Mrs. Abbott's voice was sharp with irritation. "Why aren't you home cooking dinner?"
"Mom, there are some things I need to sort through."
"Everyone's still hungry. Whatever it is, it can wait until after dinner. Get home. Now."
Home? Which home?
The one about to be torn down?
I'd once wanted a home of my own. Because of them, I'd abandoned that dream with my own two hands.
I didn't have a home anymore.
I hung up, but my feet kept moving.
In a daze, I walked to the next village and found myself standing in front of her door. The woman from the blind date.
The door was shut.
After I'd turned her down, she'd left for a job in the city.
I stood there for a while, then turned to leave.
But where was I supposed to go?
A neighbor, Aunt Agatha Chavez, came outside and spotted me. She smiled.
"Tom! I heard the James family got eight million from the demolition. What luck!"
"You've worked yourself to the bone for them your whole life. Mrs. Abbott must be giving you the lion's share, right?"
I smiled. Didn't say a word.
Agatha walked over and patted my hand, lowering her voice.
"Bella Simmons never remarried. Said she couldn't let go of you."
Bella. The woman from the blind date.
"Once the money's divided up, hire a home care nurse for Mrs. Abbott, and go be with Bella. You've given enough. You can't waste your whole life on the James family."
"You've spent the better part of your life living for them. It's time you started living for yourself."
A tremor ran through my body. I stood frozen.
My whole life, I'd been busy for them. Living for them.
I couldn't remember a single day I'd taken for myself.
I thought about everything I'd given over twenty-five years.
I thought about the future I'd thrown away.
I thought about Mrs. Abbott's words: You've contributed nothing to this family.
The tears finally came. I couldn't hold them back.
"If I didn't get a single cent... would she still want me?"
Agatha's eyes went wide. "What did you just say?"
The phone rang again. Lucius this time.
"Tom, where are you? Why aren't you home yet?"
I told him I'd be back soon.
