Richard visits his daughter to celebrate his eightieth birthday with her, but she answers the door in tears and sends him away. Richard suspects trouble and realizes he\u2019s right after peeking through her front windows. Richard tapped his fingers nervously against the steering wheel as he drove. Deidre used to drive down every Thanksgiving, but that stopped after his wife\u2019s funeral four years ago. Now, there were only weekly calls. Richard spread his arms wide as Deidre appeared in the doorway. \u201cSurprise!\u201d he yelled. \u201cDad?\n
What are you doing here?\u201d she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks. \u201cI came to celebrate my birthday with you\u2026it\u2019s the big eight-o!\u201d Richard replied, but the joy in his voice trailed off quickly. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, honey? Why are you crying?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s nothing; everything\u2019s fine,\u201d Deidre quickly wiped her tears and smiled a little. \u201cI just\u2026I wasn\u2019t expecting you, and this isn\u2019t really a good time. Sorry, Dad, but I, uh, need to focus. On my work. Look, I\u2019ll call you. We\u2019ll have dinner later, okay?\n
Sorry.\u201d Deidre shut the door, leaving Richard hurt and confused. Something was terribly wrong. Was Deidre in trouble? Richard stepped back from the front door but didn\u2019t leave. He stepped over the short, flowering shrubs lining the path and snuck up to peek through the windows. Two rough-looking men were in the sitting room with Deidre.\u201dNobody,\u201d Deidre lied in a shaky voice. \u201cJust a neighbor\u2019s kid\u2026pulling a doorbell prank and running away.\u201d \u201cBack to business then,\u201d the second man said.\n
\u201cYou\u2019re now six months behind on your loan repayments, Deidre. Mr. Marco\u2019s getting impatient.\u201d \u201cI just need more time. Business is sure to pick up again in the winter,\u201d she pleaded. \u201cTime is one thing you haven\u2019t got, sweetie,\u201d the man replied, pulling out his gun. \u201cPeople who owe Mr. Marco money don\u2019t have a great life expectancy and end up feeding the fishes in the lake\u2026\u201d He pointed the weapon at her. Terror froze Richard in place. But soon, the man stepped back with a look of disgust and tucked the gun away in the waistband of his trousers.\u201dLook around this dump and see if there\u2019s anything valuable we can take to Mr. Marco, Danny,\u201d he ordered. \u201cShe\u2019s a businesswoman, so there must be a computer or some kind of equipment around here.\u201d \u201dBut I need those things!\u201d she cried. \u201cI can\u2019t make money without my equipment!\u201d The man patted the butt of his gun. \u201dBoo-Hoo. I can still change my mind, you know. Don\u2019t be ungrateful, now.\u201dthe men ransacked her home before they stormed out, leaving Deidre curled up sobbing on the floor.\n
Nothing made sense to Richard because Deidre\u2019s business was doing well. At least that\u2019s what she had told him. But now, Richard could sense something was amiss. Deidre needed his help. The men loaded several appliances from Deidre\u2019s home in their vehicle. When they finally drove away, Richard followed them. The men stopped at a two-storeyed brick building downtown that looked like a bar. While it was closed, the door was unlocked. No one on the staff stopped Richard as he entered the building. The men had joined a large table where several other rough-looking men were seated. One of them stood and swaggered toward him. \u201cThe club\u2019s closed,\u201d he growled. \u201cCome back later.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m here to discuss Deidre\u2019s debt,\u201d Richard announced. \u201cOh?\u201d The man seated at the head of the table rose and stared at Richard. He looked like a gentleman except for a nasty scar above his left eye.\n
Richard guessed he was Mr. Marco. \u2018How much does she owe you?\u201d Richard asked. Mr. Marco smirked. \u201cA good samaritan, huh? Deidre took out a business loan of $80,000 from me. She was supposed to pay me back from her monthly profits, only she never made any.\u201d \u201dI have around $20,000 in my savings,\u201d Richard gulped fearfully, shaken Deidre had borrowed such a big sum. \u2018That\u2019s only a quarter of what she owes us.\u201d Mr. Marco sighed. \u201cBut there\u2019s something you can do to make up the difference.\u201d Richard didn\u2019t like the sound of that, but he had to do whatever it took to save his daughter from the mess she\u2019d gotten herself into. \u2018What do you want me to do?\u201d he asked. Mr. Marco grinned at Richard and beckoned him closer to the table \u2018My partner and I recently started a small business importing cars to Canada, but some of the paperwork has been delayed, so we\u2019re having difficulties getting the\u2026\u2019merchandise\u2019\u2026across the border. A kind, innocent-looking Grandpa like you should have no trouble crossing the border in one of our cars.\u201d Richard had no choice but to agree. Later that night, he pulled into a gas station near the border town to use the bathroom and parked beside a patrol. \u201cJesus!\u201d he gasped as the German Shepherd in the back of the police cruiser began barking at him and pawing at the window. Service dogs were trained not to bark at random people unless\u2026Oh, man.\n
He quickly climbed back in the car, a Valiant, and started reversing as the police dog went crazy. Two cops hurried out of the gas station store and yelled at him to stop as they glanced at him. The GPS app voiced directions, but Richard shoved it in his pocket to silence the darn thing. He pushed the Valiant to its limits as he wove through traffic, leaving a trail of outraged drivers and narrowly avoided collisions in his wake. The sirens blared behind him. Richard soon spotted a narrow, unmarked dirt road veering into the forest ahead. He sharply turned, leaving the road behind him as he raced into the forest. The muddy trails were awful to navigate, but Richard pushed on. He turned down a narrow track leading downhill. Then, he turned up a slight rise and instantly regretted it. The car was now stuck in a precarious position, balanced on a narrow rise above a wide river. Richard tried to reverse back the way he came, but the tires spun without getting traction. In fact, the car was sliding closer to the water. \u201cNo!\u201d Richard desperately pulled up the parking brake, but it didn\u2019t work. The car\u2019s nose hit the river with a loud splash, sending a wave of dark water flooding over the bonnet. Richard shoved the car door open, desperate to escape the sinking vehicle. The pressure from the water started to push the car door shut against Richard\u2019s legs.\n
Richard splashed around in panic as the river filled the interior. As the water level crept up his face, he tipped his head back, took one last breath, and pulled himself underwater. Richard squeezed himself out of the opening and pushed himself up toward the surface. He took in a lungful of air and swam toward the river bank. Reaching land made Richard realize how close he was to death. He was thankfully breathing. But he still needed to do something about the $80,000. So Richard hitchhiked home.\u201dI need to mortgage my house,\u201d he told the bank assistant. \u201dAnd I need the cash in my bank account fast.\u201d Richard waited impatiently as the bank employee processed the paperwork. He jumped in fright when Deidre called him. \u201cSome thugs from a local gang were just here asking about you, Dad\u2026what is happening?\u201d \u201cTell them I\u2019ll be there soon. I arranged to pay off your debt for you. I don\u2019t understand why you didn\u2019t come to me first, Deidre, but this isn\u2019t the time to discuss that.\u201d Richard ended the call and signed the paperwork. He didn\u2019t want to give up the home where he had created memories with his family, but it was the only way to help Deidre. A few hours later, he pulled into the club\u2019s parking lot in a rented car and headed toward the entrance.\n
\u2018Dad, wait!\u201d Richard looked back as Deidre ran toward him.\u201dI won\u2019t let you face those thugs alone,\u201d she said. \u201dI still don\u2019t understand how you found out about this mess or how you got the money to repay them, but the least I can do is stand by you while you save me.\u201d Richard studied the determined look in Deidre\u2019s eyes and knew he couldn\u2019t convince her to leave. As they entered the club, the thugs herded him and Deidre toward the table. Richard placed his duffel bag, which contained the cash he\u2019d withdrawn after the mortgage went through, and put it on the table. \u2018Here\u2019s the $80,000 Deidre owed you plus another $15,000 to cover the cost of your car. I, uh, got into some trouble, and the car ended up in a river.\u201d Mr. Marco\u2019s mouth twisted angrily, and he thumped his fist against the table. \u201cYou have the audacity to offer me a measly $15,000? After you come in here and tell me you sank the $100,000 shipment hidden in that car? That doesn\u2019t even BEGIN to cover what you now owe me.\u201d The gangster grabbed the duffel bag and threw it to one of his thugs. \u201dYou know, Deidre, I really believed in you, but sometimes, in business, you\u2019ve got to know when to cut your losses.\u201d He removed a gun from his suit jacket and pointed it straight at Deidre\u2019s forehead. Richard pulled Deidre behind him. \u201cNo, please! This is all my fault! Don\u2019t punish her!\u201d\n
\u201dWell, you made a good point.\u201d The gangster shrugged, and the next moment, Richard was staring down the gun barrel. But suddenly, they heard police sirens outside. Mr. Marco turned and ran toward the back of the club as loud gunfire boomed and shook the place. Father and daughter crawled under the table. There was chaos in the club, and as Richard looked into his daughter\u2019s fear-filled eyes, he knew he had to get her to safety, no matter what. Richard and Deidre pulled one of the tables over and barricaded themselves in a corner. They hid there until the police escorted them to safety. Thankfully, Mr. Marco was apprehended. \u2018Are you certain you don\u2019t have any heart-related health issues?\u201d Richard shook his head at the paramedic while in the ambulance. Richard swallowed hard when the police detective approached the ambulance. \u201cSir, what were you and your daughter doing in this club today?\u201d the detective asked sternly. Richard explained about Deidre\u2019s loan and how they\u2019d come to the club that day to repay it. He hoped he might get away with not mentioning the car he sank in the river. The detective glanced at Deidre. \u201cIf we hadn\u2019t found a car full of contraband in the river, we wouldn\u2019t have been here to rescue you. You shouldn\u2019t be taking loans from such disreputable people, miss.\u201d \u201cA car in the river?\u201d Richard asked nervously.\n
\u201cIt was registered to Mr. Marco\u2019s cousin, which was exactly the lede we needed to take this gang down,\u201d replied the officer. Richard sighed in relief. He was in the clear. The cops let him and Deidre go once they provided their statements. \u201dI owe you a huge apology, Dad. I dragged you into this whole mess,\u201d Deidre apologized as they walked to the front, where Richard\u2019s car was parked. Tears filled her eyes. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to tell you. How does anyone tell their father that they\u2019re a huge failure?\u201d \u201cYou are not a failure!\u201d Richard put his hands on Deidre\u2019s shoulders. \u201dMaybe your business idea didn\u2019t work out as well as you\u2019d hoped, but you tried, Deidre. I wish you\u2019d felt comfortable enough to tell me what was really going on in your life. Heck, I just wish you felt you could be as close with me as you were with your mother,\u201d he continued. \u201dI don\u2019t think you\u2019ve been \u2018fine\u2019 for quite a while now.\u201d Deidre burst into tears, and Richard put an arm around her. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, honey,\u201d he whispered soothingly. \u201cEverything\u2019s going to be okay.\u201d\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Old Man Goes to Visit Daughter for His 80th Birthday, She Doesn\u2019t Let Him Enter Her House Richard visits his daughter to celebrate his eightieth birthday with her, but she answers the door in tears and sends him away. Richard suspects trouble and realizes he\u2019s right after peeking through her front windows. Richard tapped his\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":76488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[855],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-76482","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-story"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/4-2.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}