“No, ma’am. He hasn’t checked in since Monday. If this continues, it could go on his record.”
I thanked him and hung up. My head was spinning.
Every morning, I watched him put on his backpack and walk out the door. If he wasn’t at school, where was he?
“He hasn’t been in school?”
That was the last straw!
I needed to find out what was going on with my son.
I went into his room. I looked around and spotted a duffel bag that I didn’t recognize.
I unzipped it.
“What the heck is this?” I screamed.
The bag was full to the brim with stacks of cash.
I spotted a duffel bag that I didn’t recognize.
I sat on the floor and stared at it. This was a massive amount of money, and I couldn’t think of a single legitimate reason why my son would have this much cash.
I zipped the bag back up. I couldn’t just scream at him; he’d just shut down or lie again. I had to see the source for myself.
I needed a plan.
***
That evening, I acted like everything was normal.
I even maintained my composure when Josh said he had another gift for me.
I needed a plan.
It was a brand-new smartphone, the latest model.
I stared at the box. I wanted to scream.
“Joshua. This is hundreds of dollars. Maybe a thousand. You get $20 a week from me for chores. How is this possible?”
He leaned back. “You don’t know everything, Mom.”
I looked at my little boy, and he felt like a stranger. He was generous, yes. He was providing. But he was also keeping secrets that felt dangerous.
I wanted to scream.
When Josh left “for school” the next morning, I followed him.
Joshua walked past the entrance to his high school and kept walking until he reached a grocery store parking lot three blocks away.
I followed at a distance, ducking behind parked SUVs.
He walked to a sleek, black sedan parked on the far side of the lot.
The driver’s door opened, and a man stepped out.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
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