They’d been approved for a loan of up to $310,000.
Their combined annual income was $132,000.
And their savings account held $44,200.
I couldn’t believe it.
They had been saving thousands while allowing me to pay nearly all their expenses.
That evening, I placed the letter on the dinner table.
Daniel’s face lost its color.
Marissa immediately became defensive.
“That’s private!”
“So was my retirement money,” I replied.
Daniel admitted they’d been saving for a home for nearly twenty months.
“We wanted to surprise you.”
I shook my head.
“If you’d explained your plans, I would have helped willingly. But instead, you took advantage of me and called me a freeloader.”
Daniel began crying.
“I’m sorry, Mom.”
I looked at him.
“You have thirty days to move. I need you to learn how to stand on your own.”
They left eleven days later.
They rented a townhouse for $1,950 a month.
