Chapter 5: The Lie My Wife Wanted Me to Believe
For several seconds, I couldn't hear anything except the water dripping from the kitchen tap.
“My daughter has been lying to me about money?””
Rebecca nodded.
“Ask her where the cash went.””
“What cash?””
“The money I gave her.””
“When did you give her money?””
“Every week. For chores. For helping around the house. She's been receiving an allowance since last year.””
I stared at her.
“Lily has never mentioned an allowance.””
“Because she doesn't want you to know how much she gets.””
“That's ridiculous.””
“Is it?”” Rebecca opened a drawer and pulled out a small notebook.
“Here. I started keeping records because I knew this would happen.””
She placed it on the counter.
The pages contained dates, dollar amounts, and brief descriptions of household chores. Some entries were marked with check marks. Others had amounts crossed out and rewritten.
According to Rebecca's records, Lily had received between three and eight dollars almost every week for the previous six months.
The total at the bottom of the page was $146.
I looked up.
“Where is this money now?””
“That's what I'd like to know.””
“Did you see her spend it?””
“No.””
“Did she tell you what she wanted to buy?””
“She said she was saving for something.””
“Then why are you accusing her of lying?””
“Because she's clearly hiding money from us.””
My jaw tightened.
“You told me she was saving it for school supplies.””
“I said I didn't know what she was saving it for.””
“You just told me she gets an allowance.””
“Exactly. She has money of her own. She could have bought those supplies herself.””
I stared at the notebook.
There was something so cold about the logic that I struggled to respond.
My daughter could have bought the school supplies herself.
A ten-year-old child who had been given money for household chores could have used that money to provide for her own education.
And because she hadn't, my wife believed she was dishonest.
“Rebecca,” I said slowly, “school supplies are not supposed to be a child's financial responsibility.””
“Then why does she get an allowance?””
“To teach her how to save and spend money responsibly.””
“And she has been saving. That's what I told you.””
“Then why did you take five dollars away from her?””
“Because I wanted to see what she'd do!””
I stared at her.
“What?””
Rebecca seemed to realize what she had admitted.
She folded the notebook closed.
“I wanted her to learn that she couldn't get everything simply because she asked.””
“You deliberately withheld money for a school requirement to test her?””
“I wanted to teach her a lesson.””
“What lesson?””
“That she doesn't need you to solve every problem.””
I took a step back.
“She asked me for school supplies. That's what parents are supposed to help with.””
Rebecca's voice sharpened.
“And what happens when she grows up? What happens when she expects someone else to pay for everything?””
“She is ten years old!””
The words came out louder than I intended.
Rebecca flinched, then immediately recovered.
“Fine. Shout at me. That's what you always do when you don't like the truth.””
May you like
I lowered my voice.
“I haven't seen a single dollar of this alleged allowance. Lily told me she was saving money because she was afraid to ask for school supplies
