Chapter 78

Xavier looked at Jackie. “What is—”

“Just do as your father says,” she said, smiling and digging her fork into the fluffy yellow eggs.

The envelop wasn’t sealed, so Xavier peeked into it, seeing the bills. A lot of bills. A lot. “Wait—what—”

“Xavier, your birthday is next month. You’re gonna be twenty years old. Happy birthday.” Pierre flipped a page of the paper, still reading, apparently. “That’s six years of fatherhood I owe you, plus a generous contribution from Jackie.”

“Dad, there’s like…five thousand dollars in here,” Xavier muttered, his cheeks feeling hot. He’d counted at least fifty hundred dollars bills.

“Fifty-two-hundred. I’ve saved up in the last years. For you. And Jackie went to withdraw it this morning. Enough to cover your tuition, a month’s rent and some groceries, ‘till you get a job.”

“Are you kidding me?” Xavier jumped out of his seat. “Dad, are you serious? You can’t possibly afford—”