The desperate call.My mom called me late one night, her voice trembling with tears. “I need $20,000 right now, or I’m going to lose my home!” I didn’t have that kind of money, so I took out a loan to help her.
A week later, I went to visit—and my jaw dropped when I saw brand-new furniture and a massive new TV. I confronted her, “You said you needed $20,000 to pay the bills!” She just laughed and said, “You’re young; you’ll earn that money back. I deserve some happiness, too!”I love her, but this crushed me. What am I supposed to do now? Move on? Or stand up and demand the money back?
The weight of betrayal—and a question of trust.Now I lie awake at night, the weight of that debt pressing on my chest like a boulder I can’t move. I replay our conversation over and over, hoping I misheard her, that there’s some explanation that makes sense. But there isn’t. Every loan payment feels like a slap in the face—a reminder that the person who should have protected me used me instead.
They say you should never mix money and family—maybe they’re right. But what do you do when it’s your own mother who leaves you drowning? When the person you trusted most doesn’t hesitate to let you sink?