The House My Son Tried to Give Away
An original fictional story about family, trust, betrayal, and forgiveness.
Vivien Ivers was sixty-seven when she received a phone call that changed everything she believed about her family.
She was sitting peacefully on the porch of her Gulf Coast home, watching the evening light over the water, when her son Derek called.
“Mom, Megan’s parents need somewhere to live,” he said.
Vivien smiled.
“I’m sorry to hear that. What does that have to do with me?”
“They’re moving into the villa.”
She stopped smiling.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re moving in. You still have your apartment in Mobile. You don’t need two homes.”
Vivien looked around the porch she had built with her own hands.
“Derek, this is my house.”
There was a pause.
Then he said the words she never expected to hear from her only child.
“It belongs to them now. You’re not welcome there anymore.”
Vivien felt something inside her go completely still.
She didn’t argue.
“All right,” she said.
Then she ended the call and immediately contacted her attorney.