I needed to explain some things. The question was whether explaining things was going to be enough, or whether this was going to require the harder kind of conversation — the kind where you state something clearly and wait for it to land, and the other person looks at you like you’ve done something unkind.
## The Second Call — This Time With My Parents
I didn’t call my parents the day I talked to Leah. I called them two days later, on a Thursday evening, when I had given myself enough time to organize my thoughts into something that was direct without being an attack.
My mother answered. I asked if Dad was nearby and she called him over and put me on speaker.
“I’ve been thinking about what you told me Sunday,” I said, “and I have some questions I need to ask before we go any further with any plans.”
“Of course,” my mother said, in the tone that precedes the assumption that the questions will be minor.
“I didn’t know you were planning to sell the house until you told me Sunday,” I said. “And I didn’t know about Adam’s business loan until I called him. Did you plan to tell me about that part?”
A pause. “We didn’t think it would affect you,” my mother said. “It’s our money to do what we want with.”
“I know that,” I said. “The money is yours. I’m not questioning your right to give Adam whatever you want to give him. What I’m asking is why you assumed that your housing plan, after giving Adam your money, wasn’t something I should be part of the conversation about.”