SWNOVELS Chapter 388
Karan was seething with anger.
"Mom, Tanya's still young and lacks worldly experience. She'll grow out of it. Don't be mad, I'll go check on her," Hank said.
With that, Hank disregarded Karan's protests and headed towards Tanya's room.
Inside, Tanya was in a world of pain.
She was just 19.
She hadn't started college yet, hadn't confessed her feelings to her crush, hadn't shown her parents the appreciation they deserved...
There was so much in life she hadn't done yet.
Why?
Why was fate so cruel to her?
Thinking about her fate in three months made Tanya bury herself in her blankets, sobbing uncontrollably.
Just then, a knock sounded from the door, "Tanya."
It was Hank's voice.
Tanya got up, stopped crying, wiped her eyes with some tissues, and then went to open the door, "Big bro."
"Have you been crying, Tanya?"
"I'm fine." Tanya sniffed, casually closing the door behind her.
Hank sat on the chair by the desk, looking up at Tanya, "Tanya, mom wasn't wrong to scold you today. What were you thinking, buying something so expensive with our tight budget?" Tanya looked down, silent.
Hank continued, "Mom's really upset. You should apologize and then go with her tomorrow to return the stuff."
"I already said I'm not returning it!" Tanya suddenly couldn't control her emotions, looking up at Hank, "If you guys don't like it, just throw it all in the trash!"
"Tanya!" Hank frowned, "Do you realize that $2,800 is two months of my salary? And you blew it all in one shopping spree."
Tanya just looked at Hank, trying to keep her voice down, "Money, money, money! Is that all you guys think about? Is money everything? Can money buy time or life? You have no idea what's truly valuable!" By the end, Tanya was in tears again.
What good was money?
Could it cure her cancer?
Hank frowned, "Tanya! Have your studies made you lose your mind? If money isn't important, what is? Without money, could you live in this nice house, have the chance to splurge at the mall? Stop filling your head with unrealistic philosophies! I think you've lost your mind!"
Hank's monthly salary was $1,400.
With monthly expenses at $500.
Including occasional dinners out and treating colleagues to coffee, could only save $700 a month.
That's only $8,400 a year.
Including his wife Jane's salary, their combined annual income was around $20,000.
The price for a decent home in Cloudcrest was $3,000 per square foot.
Buying a three-bedroom house would cost at least $360,000.
They had scrimped and saved up to $120,000.
They were planning to take out a mortgage on a house next month.
A mortgage of $240,000 meant they'd be paying it off for the rest of their lives.
So, he was always frugal.
He wore the same work clothes for years.
Rarely buying new clothes, and never spending more than $20 on an item.
Tanya buying him a suit that cost over $700 was unthinkable.
That money could have bought so many clothes.
Tanya was already unstable emotionally.
Hearing Hank say her studies had made her crazy only added to her distress.
If she had known she'd get lung cancer.
That her life would end at 19.
Why would she have bothered with school?
"Right! You're right! I'm crazy! I must have lost my mind studying to think of buying you gifts!" Tanya cried out, "Don't worry! I won't ever buy you anything again!"
Never again.
Because she wouldn't have the chance.
Tanya wished she could tell her brother.
But she couldn't.
If her parents knew, they wouldn't be able to handle it.
In her 19 years, she hadn't been able to fully express her gratitude.
In the last three months of her life, she couldn't bear to cause her parents such pain.
Hearing this, Hank's tone softened
slightly, "Tanga, you're still young, it's
normal not to understand some
things. When you're my age, you'll see how hard it is to earn money. We appreciate the thought behind your gifts, but we can't accept them! Tanya, be a good girl, go apologize to mom, don't make her upset."
"I did nothing wrong, I won't go." Tanya turned away.