Sandra Tried to Take It Back Immediately

“That came out wrong.”

Ava looked down.

Sandra continued.

“What I mean is, I’ve been saving for Chloe since she was little.”

Mark stared at her.

“You told me the car was coming from our graduation budget.”

Sandra turned toward him.

“It partly did.”

“How much?”

“Mark.”

“How much?”

Sandra looked around at the relatives.

“This is ridiculous.”

Mark repeated:

“How much of our money went into that car?”

Sandra finally answered.

“Eight thousand.”

Ava looked up.

Mark’s face changed completely.

He had apparently not known that.

The Money Was Supposed to Be for Both Girls

Months earlier, Mark and Sandra had agreed to put aside $10,000 for graduation-related expenses.

Not ten thousand per child.

Ten thousand total.

Some would go toward laptops.

College deposits.

Transportation.

Books.

Mark believed the money would be split based on what each girl needed.

Sandra had taken $8,000 from that account and combined it with her own savings to make the down payment on Chloe’s vehicle.

That left around $2,000.

Some had already gone toward the party.

The cake.

Decorations.

Food.

Ava looked at her father.

“So what was left for me?”

Mark couldn’t answer.

Because suddenly he didn’t know.

Sandra stepped in.

“We are still going to help Ava.”

“With what?” Mark asked.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“You already figured it out for Chloe.”

Sandra’s face flushed.

“Because I have been planning for my daughter for eighteen years.”

There it was again.

My daughter.

Ava quietly placed the transit card on the table.