I opened the ledger.
The first page was dated thirty-nine years earlier.
There were handwritten figures beside names I recognized.
My grandmother.
My mother’s older sister.
Dad’s former business partner.
Then I saw something else.
Payments toward the house.
Not mortgage payments exactly.
Contributions.
Loans.
Repayments.
Dad touched one entry.
“When your mother and I bought this place, we didn’t do it alone.”
I knew my grandparents had helped.
I didn’t know how much.
“Your grandfather gave us the first down payment,” Dad said. “Your mother’s sister helped when work
