Chapter 17 How Did He Survive All These Years?
The Frasers were a prestigious and wealthy household who weren’t short of money.
Each of the Fraser children received a generous monthly allowance from the family. For example, Indy still had an allowance of 100,000 bucks every month despite having a job–it was money meant for socializing and personal spending.
Shirley, Maddy, and Judy all received similar amounts.
However, Joshua only got 70 bucks.
The sisters were in disbelief.
“Why are you all staring at me like that?” Maggie snapped defensively. “Everything I do is for Joshua’s own good! Some habits need to be instilled young. Otherwise, he’d grow up to be useless!”
Wendy took a deep breath and said softly, “But now… he’s already left.”
“Well, find him and bring him back! When he returns this time, I’ll give him the scolding of his life! I’ll make sure of it!” Maggie fumed.
Maddy chuckled, saying, “I agree. Seventy bucks a month is more than enough for Joshua. He’s still in high school–what does he need to spend money on? That’s plenty for him.”
Shirley, sharing her glee, added with a smirk, “As long as he’s not starving, who cares? If he had more, he’d just come around bothering us. Mom was right to give him 70 bucks–he’s been spoiled enough as it is.”
“Exactly!” Maggie chimed in, her voice dripping with contempt. “He has no manners and no discipline. If he comes back, don’t any of you dare coddle him. I’ll make sure to teach him a lesson he’ll never forget!”
Wendy, feeling a growing sense of unease, hesitated before asking, “Mom, when was the last time you went into Joshua’s room?”
“Why would I go there? It’s filthy! The whole place reeks of that orphanage he came from. Weren’t you two in there just moments ago?” Maggie asked dismissively.
Wendy sighed. “Yeah, Judy and I were in his room earlier. We saw that he only had a thin blanket on his bed, and his closet barely had any clothes. After asking Mrs. Locker about it, she told me Joshua only had his school uniform and two jackets. He doesn’t have any other
clothes.”
“Oh?” The others looked surprised
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Chapter 17 How Did He Survive All These Years?
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“I was just thinking…” Wendy began, her voice growing more assertive as she looked at her parents. “If neither of you gave him enough money to buy clothes, what was he supposed to wear when he wasn’t in his school uniform? Also, Mrs. Locker mentioned that he didn’t even have other shoes. His sneakers had a hole in them, and he had to stitch them up himself. Since when did we…”
She paused, struggling to find the right words, her expression pained. It seemed as though she didn’t want to say what was on her mind, but after a moment, she pressed on. “Since when did we become this poor? Isn’t it sad that we can’t even afford to buy him a pair of shoes?”
Her words hit the room like a thunderclap. Maggie and David both froze in shock.
“When did this happen?” Shirley asked, equally surprised.
“Mrs. Locker!” Maggie suddenly shouted, turning her head toward the door.
Mrs. Locker hurried over, sensing the urgency in her tone.
“You called, Mr. and Mrs. Fraser?” she asked.
“Mrs. Locker, what were you saying about Joshua mending his shoes with needle and thread? When was this?” Maggie asked, her voice sharp and demanding.
Mrs. Locker glanced around nervously, noticing all eyes on her. She quickly answered, “It must have been about a year ago. Mr. Joshua tore his sneakers while playing basketball, and when he came back, he patched the hole up himself and continued wearing them.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
As soon as Maggie heard this, she turned sharply to glare at David. “Why didn’t you get him a new pair of shoes?”
David frowned. “Weren’t you supposed to do that?”
Maggie froze, speechless for a moment.
“I just realized I haven’t bought him any clothes either!” Wendy said, her voice now filled with alarm. She swallowed hard before turning to her sisters. “Shirley, Maddy, Indy–did any of you ever buy Joshua clothes? What about you guys, Mom and Dad?”
There was a brief silence before Shirley shook her head in confusion. “No… I’ve never done that.”
“Why would I buy him anything? He’s never bought me anything!” Maddy muttered under her breath.
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Chapter 17 How Did He Survive All These Years?
“Not me!” added Indy.
Maggie and David exchanged glances, both bewildered.
“Did you?” she asked her husband.
“No, I didn’t,” he replied flatly.
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Wendy finally pieced it together, her face pale. She sighed and said, “We need to find him and bring him back, or things might get worse.”
Maggie frowned deeply, her eyes narrowing on Wendy. “What exactly are you trying to say, Wendy?”
Wendy looked around the room, sensing the weight of everyone’s eyes on her. She said with a sigh, “I just find it strange. Joshua’s been living with us for four years, yet it seems like the family barely gave him enough money. He only receives 70 bucks a month, which is barely enough to survive. He’s never bought any clothes or shoes, so how did he manage to get by all this while?”
“He probably had a bunch of clothes!” Indy interjected quickly. “His hands aren’t clean, remember? He even stole Shirley’s necklace once!”
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Promise to Punish My Ridiculous Family
