Chapter 30: Repaying Debts
Despite everything, Fiona couldn't stop thinking about Steve. It seemed she had truly fallen in love with him—after all, love is often inexplicable and irrational.
Fortunately, Steve had made a poor move: he sent Frank to Canada, which enraged Fiona and led to a cold war and their eventual breakup. All Frank had to do now was ensure they didn't reconcile.
Otherwise, as the head of the family and as a father, even if Fiona loved Steve, Frank would've had no choice but to tear the couple apart—for her own good.
After having a heart-to-heart with Fiona, Frank quietly left home and returned to Sheila's house.
He crept into the bedroom and carefully lay down in bed, trying not to wake her.
But as soon as he slipped under the covers, Sheila instinctively curled up against his chest. He could feel the wetness in her eyes—she'd been worried about him.
Faced with Sheila's deep, unwavering affection, Frank felt emotionally torn.
Neither the current Frank nor the "previous" Frank had ever truly loved Sheila.
The former "Frank" had only used her. He needed a place to stay, someone to feed and clothe him, and maybe even help him make some money. Naive, kindhearted Sheila had been the perfect mark.
She came from a broken home, suffered from severe agoraphobia, and never left the house. She relied on government assistance to get by. She was gentle, virtuous, and almost without flaw—aside from a fascination with strange toys and a disturbing fondness for backdoor play.
To secure his place in Sheila's home, the old "Frank" had even sacrificed his dignity.
But the current Frank wasn't that man. His decision to live in Sheila's home was only partially motivated by Karen's threat of statutory rape charges.
Frank had inherited this body, and with it, the debts the previous owner had left behind. Among them, Sheila's emotional investment was the hardest to repay. She seemed ready to follow him even into death.
The only way Frank could think to repay her was to help her overcome her phobia—to help her leave the house and live like a normal person.
That had always been Sheila's biggest wish: to step outside and see the world. She'd been trying hard to conquer her fears, with a therapist visiting weekly, but progress was minimal.
Frank was under immense pressure. He didn't know how to reject Sheila's love without hurting her, nor how to help her overcome her fear.
He'd come to realize that Sheila was fragile. One misstep could not only fail to cure her phobia, but potentially make things worse.
Aside from that, Frank had another reason for staying: Karen. In the midst of a rebellious teenage phase and influenced by her father, Officer Eddie, Karen was spiraling out of control.
Watching a child self-destruct was something Frank couldn't ignore. He would've stepped in even for a stranger's kid—let alone Karen, who was Sheila's daughter, and in a way, half his own.
Frank might have been preoccupied with Sheila's household, but he hadn't forgotten his own.
Fixing things at home seemed both simple and impossibly difficult.
The kids still acknowledged him, at least as their father. Otherwise, a lost and confused Fiona wouldn't have come to him for advice.
But because of all the terrible things the old "Frank" had done over the years, those deep scars couldn't be erased overnight.
Frank needed time. Slowly and steadily, he would work to change their impression of him—until one day, he could truly become their father, the head of the family, their trusted guide, teacher, and captain through the storms of life.
"I just hope I can do more for the kids before I die," Frank thought, holding Sheila as he drifted off to sleep.
---
Two days later, the insurance fraud scheme paid off. The company had finally issued the payout—they'd successfully fooled them.
"This is your cut," Rob handed Frank an envelope.
"Thanks. Let's work together again sometime," Frank said, opening the envelope and nodding at the sight of the cash.
Frank's only task had been to drive the car out to a deserted area. Simple enough—but the payout was generous: a clean $2,000.
With money in hand, Frank went straight to the bank to pay off more of his credit card debt.
Lately, every time he got paid, he would immediately pay down a card and cancel it. Ignoring overdue credit cards was like dancing with loan sharks—interest upon interest, like a death spiral.
In just under a month, he'd paid off more than $7,500 across several cards. Initially, he thought it would take all winter to clear his debt, but thanks to a few risky but profitable ventures, he'd made rapid progress.
After all, there's a saying: "There's gold in crime, but none in building bridges or roads." Risk your neck and you get rich. Play it safe, and you barely scrape by.
If he'd stuck to picking up trash or doing translation gigs, who knows how long it would've taken?
Free of debt at last, Frank walked out of the bank feeling a massive weight lifted from his shoulders.
"Time to celebrate at the bar," he decided.
---
At Bar, in high spirits, Frank let himself relax a little. Like a student who just finished their homework and decided to reward themselves with a video game session.
"Kevin, what do you think goes in this blank?" Frank asked as he sipped a beer and worked on a word puzzle in the newspaper—a game somewhat like Sudoku.
"You're killing me, Frank," Kevin groaned. He had dyslexia—words swam and tangled before his eyes. Word puzzles were his natural enemy.
"You could try 'bathtub,'" suggested a burly middle-aged man in a checkered shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap. His muscular build strained his shirt as he sat next to Frank and glanced at the puzzle.
"Oh, yeah!" Frank quickly wrote it down.
The man seemed bored, drinking and helping Frank with the puzzle.
"Kevin, two beers over here! One for him, on me," Frank said happily, enjoying the man's company.
"I'm Frank," he introduced himself.
"John. John Winchester. Thanks for the beer," the man replied.
"You married? Got kids?" Frank noticed the wedding ring on John's finger.
"Yeah. Married. Two good-for-nothing sons," John said with a smile that was equal parts warmth and sadness as he absentmindedly fiddled with the ring.