Chapter 6 - FAITH'S EVICTION NOTICE
Faith's landlord filed for eviction anyway.
I discovered because Mrs. Gable mentioned it.
Faith had paid most of the balance.
Not enough.
My first instinct was obvious.
Buy the building.
I called my attorney.
Then stopped.
Faith had spent weeks teaching me that help without consent could become control.
I hated personal growth.
I found her in the laundry room.
“You're being evicted.”
Her face hardened.
“Mrs. Gable talks too much.”
“True.”
Then:
“How much?”
“No.”
“I didn't ask whether—”
“No.”
I stared.
She folded a towel.
“I am not taking thirty thousand dollars from a man who signs my paycheck.”
“It's not thirty.”
“Excellent. Still no.”
“What do you want?”
That question changed everything.
Faith looked at me.
“A loan.”
“Fine.”
“Through payroll.”
“Fine.”
“Written.”
“Fine.”
“No interest.”
I smiled.
“Predatory.”
“Exactly.”
My lawyer created a formal employee emergency-loan program.
Not just for Faith.
For household staff.
Same rules.
Same eligibility.
She accepted.
Her eviction stopped.
Nobody owed me gratitude.
I unexpectedly liked that.
Two days later, Faith handed in a different piece of paper.
Nursing school application.
“You're leaving.”
“Eventually.”
I hated the word.
She saw it.
“Dominic.”
“What?”
“You do realize my career goals cannot be continuing to feed you oatmeal forever.”
“I don't eat oatmeal.”
“You throw oatmeal.”
Fair.
She had reapplied to finish her degree.
Night program.
Scholarship available.
She needed references.
Mrs. Gable had written one.
Dr. Chen another.
Then Faith said:
“I need to reduce my hours.”
I looked at her.
Old instinct:
No.
New answer:
“How much?”
May you like
She smiled.
Progress.
