Gina Heslop
Richard was eager to celebrate his 80th birthday with his daughter, Deidre. After losing his wife four years ago, he had been looking forward to this visit. However, when Deidre opened the door, Richard immediately sensed something was wrong. She was crying and seemed startled to see him, which filled him with concern.
“Daddy? Why are you here?” Deidre asked, tears streaming down her face.
Richard, surprised by her reaction, responded, “I came to celebrate my birthday with you… it’s the big eight-o!” But the joy in his voice quickly faded when he noticed her distress. “What’s wrong, honey? Why are you crying?”
Deidre quickly tried to hide her tears and forced a smile. “It’s nothing, Dad. I just wasn’t expecting you, and it’s really not a good time. I’m swamped with work. I’ll call you later, and we’ll have dinner, okay? I’m sorry.”
Before Richard could say anything else, Deidre closed the door, leaving him standing outside, bewildered and heartbroken. He knew something was seriously wrong. Unable to shake the feeling, Richard decided to investigate further. He walked around the side of the house and peeked through the windows.
Inside, he saw Deidre with two large men. One of them asked, “Who was that?” Deidre, trembling, lied and said it was just a neighbor’s kid playing a prank. The men, however, were not convinced and quickly returned to their original topic.
“You’re six months behind on your loan repayments, Deidre,” one of the men said sternly. “Mr. Marco’s getting impatient.”
Deidre pleaded, “I just need more time. Business will pick up again soon, I promise.”
The man shook his head and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Deidre. “Time is something you don’t have, sweetie. People who owe Mr. Marco money don’t live long.”
Richard watched in horror, frozen in place, as the men continued to threaten Deidre. They eventually started searching the house for valuables, taking anything they could find to repay the debt. As they left, Richard knew he had to do something to help his daughter.
He followed the men to a shady pub downtown, where they met with their boss, Mr. Marco. Richard bravely approached the men and offered to pay off Deidre’s debt, despite knowing it would cost him nearly everything he had. Mr. Marco agreed to Richard’s offer but demanded more than just money—he wanted Richard to help smuggle a car across the border.
Richard agreed, knowing he had to protect his daughter. However, during the smuggling attempt, Richard’s car ended up in a river. He barely escaped with his life, but the incident attracted the attention of the police, who discovered the illegal goods hidden in the car.
Back at the pub, Richard returned with the money, only to find that Mr. Marco was furious about the lost shipment. Just as things were about to take a turn for the worse, police sirens blared outside. The authorities had been tipped off by the car in the river and were there to arrest the gang.
Richard and Deidre managed to escape unharmed. Later, as they sat together, Deidre apologized to her father for getting him involved in such a dangerous situation. She admitted that she had been struggling with her business and didn’t know how to ask for help.
Richard, filled with relief that his daughter was safe, comforted her. “You are not a failure, Deidre. You tried your best, and that’s what matters. I just wish you had felt you could come to me sooner.”
As Deidre cried, Richard held her close, reassuring her that everything would be okay. They both knew that the road ahead would be difficult, but they were determined to face it together, as a family.
