With criminal records, my father lost opportunities that relied on trust, even in industries where his experience might have mattered. My mother’s social circle thinned; people don’t like to host women who cry about “ungrateful daughters” when everyone knows the truth. Kristen’s “apparel brand” never launched. It’s hard to build a brand when vendors and partners Google your name and find theft charges.
They were forced out of the house they’d lived in for years after the repossessions and legal costs piled up. They moved into a thin-walled apartment in a damp suburb, where the neighbors didn’t know them and didn’t care about their story. According to one cousin, they spent their days blaming one another.
Robert blamed Susan for being “too soft.” Susan blamed Robert for being “too aggressive.” Kristen blamed everyone for not giving her what she “deserved.” No one blamed themselves, at least not out loud.
They went around telling anyone who would listen that I had “abandoned” them. That I had “set them up.” That I had “called the police on family like a monster.”
But not a single relative believed them.