Chapter 11

Smith had not always owned an empty bank account; no, at some point, he had enough money to buy himself a fancy house after retirement and settle down. He was in his mid-30s, after all, and felt he still had a bit of time before age took a jab at him. He had his life planned out; he wasn’t extravagant, but then he liked the little pleasures of life as much as the next guy.

His plan had been pretty simple: get a fancy little house in Miami, closest to the beachside preferably, get himself a yacht subsequently, and then just maybe a dog too. And if he was feeling good about himself, he could get himself a woman too. That was not on his list, but then, he might just change his mind in the next decade.

Six years ago, his foster mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Between chemotherapy and all the things that went along with getting the C-word, he had spent too much. He could remember one night, while he was still spending the night by her bedside after a day’s work,