Retire on Rent: revised - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

I’m the only son in the family and in our culture there is an unwritten rule that the oldest son takes care of the family if anything happens to Dad. Shortly before my Dad passed away, when he had stage 4 melanoma (which had spread to his brain and lungs), we had a conversation I will never forget at Applebee’s in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Sitting there in the restaurant with him, he told me he wasn’t afraid to die. He felt like he could handle death. “I’ve worked hard. I’ve tried to do right by others. It’s just…” But, there was obviously something that was eating at him. It was something he couldn’t bear to say. He didn’t have enough money saved up to take care of Mom for the rest of her life. As a man, he felt he had let his wife down and it was harder for him than facing death. That’s the kind of man my Dad was. I could tell he didn’t want to place the burden on me, but he didn’t know what else to do. When I told him with stern confidence, my shoulders back and determination in my voice, “I will take care of Mom!”, relief overtook him. He could leave this life in peace. He knew that I would make sure Mom had all she needed. He knew that he could pass that responsibility on to me.