Romance

The Life I Chose Alone

by Litchi Froot

While shopping at the supermarket, my daughter, Rebecca Westcott, stared longingly at the frozen fruit bars in the display case.I checked my bank balance, then reached for one. The steep price made me freeze.The sales clerk cheerfully explained, "You get what you pay for. This is the flavor kids love most."Seeing how awkward I was, Rebecca quickly spoke up. "Daddy, I don't want one. I was just looking. One of my classmates had one before. It wasn't anything special."My chest tightened with bitterness as I reluctantly started to put it back.Then a cool, unfamiliar voice spoke behind me. "It's the holidays. Let the kid have something that makes her happy."I turned in shock.A young man dressed head to toe in designer clothes dropped the frozen fruit bar into my cart.I immediately tried to refuse, but he ignored me and started filling my cart with all kinds of snacks."You've got to be a little more generous as a dad. You can't be the kind of parent who ruins the fun. Relax, man. I've got it. I'll pay for everything."At the checkout, the man pulled out a black card and reassured me, "Don't feel pressured. It's a family card. This amount is nothing to my wife."I froze.A week earlier, I had seen an identical card in the pocket of my wife, Madeline Westcott.

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