He knocked a few more times, then finally used his key to open the door himself. When he came in, his face was full of apology, completely different from how he looked earlier at the office.
“Dad, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Wanda and her mom were too blunt. They didn’t think about your feelings.”
“They know they crossed the line, so they asked me to apologize for them.”
I looked up at him. “Really?”
“Really,” he nodded quickly. “Wanda works in finance, so she’s strict about money. That’s why she cares so much about twenty cents. Please don’t take it personally.”
I didn’t reply. I just lowered my head and kept folding my clothes.
Daniel sighed, his voice sounding tired. “Dad, running this factory isn’t easy. Every morning, I wake up worrying about rent, bills, salaries, materials…”
“The pressure’s been killing me.”
“As a financial manager, Wanda’s job is to control costs. It’s just her responsibility.”
He rubbed his temples, looking drained. “The market’s rough right now. Profit margins are tiny and one mistake could wipe us out.”
“I can’t sleep at night because of the stress. I’m even losing my hair.”