In that moment, my heart completely died. “Fine. I’ll pay for the watch. But what about all the money I’ve spent on you all these years? How about you calculate that and pay me back?”
“You call yourself a man?” Dwayne sneered. “What about Penelope’s wasted youth. How do you plan to pay for that? Penelope, don’t waste your breath on him. Just call the cops and let him see who really owes what.”
And she did. She actually called the police.
The neighbors tried to talk her down, insisting it wasn’t worth involving the authorities over something like this. But soon enough, the officers showed up. Since I had thrown the first punch and damaged Dwayne’s watch, both were undeniable facts. According to the police, the only way to resolve it was through compensation. As for the money I had spent on Penelope through the years, that couldn’t be addressed legally.
They told me that if I compensated him quickly and secured their forgiveness, I could avoid facing further charges.
But Penelope pressed harder. “Pay up. Then kneel and apologize to Dwayne, and we won’t push this any further.”