Chapter 4 - The Driveway Showdown
The silver crossover came to an abrupt, screeching stop on the gravel apron just outside the front porch. The front tires skidded slightly, spitting up dirt and pebbles against Aunt Lorraine's manicured boxwood shrubs. Through the bay window, I watched as Derek kicked open the driver's side door, slamming it shut with so much force the window rattled in its track. He strode toward the front porch, his jacket unzipped, his jaw clenched in pure fury.
He didn't bring his daughter. He was entirely alone.
Aunt Lorraine didn't wait for him to ring the bell. She walked over to the front door, pulled it wide open, and stood squarely in the frame, blocking the entrance. ""Give her the keys, Derek.""
Derek stormed up the wooden steps, breathing heavily, smelling faintly of stale cigarettes and cheap cologne. He bypassed Aunt Lorraine's gaze entirely and pointed a shaking finger directly at me as I stepped into the foyer behind her. ""Are you happy now, Hannah? Huh? You got Aunt Lorraine to call my house and threaten me like a common criminal? Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is? My neighbor saw me speeding out of the development like a lunatic because you threw a temper tantrum over a borrowed car!""
""You didn't borrow it, Derek,"" I said, my voice dangerously calm as I stepped past Aunt Lorraine to stand on the porch. ""You stole it. Mom stole my key, and you drove it off my private property without my permission. That is grand larceny under Pennsylvania law. And right now, the only thing keeping the township police from pulling into this driveway behind you is the fact that I'm waiting for you to hand over the key fob.""
""It's a family car!"" Derek yelled, his face turning an identical shade of mottled purple as our father's. ""Mom told me she gave you thousands of dollars over the years! She said you owed the family for helping you with your apartment deposits and your nursing expenses! I needed this car to drive to Harrisburg for an interview on Monday! How am I supposed to get there now? Take the bus like some kind of loser?""
""I took the bus for three years, Derek,"" I said, stepping down one step, closing the distance between us. ""I took two buses every single night through the dead of winter while you drove an Audi that Dad bought you with my trust fund.""
Derek's mouth clicked shut. His eyes darted past me, looking into the hallway where our parents were slowly emerging from the dining room. My father had his head down, looking broken and defeated, while my mother held a tissue to her face, continuing to weep in dramatic, theatrical sobs.
""What... what are you talking about?"" Derek muttered, his bluster instantly faltering. ""What trust fund?""
""Don't play dumb, Derek,"" Aunt Lorraine said, crossing her arms over her chest. ""You knew the money from the Butler County parcel didn't come from your father's pension. You knew Grandpa Arthur left an estate. You just didn't care that your parents forged Hannah's signature on the trustee release forms when she was nineteen years old so they could hand you her million-dollar inheritance to flush down the toilet on your fake car dealership.""
Derek swallowed hard, his eyes shifting nervously toward our father. ""Dad... you told me Hannah waived her claim. You told me she signed the family agreement so the business could get off the ground!""
""She never saw the agreement, Derek,"" Aunt Lorraine said, pulling a sheet of paper from the portfolio in her hand. ""Your father hired a notary from his bowling league to stamp Hannah's name on a fraudulent power of attorney. They committed bank fraud, wire fraud, and grand theft, all to feed your endless ego.""
Derek looked down at the silver key fob clutched tightly in his right fist. For the first time in his entire life, the golden boy realized that the shield his parents had held over his head was made of paper, and someone had just lit a match to it.
""Hannah, look,"" Derek stammered, his arrogance completely evaporating into desperate panic. ""I didn't know the legal stuff. Dad told me it was an early distribution of our college funds. If I knew... I mean, you know I love you, right? You're my sister. We can work this out. You don't need to involve the police. We can sit down with an accountant and figure out a repayment schedule!""
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""With what money, Derek?"" I asked, looking at him with genuine pity. ""You don't have a job. You have two mortgages on a house you can't afford, and you just stole a car from the only person in this family who ever genuinely cheered for you when you were growing up. Hand me the keys.""
Derek hesitated for a fraction of a second. Aunt Lorraine tapped the screen of her phone, showing him the dialed nine-one-one prompt. Derek flinched, dropped his arm, and slapped the silver key fob into my outstretched hand.
