The front door opened.
Dustin stood in the entryway.
“I told you to stay home,” I said.
“I couldn’t.”
He looked directly at his father.
“Were you really going to pay for college?”
Stephen took a slow breath.
“I was going to help.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
“I would have done what I could.”
“You told me I wouldn’t have to worry anymore,” Dustin said, his voice shaking. “You said if I helped save your marriage, you would take care of school.”
Stephen shifted uncomfortably.
“I may have said something like that.”
I watched the hope disappear from my son’s face.
“So you never meant all of it.”
“I meant that I would contribute.”
“You let me believe you meant everything.”
Stephen reached toward him, but Dustin stepped back.
“I could have found another solution,” he whispered.
“You did not need to do this,” I said.
“I thought this was the solution.”
Barbra covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes.
Stephen looked frustrated rather than ashamed.
“I don’t understand why everyone is acting like I committed a crime.”
“No,” I said quietly. “You did something worse. You taught your son that his body was something he could trade for your approval.”
Nobody spoke.
Barbra approached Dustin and looked at the tattoo.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” he said.
“Every time you see my face, you will remember what happened today.”
Dustin looked down at his arm.
“I’m going to cover it.”
Stephen protested that the tattoo was new and expensive.
“I don’t care,” Dustin replied. “I don’t want to see it anymore.”
Don’t Miss The Rest! Press Next Button Below To Continue Reading.PART 3: MOVING FORWARD
Once the portrait healed, Dustin met with an artist who specialized in complicated cover-ups.
The artist warned that removing Barbra’s face would require several sessions.
“I don’t care how long it takes,” Dustin said.
I drove him to every appointment.
Sometimes we talked. Other times, we sat quietly. The tattoo could be changed with ink, but rebuilding his trust would take much longer.
Barbra eventually told Stephen’s parents everything.
They invited Stephen and Dustin to their home and asked Dustin to explain the agreement in his own words.
Stephen tried to interrupt twice, but his father stopped him.
“Let your son finish.”
When Dustin had told the entire story, his grandfather looked at Stephen.
“You made your child believe he had to trade part of his body for an education.”
Stephen attempted to defend himself.
