"I was 15 minutes away in Washington State, but my children raced circles around me, needing endless tasks before bed, so I couldn't get to her for a few hours. At 30, thinking about never seeing my dad again was unbearable . My white British parents had adopted me from Bangladesh as a baby. After my dad passed , we had weekly visits at Granny's house, trips to get coffee and pastries, and Sunday night dinners."
""It's my heart," she said. I knew she'd had atrial fibrillation , but hadn't suffered recently. "Tim's on the way," I assured her. He went so that I could breastfeed our baby. I worried she might not make it. My phone rang minutes later. "She's not here," my husband said. It turned out she'd driven herself to the ER ."
"Our home, with eight kids, lacked enough space to add another person. In 2019, we sold our it and my mom also sold hers for a total of $600,000. We then bought a 3,500 square-foot home with six bedrooms and four bathrooms for $510,000. We realized that a larger property came with higher taxes . However, we all saved money and simplified expenses."
The narrator missed being with their dying father because caregiving responsibilities for young children delayed travel despite living 15 minutes away. The narrator was adopted from Bangladesh by white British parents and maintained close routines with family after the father's death. A medical scare when the narrator's 80-year-old mother called about her heart prompted a decision to make long-term changes. The family sold two homes in 2019 for $600,000 and purchased a 3,500 sq ft six-bedroom house for $510,000. The larger house increased taxes but reduced other expenses. The mother moved into a daylight basement and the grandchildren enjoy time with their grandmother.
Read at Business Insider
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