Chapter 18 - The Final Family Meeting In Potomac
In Potomac, Maryland, Walter Reynolds sat in a small wooden wheelchair on the porch of a modest nursing facility.
His health had deteriorated rapidly after the bankruptcy of his company, leaving him frail and partially paralyzed by a stroke.
Miriam sat beside him on a plastic chair, her hair unkempt, her hands spotted with age as she knitted a plain wool scarf.
Victor walked up the concrete ramp, carrying a small paper bag containing fresh apples from the local market.
“How is he today, Mom?” Victor asked softly, sitting down on the bench across from them.
Miriam didn't look up from her knitting needles, her voice dull and devoid of any maternal warmth.
“He doesn't talk much, Victor,” Miriam replied quietly. “He just sits here looking at the trees.”
Victor pulled an apple from the bag and set it on his father’s lap, but Walter didn't move his hand to pick it up.
His cloudy blue eyes remained fixed on the highway in the distance, watching cars drive past toward the city.
“Samantha called,” Miriam noted casually. “She’s getting remarried to a boat mechanic in Tampa. She said she isn't coming back for Thanksgiving.”
Victor nodded slowly, staring down at his worn leather shoes.
The proud Reynolds family, who had once ruled Bethesda society and boasted about their ancient lineage, was reduced to three broken people sitting on a nursing home porch.
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There were no holiday dinners, no country club galas, and no family legacy left to pass down to anyone.
Their name was now just a footnote in regional court bankruptcy records.
