At the mention of Mario's name, my dad scowled and snorted.
Seeing his disdain, I added, "With Mario around, I can rest easy knowing you're well taken care of here."
My dad's face turned sullen. He needed a favor but couldn't show his displeasure.
"Plus, I need to sort out your early retirement paperwork," I said with a grin.
At the mention of early retirement, Dad flew into a rage. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't been listening to that damn music and delayed saving me, I wouldn't have been paralyzed. If I wasn't paralyzed, I wouldn't have to retire early. Do you know how much less my pension will be?"
I knew alright. That was what I was rejoicing.
I blinked, tears welling up. "I'm so sorry, Dad. But if I hadn't been there, you might have died."
Dad choked up. He started hurling insults at me until the other patients in the room couldn't take it anymore and told him to stop.
Then he asked for his phone.
"Is my phone with you? Give it to me. I need to use it."
I eagerly offered to help. "Dad, you can only use one hand now. It's not convenient. Tell me what you need, and I'll do it for you."
"Can't I use my damn phone with one hand? Stop yapping and hand it over!"
He could use the phone with one hand, but it would be painfully slow. Not to mention he didn't have his reading glasses.
Dad finally gave up and instructed me, "Transfer 5,000 dollars to someone named Doris Bryant."
A cold glint flashed in my eyes. He'd just been rescued, and he was already itching to send money to his mistress.
It was true love, indeed.
"Who's this person? Why so much money?" I asked casually while operating the phone.
Dad hesitated briefly but quickly came up with an excuse. "I asked someone to buy me some cigarettes. Stop asking so many questions."
And just like that, I learned my dad's payment password.
But I didn't transfer the money to his mistress. I sent it to myself instead.
Consider it compensation for my emotional distress.
I couldn't wait to see his reaction when he found out.
It wasn't until he'd been discharged and home for a while that my dad discovered I'd transferred the money to myself.
That day, I came home to find a crowd of neighbors gathered around my paralyzed father. He was slapping his thigh and pouring out his woes.