He looked at me.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m done asking.”
That finally changed something in him.
He went upstairs.
When he returned, he carried a folder.
Then another.
Then another.
He placed them on the table.
I opened the first one.
Credit card.
Balance: $18,400.
Second.
$14,700.
Third.
$11,900.
Fourth.
$6,800.
I added them.
$51,800.
Then the personal loans.
$18,600.
$12,400.
That brought the total to:
$82,800.
Then came the money he owed his mother.
$12,000.
Total:
$94,800.
Then other personal borrowing.
Friends.
Former coworkers.
A few unpaid bills.
A small amount from Rachel.
More than $10,000.
I looked at Nathan.
“This still doesn’t reach $117,000.”
He nodded.
“There are fees.”
“Interest?”
“Yes.”
“Late fees?”
“Yes.”
“And some accounts have gone to collections?”
He nodded.
I went through the documents again.
After adding the outstanding interest, fees, and remaining balances, the total came close to $117,000.
I stared at the number.
Not $80,000.
Not some vague amount Nathan couldn’t explain.
