Richard Visits His Son
Chapter 17 - Richard Visits His Son
Richard visited Grant in prison one year after sentencing.
The meeting occurred through thick glass.
Grant wore a plain uniform. Without tailored suits and assistants, he looked younger and more like the boy Richard remembered defending.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then Grant asked about Rose.
“She is healthy.”
“Does she look like me?”
Richard considered the question.
“She looks like herself.”
Grant’s jaw tightened.
“Nora taught you that.”
“No. Consequence did.”
Grant accused Richard of abandoning him to protect the company’s reputation. Richard almost laughed at the reversal. For years, he had done exactly the opposite—protected Grant to protect the family name.
“I abandoned other people when I kept saving you,” Richard said.
Grant pressed his hand against the glass.
“You are my father.”
“Yes.”
“Then help me appeal.”
“No.”
The word caused visible pain.
Richard felt it too.
Love did not disappear when consequence arrived. That was what made the refusal difficult.
He offered to pay for independent therapy available to all prisoners through a general fund, not a private privilege. He would exchange letters if Grant wrote without threats or demands. He would not use influence to reduce the sentence.
Grant looked away.
“You chose Nora over blood.”
Richard shook his head.
“I chose not to make blood more important than what you did.”
The visit ended.
Outside, Richard sat in his car for nearly an hour before driving.
He cried for the son he loved, the man that son became, and the people harmed while Richard confused rescue with fatherhood.
Then he went to South Haven and attended a public board meeting.
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Nobody there asked whether he was sad.
Accountability did not pause because consequence hurt the person who finally accepted it.
