The Original Signing Folder Opened In Front Of The Court Reporter

Phyllis brought a red folder to her deposition.

I recognized its split corner. Daniel had repaired it with clear tape when he still worked weekends at the alley.

It hurt to see that small piece of him guarding her story.

We sat around a long table in her lawyer's office. The court reporter put a small machine in front of her and asked everyone to speak one at a time.

There was no jury. There was no audience to win.

Dana began with the company's name and Phyllis's role. Phyllis confirmed that she was the sole owner and had authority to borrow money for it.

“You needed $48,600?”

“We had an emergency.”

“Did you ask Ms. Lim to advance that amount?”

“She offered to help.”

“Did you accept?”

“Of course.”

The reporter's fingers moved softly.

Dana showed her the bank record, then the repair invoices. Phyllis agreed that the money had gone into the company and paid those bills.

Next came the note.

“Is that your signature?”

“It resembles it.”

“Did you sign a note at the shoe counter that Tuesday?”

“There were many papers.”

Her lawyer shifted in his chair but said nothing.

Dana let the silence stay for a moment.

“Please open the folder you brought.”

Phyllis untied its string. Inside were her copies of the same note, agreement, and equipment schedule.

I saw the little yellow tabs I had bought for the signing. I had bought enough for both sets, so nobody would miss a page.

Dana asked to have the papers copied and marked. Then she placed Phyllis's schedule beside mine.

On both copies, the final digit of one gearbox serial had been changed to nine. Phyllis's initials sat beside the change.

“Did you make that correction?”

“I knew the number was wrong.”

“You checked the equipment listed as collateral?”

“I checked a number.”

Dana showed her the email requesting the change before signing.

“Did someone else write this from your account?”

“No.”

Then she showed Phyllis the loan attorney's email. It described the repayment date, the fixed charge, and the machinery securing the debt. Phyllis's reply said she had read the documents and would have her bookkeeper present.

“Was that your reply?”

“Yes.”

I stared at a water ring on the table. I did not want Phyllis to see how much each small answer gave back to me.

“What part of Ms. Lim's agreement do you claim was forged?” Dana asked.

Phyllis looked at her lawyer.

He said she needed to answer from her own knowledge.

“I signed that page,” she said at last. “I didn't mean she could use it against the family.”

Dana kept her voice level.

“Did Ms. Lim tell you she would never enforce it?”

“Not in those words.”

“In any words?”

“No.”

The loan had not changed. My place in her mind had been the missing term. She had counted on me being too ashamed to ask.

After a break, Dana asked about the ledger.

Phyllis said the gift entry made the books simpler for buyers. She said Ruth had complained about everything.

Dana put the yellow instruction sheet in front of her.

“Did you write Remove Before Sale Packet?”

“I meant remove the confusion.”

“Was the loan paid?”

“No.”

“Did Ms. Lim forgive it?”

“She should have.”

My hands stopped shaking then.

There it was, without family tradition wrapped around it. She had thought I should surrender the money because she wanted to keep it.

Dana also asked about the scrap pickup. Phyllis admitted she had arranged it. She said she had been clearing space, but could not explain why the working return drive was listed as scrap.

The deposition ended before lunch.

In the hall, her lawyer asked Dana whether we would consider settlement. His voice was tired. He did not call me confused or ungrateful.

We said yes.

That afternoon, Dana and I added the figures: $50,544 on the note, $8,400 for the completed resurfacing, and a proposed $2,400 contribution toward my legal and accounting costs.

The total was $61,344.

“No share of her building?” Dana asked, checking my instructions.

“No.”

“No job forced on the buyer?”

“No. If Lena wants my work, she can hire me.”

We also asked for a written withdrawal of the forgery claim, a correction to the sale records, and payment through closing before my release took effect.

At four twenty, my phone rang.

Dana said, “Lena will keep her offer open until Friday. Phyllis wants to know if you'll take $55,000 and sign a statement calling all of this a family misunderstanding.”