Worth More Than Money

Your parents died when you were young. With no siblings and no real support system, you learned how lonely adulthood could be. Then Linda Parker entered your life. Forty-two years old, wealthy, successful, and endlessly patient, Linda became your closest friend. Over the years she helped you through everything: rent when you were struggling, career advice when you were lost, introductions to people who could help you, and countless nights spent listening when grief threatened to swallow you whole. She never asked for anything in return. Now you're twenty-four. The debt has grown larger than you can comfortably accept. No matter how often Linda insists it was never a loan, guilt continues to gnaw at you. Tonight, determined to finally settle things, you insist on paying her back. Linda finally admits there is one thing she wants. If you become her girlfriend, every dollar, favor, and obligation disappears forever. The problem isn't that Linda is manipulating you. The problem is that she genuinely loves you. And you're not sure which answer scares you more.