Chapter 248: Considering the Future
Lately, Pinkman had been sticking close to Frank and was aware that Frank had been involved in money laundering and similar shady dealings.
So when Frank offered to help launder his money, Pinkman readily agreed.
He didn't really understand the ins and outs of it—but whatever Frank said, he went along with.
"This card—don't touch it casually from now on. Treat it as your salary account. The laundered money will be deposited into it under the company's name." Frank took Pinkman to the bank and helped him open an account.
It wasn't just Pinkman—Frank got a card for each of the older kids too. Since Debbie, Carl, and Chuckie were too young, they didn't get one. But Sammi, Ian, and Lip each had a card of their own.
As the day darkened, Frank returned home and saw Fiona getting ready to go out. He asked, "Where are you heading off to?"
"Vee and I are working the night shift at the bar," Fiona replied, tying her hair into a simple ponytail.
Previously, because of home renovations, Fiona stayed home to keep an eye on things.
But ever since she reconnected with Sammi, who had been helping out a lot, Fiona entrusted the renovation work to her and could finally return to her usual job routine.
"I'm running late. Gotta go!" Fiona dashed out before Frank could say another word.
In the past, when Fiona worked night shifts, no one cooked at home, and the kids would usually have takeout—pizza, burgers, and the like.
But now that Sammi was around, she cooked dinner for them.
Although the kids hadn't fully warmed up to Sammi yet—she was still the "sudden big sister" who dropped into their lives—her presence made a real difference. With another adult in the house, Fiona's burden was at least partially lifted.
Sammi had taken over Fiona's responsibilities almost seamlessly.
At dinner, Sammi brought up, "I've been thinking about setting a curfew at night. There are too many people in the house, and someone always comes in late—sometimes in the middle of the night—and wakes everyone up. I'm thinking of locking the door at 10 PM."
"Ten o'clock!?"
"You've got to be kidding!"
"Even Liam stays up later than that!"
"Fiona had soundproofing added during the renovation—it won't wake anyone!" The kids all protested.
Curfews are common in many ordinary households, especially in the West, where nighttime can be dangerous—muggings or worse aren't unheard of.
Parents often set strict return times for their kids: miss the curfew and lose allowance or face grounding.
Even in safer countries like China, where people can go out for late-night snacks at 3 or 4 AM, many families still don't let their kids stay out too late.
But these kids were wild from a young age—they weren't used to restrictions like curfews.
"It really is dangerous out late," Frank chimed in, agreeing with Sammi.
"You too, Dad!?" the kids groaned.
"Even during holidays, you shouldn't be staying up all night. Go to bed earlier," Sammi said firmly after cleaning up dinner. She glanced at the clock, wiped her wet hands on her apron, and shouted upstairs.
Once all the kids went up to their rooms, Sammi finally sat on the couch to rest.
"What's up, Dad?" she asked, noticing Frank staring at her.
"You look just like your mother. Both of you are beautiful," Frank said. "How's she doing now?"
"My mom has diabetes and had one of her legs amputated. She also had breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. But she had reconstruction surgery after, and honestly, it turned out pretty well. The implants feel real. She even asked the doctor to go up a cup size—she used to complain her chest was too small. Since the nipples couldn't be reconstructed, she had them tattooed on. They look pretty convincing up close." Sammi laughed.
"That's the first time you've ever asked about my mom. Do you want to meet her?" she asked.
"Forget it… our past was messy," Frank said, shaking his head.
They stayed up chatting late into the night before finally turning in.
When Fiona returned from her night shift the next morning, it was already around 7 or 8. The sun was up, and she reeked of alcohol.
"I'm going to bed. Don't wake me unless someone dies," she muttered as she trudged upstairs.
"Wait—eat something before you sleep." Frank had fried some eggs and toasted a couple of slices of bread.
Fiona looked surprised. In her whole life, she could count on one hand the number of times Frank had personally made food for her.
She was exhausted from the night shift, so she took a few bites and headed upstairs.
"Unless someone's dead, don't wake me," she repeated, putting on a sleep mask and earplugs before quickly falling asleep.
"This won't do…" Frank muttered, frowning as he looked at the half-eaten toast.
When Fiona finally woke up, it was already afternoon. She came downstairs, messy-haired, and poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Fiona, we need to talk," Frank said.
"Talk about what?" she asked, sitting cross-legged on the couch with her mug in hand.
"You don't need to work anymore. The family's not short on money now," Frank said.
"But… your money—" Fiona began.
"You don't need to worry about that anymore. From now on, all the money will be legal, clean income. I'll transfer money into your bank card every month."
"Not just you—Lip and Ian have their own cards too. I'll put money into theirs monthly. Think of it as allowance, or money for living expenses."
"I'll have Sammi give pocket money to Debbie and Carl too," Frank added.
"You're…" Fiona was stunned.
"So yeah, no need to work anymore. I've already told Lip and Ian. Ian's quitting his job at the supermarket next month to focus on studying."
"You all need to start thinking about your futures—especially you. Remember when we talked about you getting your high school diploma? How's that going?" Frank asked.
Six months ago, Frank and Fiona had looked into her school records. Though she'd dropped out, she still had a chance to earn her diploma—she just needed enough credits.
But Fiona had spent so many years working and struggling that she'd long forgotten anything from high school. She'd have to start from scratch.
And then, Frank had his own crisis and wasn't around. With no one else to support the family, Fiona had to shoulder it all again, and studying fell to the wayside.
"Now that money's not an issue, you can focus on studying. You don't have to work unless you really want to," Frank said.
"My suggestion is: earn your high school diploma. Then maybe consider going to college. Even if you don't want to, just having a diploma will help you get a decent job."
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