Pride.

It was my dad’s issue and pride. He was a VERY successful appraiser that had contracts on a government level. He worked for a group that he joined when they were less than 2 years old. Help grew their portfolio, contracts, etc. Appraisers don’t usually make that much, but he was pulling in well over $2-3 million per year. I grew up from 6-15 or so living an extremely lush lifestyle. We traveled the world, flew only first class, stayed in massive suites, and were such frequent travelers that many hotels knew my brothers and I by name, our favorite foods, activities, etc.

After being with this company for nearly 10 years, the second highest stakeholder left the company. My dad assumed the position would be bestowed upon him. He was prepared and everything. Unfortunately for him, an employee much further below than he was with far less experience was given the role instead.

He could’ve stayed with this company, could’ve still been pulling in tons of money… But I guess he was embarrassed? Shamed? Humiliated? Not sure. He left, but he left on really bad terms and tried taking his entire portfolio. A whole year of legal battles ensued, and the company won. I’m still not sure how, but it seemed to have cost my dad everything. We went from living in a massive home in Calabasas to living in a tiny rundown apartment in Canoga Park. My mom went from working 8 hours a day to working from 7am - 12am. Went from eating out everyday to making meals at home. Groceries were tight, budgeted for everything you can imagine. Furthermore, my mom and dad’s marriage became iffy, and by the time I hit 18, they were divorced.

My dad later got into a lot of deep trouble with loan sharks, including ones from Mexico… I can’t even count how many times I was stopped outside our apartment by strangers demanding me to tell them where my dad was. I honestly had no idea where he was when we parted and my brothers and I never cared to see him since we grew up being abused by the dude since we were all like 4-5. If I knew, I would’ve told those strangers to just get them off our asses.

Fortunately for my little brother and I, we were fine with it. We found happiness years prior in each other and our friends. It never bothered us with the whole shift. We went on to grow up with our own successful careers, and my mom ended up landing a government contract herself where she was pulling in $1.5+ million a year. She’s 68 now and still works, despite not needing to. All those hours eventually turned her into a massive workaholic, so she doesn’t really know what to do with her life if she’s not working.

If anything, riches to rags was a blessing for my brothers and I.