Chapter 259 – Falling Out
Frank didn't doubt what Skyler had said—after all, the cold hard cash was right there.
The very next day, Skyler went to the bank to cash the check and used it to pay off the loan she had taken out for Walter's treatment. A huge weight lifted off her shoulders.
To thank Frank, Skyler invited him over to her house several times in the following days.
Word of it quickly got around, and soon the whole family knew.
"Hey Frank, I heard what you did for Walter. Thank you so much," Hank said, giving Frank a hug.
"He deserved it. I didn't do much. Honestly, Walter teaching high school is a waste of his talent," Frank replied with a smile.
"I've always said that Walter's brain is as big as the whole state of Wisconsin!" Hank laughed heartily.
"Where's Marie?" Frank looked around, not seeing her.
The family gathering had been arranged by Skyler to thank Frank. Everyone in the family was there—except Marie.
"Uh… Skyler and Marie had a bit of a falling out," Hank said quietly, somewhat hesitant.
"A falling out?" Frank was surprised.
Skyler and Marie were sisters, and they had always been close. What kind of disagreement could've made them stop speaking—so much so that Marie wouldn't even attend a family gathering?
Soon, Frank learned what had happened: Skyler had gone to return a crown gift, only to be accused of theft and nearly arrested.
Frank wasn't surprised—he already knew Marie had a habit of stealing, a sort of kleptomania. In fact, it was partially because of that eccentricity, and under the influence of "Frank," that he had found her fascinating in the first place.
Skyler had been furious after the incident and confronted Marie, expecting an apology. But Marie not only refused to apologize, she even scolded Skyler for trying to return a gift. That only made things worse.
Both sisters were stubborn, and neither would be the first to apologize. Their relationship hit rock bottom, and now they actively avoided each other.
"You're pretty popular in Walter's family now. Could you maybe talk to Marie?" Hank asked Frank privately.
"You know about her stealing habit?" Frank replied.
"Yeah. We've been trying to help. We even found her a therapist to treat the kleptomania," Hank admitted.
"I see. I'll do what I can," Frank said just as Skyler walked over, ending the conversation.
That night, the family gathering was cheerful. Everyone had a good time—especially Skyler. With her financial burdens lifted, she drank a bit too much.
"Frank, I'm seriously so grateful to you. You have no idea what I've been through lately," she said, visibly drunk.
"Almost forty and pregnant, waddling around with a huge belly, can't do anything comfortably. Then Walter gets lung cancer and starts acting all secretive, barely talks to me. Junior is in his rebellious phase—he's just like his dad."
"Our savings account has long been overdrawn. The water heater's broken and leaking rust. The cabinet under it is about to rot through, and we can't even afford repairs."
"To keep the house going, I had to suck it up and go back to work—at the same company where my boss used to grope me."
"Thank you. Truly. I want Junior to call you his godfather," Skyler said, reeking of alcohol. In the Western context, a "godfather" means a chosen guardian figure.
"Skyler, you've had too much to drink," Frank said, steadying her as Walter and Hank rushed over.
"I haven't! I really mean it… ugh—!" Skyler suddenly vomited all over Frank.
"…Well," the three men stood there, helpless and speechless.
Walter helped Skyler back to the bedroom. Frank cleaned himself up in the bathroom and changed into one of Walter's shirts. Hair still damp, Frank returned to the living room.
Walter was sitting silently on the couch, a glass of liquor in hand. Across from him, Hank smoked a cigarette.
"How's Skyler?" Frank asked.
"She's okay. She's asleep now," Walter replied.
"I never realized how much she's been going through," Walter said, sighing. "I've been so caught up in my own stuff that I didn't even notice."
If Skyler hadn't drunk too much and let it all out, Walter still wouldn't know the full extent of her stress. He'd been in the dark about a lot.
He also learned a secret tonight—Skyler had claimed she quit her old job due to the harmful welding fumes. But from what she blurted out, it was more likely she quit because her boss had been sexually harassing her.
And now, just to support the family, she was going back—despite everything.
Walter had done a lot for the family: dismembering corpses, starting a business with Frank… but Skyler had sacrificed just as much.
"Enough of this depressing talk. Let's cheer up a bit," Hank chimed in. "I got promoted recently—transferred to the Albuquerque Liaison Office."
"Liaison Office? That sounds like the State Department or something," Frank joked.
"Nah, still DEA work. I'm on a border task force now—covering both domestic and cross-border ops, including El Paso. Gotta work out of Texas though," Hank explained.
"Sounds like your superiors have a lot of faith in you," Frank said with a grin.
"Eh, it's alright," Hank chuckled. But the moment he looked at Walter—still cold and unreadable—the atmosphere grew awkward, and their laughter faded.
With tension settling in, the three men soon wrapped up their conversation. Frank and Hank left together.
"Come by my place sometime," Hank said before they parted ways.
He still wanted to fix things between Skyler and Marie. But clearly, Skyler wouldn't budge—he'd have to approach Marie instead.
He'd already tried talking to her, with no success. Now, he was hoping someone else could help.
Though Hank thought Frank barely knew Marie—they'd only met a few times—he figured Frank was persuasive and might make some headway.
Walter and Skyler often spoke about how much Frank had helped them in the past.
Of course, getting Marie to apologize was a long shot. If Frank succeeded, great. If not, no big deal—it was worth trying.
But what Hank didn't know was that Frank and Marie… were far closer than he ever imagined.
As Hank invited Frank to his home, he added, "Just… don't wear any bright-colored hats."
Frank naturally agreed.
When Frank got home that night, he stepped through the door and immediately heard something strange.
"Hm? What's that sound?"