My 73-Year-Old Father Just Spent His Entire Retirement Fund on a $35,000 Harley Davidson

— and Had the Nerve to Call It “His Last Great Adventure”

Beginning — The Shock of His Decision
For five decades, he was stuck in that grimy motorcycle repair shop, his hands permanently stained with grease, always smelling of motor oil and cigarettes, embarrassing me in front of my friends with his faded tattoos and worn leather vest.

Now that he’s finally sold the shop, instead of doing something useful with the money — like helping his only daughter get out of debt or putting a down payment on the condo I’ve been eyeing — he decided to “invest in his happiness” by buying an expensive motorcycle, the classic sign of a midlife crisis.

Middle — The Confrontation
Yesterday, when I confronted him about this selfish decision, he just laughed and said:
— Sweetheart, at my age, all crises are end-of-life crises.

As if that was funny. As if his responsibility to support me ended just because I’m 42. He doesn’t understand that I deserve that money more than he does — I still have decades ahead of me, while he’s just going to ride that stupid bike until his heart gives out on some remote highway.

All my friends agree that parents should help their children financially, especially when they have the means. But Dad keeps talking about “the call of the open road” and how he’s already booked a three-month cross-country trip, visiting places he’s always wanted to see “before it’s too late.”

Too late for what? Too late to be a responsible father who puts his child’s needs first? I’ve already had to cancel my Bahamas vacation because of my financial situation, while he’s planning to “live free” on the highway.

End — The Radical Decision
It’s not fair that I’m stuck in my assistant manager job, drowning in debt, while he wastes what should have been my inheritance on a pathetic last-ditch attempt to feel young again.

That’s why I’ve decided to take his retirement fund, even if he doesn’t give it to me willingly. I believe I have every right — and the power — to take that money from him. After all, if he doesn’t know how to use it responsibly, someone has to.