“Mr. Mercer, there is no problem. Quite the opposite, actually.”
He glanced at the passbook in my hands.
“That account has been active since 1971. It was opened at First Cleveland Savings and Loan, which was acquired by Ohio National in 1987, which was then acquired by United Midwest in 2003, which was then acquired by us, National Ohio Bank, in 2015. Through all those acquisitions, the account remained active.”
“Active? My father said it would have been closed decades ago.”
“Normally, yes. Dormant accounts are typically closed after a certain period of inactivity, but this account was never dormant.”
David paused.
“Mr. Mercer, your grandfather made a deposit every single month for fifty-two years, two hundred dollars a month without fail, from March 1971 until February of this year.”
I stared at him.
“That is not possible. My grandfather was broke. He lived in a tiny house. He drove a truck from 1987. He wore the same clothes for thirty years.”
“I cannot speak to his lifestyle choices. I can only tell you what the records show.”
