{"id":45679,"date":"2026-06-10T03:38:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T03:38:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679"},"modified":"2026-06-10T03:38:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T03:38:43","slug":"my-son-in-law-dangled-my-truck-keys-in-front-of-my-face-and-laughed-like-he-had-already-buried-me-youre-too-old-to-drive-old-man-derek-said-from-now-on-we-deci","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679","title":{"rendered":"My son-in-law dangled my truck keys in front of my face and laughed like he had already buried me. \u201cYou\u2019re too old to drive, old man,\u201d Derek said. \u201cFrom now on, we decide what happens to your property.\u201d I looked at my daughter, waiting for her to defend me. She didn\u2019t. So I smiled, because the letter from the court was already sitting in that truck\u2014and once he opened it, his whole life would start falling apart."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Part 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The morning my son-in-law took my truck keys, he smiled like he was doing me a favor.<br \/>\nBy sunset, that smile would become the first thing he regretted.<\/p>\n<p>I was standing in my own driveway, coffee cooling in my hand, when Derek jingled my keys in front of my face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad, you\u2019re seventy-two,\u201d he said, loud enough for the neighbors to hear. \u201cYou don\u2019t need a truck anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My daughter, Emily, stood behind him in her expensive coat, eyes lowered. She didn\u2019t stop him. That hurt worse than the theft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat truck is mine,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Derek laughed. \u201cWas yours. We\u2019re taking care of things now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He had always hated that old blue Ford. Not because it was ugly, though it was. Not because it leaked oil, though it did. He hated it because it represented something he couldn\u2019t control.<\/p>\n<p>I had built my life with that truck.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty-eight years hauling lumber, stone, tools, engines, broken dreams, and second chances. It had taken Emily to school. It had carried my wife\u2019s flowers home every anniversary until cancer took her. It had carried me through grief when people stopped calling and silence moved into the house.<\/p>\n<p>Derek didn\u2019t see any of that.<\/p>\n<p>He saw metal.<\/p>\n<p>He saw value.<\/p>\n<p>He saw something he could sell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t just take it,\u201d I said quietly.<\/p>\n<p>He stepped close, breath smelling of mint and arrogance. \u201cActually, I can. Emily has power of attorney now. We talked to a lawyer. You\u2019re getting forgetful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That made Emily flinch.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her. \u201cIs that true?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She swallowed. \u201cDad, Derek says it\u2019s safer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek says,\u201d I repeated.<\/p>\n<p>He slid the keys into his pocket. \u201cDon\u2019t make this embarrassing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Too late.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Hanley next door pretended to water her roses, but her hose had been running in the same spot for five minutes.<\/p>\n<p>My grandson, Noah, watched from the porch, ten years old, confused and silent.<\/p>\n<p>I could have shouted. I could have swung. I could have made the kind of scene Derek wanted, the kind that would prove I was unstable.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I set my coffee down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFine,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Derek blinked. \u201cFine?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou heard me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He grinned. \u201cGood. See? This is mature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily looked relieved. Noah didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>Derek walked toward the truck and opened the door like a king entering a conquered castle. Then he paused, staring at the glove compartment.<\/p>\n<p>A white envelope sat there.<\/p>\n<p>He picked it up and frowned.<\/p>\n<p>My name was written across the front in sharp black ink.<\/p>\n<p>From the County Probate Court.<\/p>\n<p>Derek looked back at me.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time that morning, his smile cracked.<\/p>\n<p>I smiled back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo on,\u201d I said. \u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Part 2<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Derek didn\u2019t open the envelope in front of me. Men like him loved audiences only when they controlled the script.<\/p>\n<p>He stuffed it under his arm and drove away in my truck, tires spitting gravel, acting as if possession meant ownership.<\/p>\n<p>That afternoon, Emily called.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad,\u201d she said, voice tight, \u201cwhat is this court letter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She hesitated. Derek was probably listening.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt says a hearing has been scheduled regarding a challenge to the power of attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad, why would you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I never signed one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Derek grabbed the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou senile old liar,\u201d he snapped. \u201cEmily watched you sign it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cEmily watched me sign hospital intake papers after my fall. The power of attorney appeared later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another silence. Better than the first.<\/p>\n<p>Derek lowered his voice. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to start a war with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou started it when you put your hand in my pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He laughed again, but it was thinner now. \u201cThat truck is already listed online. I\u2019ve got a buyer coming tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes. Invite him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He hung up.<\/p>\n<p>That night, I sat at my kitchen table beneath the yellow light my wife had loved and opened the folder I had kept ready for three weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Derek thought I was slow because I walked with a cane. He thought I was weak because I didn\u2019t interrupt. He thought age was the same as defeat.<\/p>\n<p>He had no idea who he had married into.<\/p>\n<p>Before I hauled lumber, I spent twenty-two years as a fraud investigator for the state. I knew forged signatures. I knew pressure tactics. I knew how greedy people made mistakes when they believed the victim was too ashamed to fight.<\/p>\n<p>Derek had made many.<\/p>\n<p>I had the hospital records proving I was medicated the day the documents were supposedly signed. I had security footage from the notary\u2019s office showing Derek alone, carrying papers. I had emails from his work account discussing how quickly he could \u201cliquidate the old man\u2019s assets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Best of all, I had Noah.<\/p>\n<p>Not as a weapon. Never.<\/p>\n<p>As a witness.<\/p>\n<p>Two weeks earlier, he had come to my house crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandpa,\u201d he whispered, \u201cDad told Mom you don\u2019t remember things. But you remember everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I made him cocoa and told him children should never carry adult burdens.<\/p>\n<p>Then he pulled out his phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI recorded him,\u201d Noah said.<\/p>\n<p>On the recording, Derek\u2019s voice was clear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce we get the truck and the house transferred, your mother won\u2019t have to worry about that stubborn fossil anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily had said, \u201cHe\u2019s my father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek replied, \u201cThen act like his daughter and help me before he ruins our chance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the moment my heart broke cleanly.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning, Derek parked my truck in front of his house with a red \u201cFOR SALE\u201d sign taped to the windshield.<\/p>\n<p>I arrived by taxi at noon.<\/p>\n<p>He came outside laughing. \u201cMiss your toy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A man in a leather jacket stood beside him, holding cash.<\/p>\n<p>Derek slapped the hood. \u201cClassic engine. Title\u2019s being transferred.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the buyer. \u201cSir, I\u2019d keep your money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s face hardened. \u201cLeave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then two sheriff\u2019s deputies pulled up.<\/p>\n<p>Behind them came a black sedan.<\/p>\n<p>My attorney stepped out, buttoning his jacket.<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s mouth opened.<\/p>\n<p>I leaned on my cane and said, \u201cYou should have opened the letter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Part 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The buyer backed away fast, cash disappearing into his jacket.<\/p>\n<p>Derek pointed at me. \u201cThis is harassment. He\u2019s confused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My attorney, Grace Lin, smiled without warmth. \u201cMr. Carter is not confused. The court issued a temporary injunction this morning. No sale. No transfer. No contact with his assets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily appeared in the doorway, pale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek?\u201d she whispered. \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He turned on her. \u201cGo inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was his mistake.<\/p>\n<p>One deputy stepped forward. \u201cSir, lower your voice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek puffed up. \u201cDo you know who I am?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace opened her folder. \u201cYes. A man currently under investigation for elder exploitation, fraud, attempted conversion of property, and suspected forgery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every word hit him like a hammer.<\/p>\n<p>Neighbors came out. Curtains moved. Phones lifted.<\/p>\n<p>Derek tried to laugh. \u201cThis is ridiculous. Emily has authority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d Grace said. \u201cShe does not. The document granting that authority has been suspended pending forensic review. Also, the notary has already provided a statement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek went still.<\/p>\n<p>I watched his eyes. That was where men like him confessed before their mouths did.<\/p>\n<p>Grace continued, \u201cYou visited her office alone. You claimed Mr. Carter was outside in the car. He was not. Hospital records place him under observation twelve miles away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily covered her mouth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad,\u201d she said, barely breathing.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her, and the anger I had carried softened into something sadder. \u201cI waited for you to ask me one question, sweetheart. Just one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tears spilled down her face.<\/p>\n<p>Derek lunged for the truck door. \u201cThis is mine until a judge says otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The deputy caught his wrist before he reached the handle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone turned.<\/p>\n<p>My voice did not shake.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat truck is titled to Carter Timber Restoration LLC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek frowned. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI transferred it to my company years ago. The company owns the truck, the tools, the warehouse, and three rental properties you thought were mine personally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace handed him a copy of the records.<\/p>\n<p>His face drained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou tried to steal from an old man,\u201d I said. \u201cBut legally, you attempted to defraud a business with documented assets and counsel on retainer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s arrogance collapsed into panic.<\/p>\n<p>Emily stepped down from the porch. \u201cYou said he was broke.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe lied,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Grace looked at Emily. \u201cHe also opened a credit line using your father\u2019s personal information. We found the inquiry during the asset review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily turned to Derek as if seeing a stranger wearing her husband\u2019s skin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou used my father\u2019s identity?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did it for us,\u201d he hissed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cYou did it for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then I played Noah\u2019s recording.<\/p>\n<p>Derek\u2019s own voice filled the driveway, cruel and clear. \u201cOnce we get the truck and the house transferred\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily sobbed.<\/p>\n<p>The deputies asked Derek to come with them for questioning. He resisted just enough to be handcuffed in front of every neighbor he had tried to impress.<\/p>\n<p>As they led him away, he shouted, \u201cYou\u2019ll regret this!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at my truck, then at my daughter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cI already regretted trusting you both. This is what comes after regret.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Three months later, Derek pleaded guilty to reduced charges after the prosecutor showed him the evidence folder. He lost his job, his license in financial consulting, and every friend who had believed his polished lies. Restitution took what was left of his savings.<\/p>\n<p>Emily filed for divorce.<\/p>\n<p>It took time for her to look me in the eye again. Longer for me to let her back inside the house without feeling the old wound open. But Noah came every Saturday, and children have a way of rebuilding bridges board by board.<\/p>\n<p>One bright spring morning, I handed him the keys to the blue Ford.<\/p>\n<p>His eyes went wide. \u201cGrandpa, really?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cParking lot only,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd slow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He grinned. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily stood beside me, quiet. \u201cDad\u2026 why keep the truck after all that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I watched Noah climb carefully behind the wheel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause some things aren\u2019t valuable because they can be sold,\u201d I said. \u201cThey\u2019re valuable because they remind you who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The engine turned over with a growl.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time in months, I felt my wife\u2019s garden, my old driveway, and my own heartbeat settle into peace.<\/p>\n<p>Derek had tried to take my dignity with a stolen set of keys.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, he only unlocked the truth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Part 1 The morning my son-in-law took my truck keys, he smiled like he was doing me a favor. By sunset, that smile would become the first thing he regretted. I was standing in my own driveway, coffee cooling in my hand, when Derek jingled my keys in front of my face. \u201cDad, you\u2019re seventy-two,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-life-new"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>My son-in-law dangled my truck keys in front of my face and laughed like he had already buried me. \u201cYou\u2019re too old to drive, old man,\u201d Derek said. \u201cFrom now on, we decide what happens to your property.\u201d I looked at my daughter, waiting for her to defend me. She didn\u2019t. So I smiled, because the letter from the court was already sitting in that truck\u2014and once he opened it, his whole life would start falling apart. - True Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My son-in-law dangled my truck keys in front of my face and laughed like he had already buried me. \u201cYou\u2019re too old to drive, old man,\u201d Derek said. \u201cFrom now on, we decide what happens to your property.\u201d I looked at my daughter, waiting for her to defend me. She didn\u2019t. 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She didn\u2019t. So I smiled, because the letter from the court was already sitting in that truck\u2014and once he opened it, his whole life would start falling apart. - True Stories","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"My son-in-law dangled my truck keys in front of my face and laughed like he had already buried me. \u201cYou\u2019re too old to drive, old man,\u201d Derek said. \u201cFrom now on, we decide what happens to your property.\u201d I looked at my daughter, waiting for her to defend me. She didn\u2019t. So I smiled, because the letter from the court was already sitting in that truck\u2014and once he opened it, his whole life would start falling apart. - True Stories","og_description":"Part 1 The morning my son-in-law took my truck keys, he smiled like he was doing me a favor. By sunset, that smile would become the first thing he regretted. I was standing in my own driveway, coffee cooling in my hand, when Derek jingled my keys in front of my face. \u201cDad, you\u2019re seventy-two,\u201d [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679","og_site_name":"True Stories","article_published_time":"2026-06-10T03:38:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":563,"height":1000,"url":"http:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/8d975579-87f1-4f15-b959-a0751e18587a.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"true love","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"true love","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679","url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679","name":"My son-in-law dangled my truck keys in front of my face and laughed like he had already buried me. \u201cYou\u2019re too old to drive, old man,\u201d Derek said. \u201cFrom now on, we decide what happens to your property.\u201d I looked at my daughter, waiting for her to defend me. 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So I smiled, because the letter from the court was already sitting in that truck\u2014and once he opened it, his whole life would start falling apart. - True Stories","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/8d975579-87f1-4f15-b959-a0751e18587a.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-10T03:38:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#\/schema\/person\/5c3397997033ec1244d0e345888afa8e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/8d975579-87f1-4f15-b959-a0751e18587a.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/8d975579-87f1-4f15-b959-a0751e18587a.jpg","width":563,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?p=45679#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"My son-in-law dangled my truck keys in front of my face and laughed like he had already buried me. \u201cYou\u2019re too old to drive, old man,\u201d Derek said. \u201cFrom now on, we decide what happens to your property.\u201d I looked at my daughter, waiting for her to defend me. She didn\u2019t. So I smiled, because the letter from the court was already sitting in that truck\u2014and once he opened it, his whole life would start falling apart."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/","name":"True Stories","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#\/schema\/person\/5c3397997033ec1244d0e345888afa8e","name":"true love","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7edec003db6c2d994c618a5c9257e4836d0823076211ef1f440ea5b2dfb07eb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7edec003db6c2d994c618a5c9257e4836d0823076211ef1f440ea5b2dfb07eb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"true love"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org"],"url":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45681,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45679\/revisions\/45681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/true.lifestruepurpose.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}