Page 12 of His Obsession Her Cure
Unlike my parents who would have watched their family line collapse under the weight of their addiction and mental health problems. The will that my grandparents left made sure that their money became a safety net for us that kept us from drowning after our mother abandoned us in a trap house. Our parents tried hard to squander everything we had, but our grandfather's foresight saved us. My trip down memory lane was interrupted when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled out my phone to see a text from the last person I wanted to talkto. Deleting it, I blocked the number and put my focus back on my future. The future that I hoped would include Pepper’s lil ass.
The large conference room we sat in smelled like leather, polished wood and the kind of old money our grandfather embodied. We sat at the mahogany table, anxious to get this shit over with. Aren was lounged back in his chair tapping his foot with the restless energy of someone that would rather be anywhere else but in this room. Alestar sat up straight, never taking his eyes off the other people at the table, always the observer. The puppy that we found on the side of the road sat on my lap curled in a fluffy ball. I could leave her alone in the car, so I brought her in with us. Across from us, sat the executor of my grandfather's will and two other lawyers from the firm, all in tailored suits with stacks of folders and a big ring of keys.
“Gentlemen, these are the final documents releasing the trust established by your grandfather, Reginald Hale. He was explicit in his instructions.” The lawyer to our left said.
The executor cleared his throat before opening the thick envelope on the top of the pile that was sealed with wax.
“Mr. Hale cut his son, your father Stanton, out of his will when his health began to decline and it became clear that his marriage to your mother Amanda spiraled into addiction and instability. He entrusted everything, 695 million in assets, directly to you two.” He stated, like the money was supposed to make up for the life we lived while our parents were alive.
Nah fuck that and fuck him. My jaw tightened and fingers curled against the table at the thought of my parents going so far gone off drugs that they lost everything.
“So, he knew. He saw what was happening and didn’t do anything but cut them out of his fucking will?” I growled, slamming my hand down on the table.
“He did. He loved your father, but he didn’t trust the situation. He feared your mother’s drug addiction and mentalillness was connected to your fathers decline and possibly to his death. Out of protection, he left strict instructions that the wealth he amassed over the years not be wasted on drugs and God knows what else and be left for you and your brother,” he said.
A heavy silence settled amongst us, the mood becoming heavy in the room. Aren leaned forward, eyes hard.
“You’re saying that Amanda might have had a hand in our father’s death?” He asked.
I didn’t miss how he called Amanda by her name instead of mom. She had lost that title when she left her four and five-year-old sons in a crack house with strangers. If it wasn’t for one of the young dudes that served out of the house finding us and calling Ma ain’t no telling what would have happened to us. The lawyer hesitated before nodding once, answering Aren’s question.
“Your grandfather suspected as much. Nothing was ever proven, but there was enough doubt that he wanted to shield you boys from her influence.”
Aren shifted in his seat again before speaking again.
“That tracks, Amanda always had a strong pull over our dad. He would do anything for her, even when it was killing him.”
My knuckles whitened as I remembered our dad’s tired eyes, the way he would follow Amanda into any chaotic situation like a shadow.
“And this…” I said gesturing towards the folders and keys. “This was his way of making sure we didn’t end up the same?”
“Exactly, these are the deeds, account and business investments that have been all transferred into your names. He made sure to place in his will that you were to receive everything once you completed your education and you both have more than done that with your own accomplishments in tech.” The older of the two lawyers spoke.
“Guess the old man knew we would make something of ourselves and be better than them. I don’t know. It still feels like it’s too little too late.” Aren said.
“Nah, it's right on time. We deserve this for what we went through at the hands of his son and daughter in-law why he sat in his big house and did nothing to stop it. Even after dad died and Amanda was gone he didn’t step in and help Ma raise us. He remained a ghost just like his son. So, I say yeah, we’ll take his money, we deserved everything that he had to give and more,” I said.
The older lawyer slid a final folder toward me that was also sealed with the same initials in wax.
“One more thing. This letter is your late grandfather’s last words to you directly. He asked that you read it together at home. You have taken up residence in the home he left you, correct?” He asked us and we both nodded.
The envelope was heavy in my hands, with my grandfather's neat, bunched handwriting across the front.
To my boys, when you’re ready to carry the weight.
I looked at it a few more times, turning it over in my hands before handing it to Aren. He barely glanced at it as he placed it on the bottom of the pile of deeds in front of him.
“We’ll read it. Is that all?”
“Yes, that is all.” The executor said.
I nodded, reaching for the keys as Alestar and Aren gathered the documents in front of them and stood with me to leave. This shit was heavy. Not only did a grandfather we didn’t know leave us wealthier than we could ever imagine at this age, he left us with new questions to things we thought were in the past.
The ride back to the house was quiet as the details of my grandfather’s estate and his suspicions about Amanda's role in our father’s death. From what we were told he was found dead in an abandoned home in the city. The coroner ruled his deathas an overdose, they found drugs on him at the scene, so no one questioned it. But clearly our grandfather didn’t believe his son went out like that. It was still fairly early when we got back home. The house was eerily quiet, sunlight streamed through the tall windows, catching dust in the air as we moved through the rooms. Boxes lined the walls and furniture that we planned on getting rid of remained covered by sheets.
As soon as I entered the kitchen, I tossed the thick envelope containing the letter onto the island. Alestar sat the crate we got for our new puppy down in by the back door with the soft liner inside. It seemed that her previous owner abandoned her, so she was ours now.
“You gon’ open it or let it stare us down all day.” Aren asked, dropping into the chair after the puppy was secured.
