father had kicked the bucket. Not even ten hours had passed before he was called again, invited to the funeral by a woman who didn’t bother to give her name. He’d probably been an afterthought. Later that same day, he’d been contacted by the paralegal about this meeting at the lawyer’s office. He’d barely had time to process what the hell was going on before more and more bizarre calls rolled in. Such as strangers asking questions he refused to answer and others asking how he was doing, as if he’d be distraught by such news. How can one mourn a ghost? A practical figment of one’s imagination.
As the meeting was drawing to a close, Mr. Smith had his assistant come in.
She sat next to him, back straight, her wavy red hair parted on one side and with enough papers in her thin, freckled arms to light a good blaze. Mr. Smith asked them all to leave then after reading out the smaller inheritances. Some jewelry here, a few cars or a small bunch of stocks there. Aries got to his feet along with everyone else, his own folder in hand with the attorney’s logo displayed across it, under the impression that it was all over. He’d get a check in the mail, and that would be that.
“Uh, Mr. Creed. Aries, I need you to stay behind for a minute, if that’s okay.” The man picked up his glasses and slid them on. The spectacles perched at the end of his nose, the cool eyes above them were trained on him as the disgruntled family members paraded past him. The door closed once again, and he retook his seat.
“Mr. Creed, I want you to know that I knew your father for almost twenty years. He was a business associate of mine. He hired me to take care of many of his affairs over the years. Like many others, I wasn’t aware that he had a son until he informed me of such, a couple years ago.” Aries ran his hand along his jaw, massaging it. “We knew about another son of his, Paul, who had passed away about ten years ago, but as far as any other children, there were none to our knowledge. We were obviously incorrect.”
Some time passed then, with neither man saying a word. All that could be heard was the faint cry of a car or two driving by, and a water cooler bubbling and churning.
“What did he tell you exactly about me?”
“Well.” The man leaned back in his seat and took hold of a silver pen, moving it about, then tapping it against his desk. “To be honest, Benjamin didn’t want to get into any details, you know, the particulars regarding you or your mother when I asked. But he was adamant that you were definitely his child, and that you should receive the bulk of his wealth. He only came back one time regarding this will, to make an amendment to include his grandchild. Your son. Now, I understand that you’re divorced, correct?”
“Yeah…”
“Joint custody?”
“No. I raise my son by myself. Been divorced goin’ on four and a half years.”
“So, your ex-wife is not in the picture?”
“She sees him, but not on a consistent basis.”
The man looked at him long and hard, as if waiting for more, but Aries didn’t feel like examining it further, nor did he understand the relevance. Mr. Smith sighed, but said nothing additional about it.
“Mr. Creed, I’m going to give it to you straight. There’s really no way to say this to make it sound any better. You didn’t ask how much money you are to receive, which I felt was interesting,” He offered a half smile. “I know the amount you’ve been left, but at this time, I cannot give you the exact figure, per your father’s wishes.”
“Why? Is some of the money hung up in court or something? Outstanding bills?”
“No. You see, your father decided to not tell you the full amount you are to receive until certain tasks are completed.”
“By who?”
“By you.”
“What? I don’t understand what you’re saying…” A strange wave of heat started at the tips of his toes and wormed its way through the veins and muscles of his legs, going higher and higher until his damn skull was throbbing. What kind of games was that old man who lay dead in that fancy cemetery playing?
“Before you receive the money, he wants some things taken care of. He has a list.”