Post-Mortem, page 17
part #2 of Sapphic Sphere Series
Ana paused, trying to process what the lawyer had just thrown at her, “Yes. I’m sorry, did you just say inheritance?”
The man chuckled, “Yes Ana, didn’t you know? Mr. Waltham’s family left him a hefty sum of money.”
“Bram never said anything about it. I, umm, when are you available? I’ll try to work my schedule around it.”
“I’m actually having a very easy day – so really anytime will work,” he said casually.
“Okay, I’ll just pop by now. What’s your address?” Ana asked.
“Do you know the Waldorf? It’s the office building next to that – it says ‘Thinman and Associates’ though to be completely honest – there are no associates.”
“Yes,” Ana said looking at the clock, “I can be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Perfect. Please bring identification. I’ve already gotten the death certificate,” he said blandly. Ana hung up the phone, disturbed by the conversation with the lawyer.
It’s not like you have a ton of experience with lawyers though…
With little time to spare, she grabbed her phone and texted Cherry a short message, “Off to meet the lawyer – Mr. Thinman. Wish me luck!”
Thirty seconds later, she received a quick response, “LUCK! xx”
Cherry sent me kisses. Everything is fine. I didn’t freak her out this morning.
Yeah – you were the one that was freaked out.
“I haven’t got time for this,” she muttered to herself. She let out an exasperated breath, grabbed her keys and phone, and ran out the door.
Ana parked as closely as she could to the Thinman & Associates placard and took a minute to collect herself before making her way into the building. She was surprised by the grandeur of the entryway, considering that Mr. Thinman didn’t have any other associates.
The secretary at the front was a young brunette. She was in the midst of giving herself a manicure when Ana walked up to the desk. The woman seemed to not notice Ana, she just kept filing her nails. Ana was about to clear her throat when she said without looking up from her nail file, “You must be Mrs. Waltham, I’m very sorry for your loss. Paxton, erm, Mr. Thinman will be with you momentarily. Please have a seat.” Her words were kind, but her apathetic, nasally voice spoke volumes to Ana.
Ana raised her eyebrows, tapped the counter twice with her hand, and said, “Thanks.” She thought it was odd that ‘Paxton erm Mr. Thinman’ wasn’t ready for her – he had said that his day was clear. She closed her eyes after she was seated and did some Cherry-inspired deep breathing. She smiled at the thought that her deep breaths were Cherry inspired, and calmly waited for Mr. Paxton Thinman to come get her.
“Excuse me,” the secretary said, “Mr. Thinman will see you now. It’s the third door on the left,” the woman pointed down the large hallway.
Ana quickly made her way to the door and gave it a quiet knock.
“You may enter,” said a man’s voice.
You may enter? Who SAYS that?!
She pushed the door open and decided for safety’s sake that she would leave the door cracked. The office was poorly lit, and filled with cigar smoke. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m an avid cigar smoker,” a short, bald, obese man said from behind his desk. He rocked once, twice, and then on the third try he pushed his bulk out of his chair – it groaned in relief. He waddled around his desk and held out a chubby hand, “I’m Paxton Thinman, please call me Paxton. Did you bring identification?”
Thinman??
Ana shook the man’s hand, and his flesh oozed around hers. She did her best not to recoil in revulsion from the feeling of his cool, dry flesh folding around her skin. “Yes, of course.” She dug in her purse, found her license, and handed it over to him.
He pulled a pair of filthy reading glasses from his suit jacket’s inner pocket, and instead of putting them on, he closed one eye and held one reading lens to the other, “Ah yes. Mrs. Luciana Waltham. Please have a seat.”
Ana looked at the chairs that were in front of the desk – they were covered in dusty law books. She pointed at one of the chairs and asked, “Is here okay?”
“Yes, yes. Just move the books to the floor,” he said, sounding slightly put off. While Ana moved the books to the floor, the lawyer made his way around his desk and then planted himself back into the chair. The squeal the chair let out when the man sat made Ana think it was screaming for mercy.
Once she was seated, she folded her hands on her lap and waited for the attorney to tell her what was going on. He shuffled several folders on his desk, slapped his hands on top of them and then asked, “Do you have any children?”
“No.”
“I see. And you claim to have no knowledge of the inheritance?”
“Honestly, I would just like you to be straight with me. I did meet Gregory the other day – he seemed overly pleased with himself and mentioned speaking with you. What is it that I need to know?”
“Well, ma’am,” Paxton said, pulling his chin back and down creating too many double chins to count. “I regret to inform you, that if you and Bram had no children, you are not eligible to inherit the Waltham fortune.”
“Waltham fortune?”
“Yes ma’am. The Waltham’s were an incredibly wealthy family. They left their fortune to their sons. The stipulations for their inheritance were that they both reach the age of fifty and the money would be split in half. Should one of the brothers pass away, the other and the deceased’s children would inherit the fortune – splitting it in half. Since you have no children, you are not eligible to inherit and the entire amount will be transferred to the surviving brother.”
“So, everything – whatever everything is – goes to Gregory?” Ana asked, beginning to understand the twin’s self-satisfied smirk.
“That’s correct. Of course, Bram did make up a last will and testament, so perhaps we should look to that to see what his wishes were.”
“Sure – let’s do that,” Ana said, wanting to be done with this conversation. She didn’t care about a theoretical inheritance, she just wanted to know where she was supposed to bury Bram.
The obese man pulled another folder from his desk and shuffled through the paperwork. “Uh huh. Yep. Right. Now I remember. He left all his worldly goods to you. I have a lock box of some personal items that you’re supposed to open once you get home. Ummm, let me see here,” he pushed the eyeglasses against his one open eye, “Yes, Yes. Okay. Yes. I’m to receive five percent of whatever he has in the bank for attending to his will and such.”
“I’m supposed to pay you five percent of our savings account?” Ana asked, slightly perplexed.
“Yes, that’s right,” he said, pulling the glasses from his face and looking at her as if this were a very normal occurrence.
“Didn’t he already pay you to write the will?” she asked.
“Why yes, but I’ve been holding this box for him, and he had no idea how long I’d be holding it, so that’s why he bequeathed the five percent.”
“Well, Mr. Thinman, I regret to inform you, that we have nothing in our savings account. Bram cleaned that out before passing away. If you need me to show you a statement, I can do that. He also racked up an incredible debt with some unpleasant people – so even if I did have a savings account – my money would be going to them.”
Mr. Thinman shuffled the papers again, pushed the glasses against his one open eye, and then said, “I’m sorry Mrs. Waltham, I don’t have any of that information here. It does stipulate that if there is no money in savings that I am to acquire one percent of the survivor’s insurance.”
Annoyed, Ana asked, “Would you mind handing that to me?” she held out her hand waiting for the fat man to hand over the documents.
Clearly offended, the man tossed the folder towards her. It landed with a thud and a splash of paperwork erupted from the folder. Ana quickly gathered the paperwork together.
What an ass.
She read through Bram’s Last Will & Testament. “Well, I can see why he was always insistent that I have a child,” Ana sighed and stood up. “I think that we’re done here. Once the insurance money comes through, I’ll send you a check for the one percent.”
The attorney pursed his lips, “I’m so sorry that this is how everything worked out. I’m certain that Bram wanted to take care of you. He was a good boy.”
“Mhmm,” was all Ana could say.
“Have a good day,” the fat man called from behind his desk as she left the room.
Ana had almost made it to the front door when she heard Mr. Thinman yelling, “WAIT! WAIT!” She turned to see him trudging as quickly as he could towards the front. He was almost purple from exertion and he carried a metal lock box. “You almost forgot this!” he said, holding up the box.
“Oh, right. Can’t forget that,” she said, plucking the box from the man’s fingers. He sighed with relief when the burden of the box was out of his hands.
“Thanks, Mr. Thinman. Should I expect to see you at tomorrow’s services?” Ana asked.
“Services? Oh, for Bram. Umm – No. BRIDGET!” he shouted.
“Yes sir?” the secretary asked.
“Did you give Mrs. Waltham her copy of the will?”
“No,” she answered flatly without twitching a muscle.
“Give her the copy, please,” he puffed.
“Fine.” The secretary rolled her eyes, popped her gum, and came around the desk with a similar looking folder to the one that the attorney had tossed at her. “Here,” she said in her ever-apathetic voice.
“Thanks,” Ana said, and turned to leave. Then, for some reason, she turned back and said, “You two should really consider grabbing a smaller office – the grandeur of this one falls flat when you don’t have any other associates in here. Seems drab and grim – like you don’t have it together. Just a thought.” She turned on her heel and strode out of the building, lockbox and will in hand.
Why would a wealthy family want a man like that to represent them?
Love Is Love
Ana -
Ana left the attorney’s office and threw the lock box into the trunk of her car. She wasn’t sure what she should accomplish next, but decided her soul needed attention – so she headed to St. Catherine’s. When she arrived, she stared up at the building she used to call home. It was a massive building, with a beautiful steeple, elegant stained glass, and intricate stone carvings. She bypassed the front doors and went to the employee entrance.
She waved at a group of nuns that she passed in the hallway. “Good morning ladies,” she said cheerily.
“Good morning, Luciana,” they all said, nearly in unison.
“Is Mother Superior in her room?” Ana asked.
“Yes, she just went to lie down for a spell,” one of them answered.
“Thanks Mary Alma,” she said and continued down the hall to her mother’s room.
She knocked on the door, but didn’t hear an answer, so she pushed the door open to see Mother Superior sitting on her bed staring out the window. Ana walked to her and sat down next to her. She grabbed the old woman’s hand and kissed her on the cheek, “Hello mother.”
The old nun turned, somewhat surprised, “Hello Luciana – my Ana. What brings you to my room today?”
“I need your counsel,” Ana said, resting her head on the nun’s boney shoulder.
“Yes,” she said, “What is troubling you, my child?”
Ana took a deep breath and tear fell from her eye, “I think, I think…” and then she let out a shuddering sob.
“Come, come. You can always tell your Mother,” said the old woman, kissing Ana’s knuckles. “Nothing you can say will shock me, my dear.”
Ana was grateful that Mother seemed to be very lucid at the moment, but her lucidity scared Ana at the same time. “I…” Ana started, tears escaping the corners of her eyes and streaming down her face, “I think I’ve fallen in love.”
“Oh child, that’s nothing to cry over,” she said in an admonishing tone.
“Yes – usually it’s not,” Ana said, sniffling. “But this time, I’m not sure. I need your advice.”
“As long as you’re happy – that’s what counts. You’re going to have to leave that husband of yours, and then you can do as you want.”
“Mother, Bram is dead,” Ana reminded her gently.
Mother Superior turned to Ana, looked her squarely in the eyes, and said, “Good. That man was a monster. He will no longer torment my favorite child. Tell me about your new fella, this person who you have fallen in love with.”
Ana sucked in a calming breath and fought with herself for a few moments as to whether she should unburden herself. “I, uhh, well…”
“Speak up child! I’m going deaf, you know!” the woman said, crinkling her face into a smile.
Ana smiled at her Mother and ran the back of her hand down the side of the old woman’s wrinkled face. “Mother, I’ve fallen in love with a new friend. It’s very sudden. I’m not sure why or how it has happened so quickly, but I don’t want to spend another second apart.”
“Oh – I’ve heard of that kind of love before. It’s the greatest force on earth – love. We all fight against it. We fear the love in our hearts because it can crush us. But if you grab on, it can take you for a wild ride.”
“How would you know about wild rides Mother?”
“I might not be a worldly woman, but I have seen how love can lift us up. God’s love did that for me. For you – I see a different kind of love. Tell me about your friend, child.”
Ana wiggled closer to her Mother on the bed, “She’s a doctor. She’s beautiful, smart, funny, and she makes me feel a sense of calm and… home… that I’ve never felt before.”
“She? What-what? She?” Mother Superior eyed Ana to make sure she had heard her correctly.
“Yes, she…” Ana waited fearfully for her Mother to reply.
But she only smiled, “Well that just makes sense, now doesn’t it. Did you know, long ago women joined the church because they had special feelings for other women? It’s true. You should use your little google device to look it up. I read a book recently, a memoir, by a lesbian nun. Very intriguing.”
Ana was shocked. She hadn’t known what to expect, but she was surprised that her Mother was so casual about it. She frowned and asked, “So you’re not upset with me?”
“Upset with you? No child. Remember, humans wrote the Bible. Love is love. God is every type of love.” She squeezed Ana’s hand reassuringly, and asked, “Is this the woman you mentioned to me the other day?”
Ana was surprised that Mother remembered the conversation, but nodded yes.
“Now your heart will begin to heal. I tried to do my best when you were a child, but you needed someone else that wasn’t required to, to love you. You have that chance now. I knew Bram was not right when he started courting you. It was his eyes,” she murmured and closed her eyes, “he was so cold.”
Ana’s eyes leaked tears, but she smiled and hugged Mother Superior. “Did you come in here to rest?”
“Why yes, I did. Did you want to talk about anything else?” Mother asked.
“No Mother. I just wanted to talk to you…” Ana’s voice trailed off.
“Child – don’t you fret. If she’s worthy of you, she will love you in a way that will make your heart feel whole.” Mother Superior said, squeezing Ana’s hand reassuringly. “At least you escaped the monster – no more living in fear for my favorite girl.” Mother Superior wound her arm around Ana’s shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. “Now, tuck an old woman in for a nap, will you?”
“Yes, of course Mother,” Ana said, wiping the remaining tears off of her cheeks. She tucked the old woman into her bed, feeling a sudden lightness in her chest. “Thank you for your counsel, Mother.”
“You’re welcome, Ana. You should bring her around – I’m going to need to meet this doctor of yours.”
Ana bit her lower lip, holding back a cry of joy and nodded at her Mother, “I’ll do that.”
Cherry Goes To Church
Cherry -
Saturday came at a ripping pace. Cherry looked down at the pant suit she had chosen for the occasion and felt like she needed to run home and change, but it was too late. She had already walked through the front door of St. Catherine’s.
Please don’t catch on fire…
She looked at all the opulence in the church. The gilded statues, the ornate carvings, the stained glass windows, the huge organ pipes, and the ostentatious thrones at the front of the church. It was all too lavish.
Vow of poverty, my ass – people give and give to churches only to have their money spent on gold rimmed bowls and red velvet tufted thrones.
Cherry waited at the doors, looking for Ana. She checked her watch – nine-twenty. She hadn’t wanted to be late – so she overcompensated by ten minutes. She walked further into the church and sat in the pew furthest from the front, placing the flowers down by her feet, and waited. She sat quietly for two minutes, but couldn’t find any comfortable way to sit on the pew. Frustrated, she leaned forward onto the next pew, crossed her arms back of the seat in front of her and laid her head there, trying to regain her sense of calm.
She had just closed her eyes when she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. She jumped slightly at the initial contact, but when she cracked open her eyes, she saw a concerned face staring back at her – Ana.
“How long have you been here?” Ana asked, crouching down so that they were on the same level.
Cherry lifted her head, “Not long,” she said, checking her watch. It read 9:45, “Actually, I must’ve dozed off – I was here at 9:20, but I didn’t see you, so I just thought I would rest my weary bones until you came in.” Cherry was a little puzzled that she had fallen asleep in a public place, and one that she wasn’t naturally comfortable in at that. She smiled at Ana, “You look really nice,” she said, without having actually looked at her clothing.
Ana cocked an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything – instead she chose to just smile and squeeze Cherry’s shoulder. “I’m going to go see where everyone is, but why don’t you move up to the front?”
