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Alexa
Luke sent me a message while I was walking between buildings, going to teach my seminar. It was not at all a good message, and while I had been pretty happy during my morning class, I was now fuming.
LUKE: My mother sent papers to my lawyer advising me that I was no longer in her will and that I should arrange my finances accordingly.
I stopped and sat on a bench in the small green space outside the building, angry that she was such a bitch and sad that I was the cause of this turmoil in Luke’s life.
ALEXA: I’m so sorry…
Luke texted back right away, and while his words made me feel somewhat better, I still felt a weight of guilt on my shoulders.
LUKE: Fuck her. I’ve got over a billion. If I invest it right, I can ensure our future is secure and have more than enough to stake a claim in the space industry. You have to remember that a billion dollars is a thousand million. That’s a lot of lettuce, my grandfather would say.
ALEXA: A lot of lettuce – I like that! It is a lot, when you think of it that way. I never imagined I’d earn a million over ten years, let alone being married to a man with a thousand million.
LUKE: If we invested it right, you and I could live off one-tenth of that and I could spend the rest building rockets to the asteroid belt or Mars.
ALEXA: Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds to a normal person’s ears? Living off the interest of a hundred million dollars?
LUKE: It does sound ridiculous. Maybe ten million dollars? Even at today’s return on investment, that’s still at least a million dollars.
ALEXA: If you and I can’t live off a million dollars a year, we should give up in shame. That’s almost ten times what I expected to earn as a college professor.
LUKE: You’d be surprised how easy it is to spend more and more. I’ll invest a tenth of my fortune for us to live off. The rest is more than enough for my business needs. I know how to raise money for projects.
ALEXA: Good because it sounds outlandishly extravagant to me. I’ve never wanted for anything growing up or even living in Manhattan with Candace, but still. That’s a lot of money.
LUKE: It is. We don’t have to ever worry about it, no matter what my mother does or doesn’t do with her stupid will.
I sighed, sad that Luke’s adoptive mother couldn’t bring herself to accept me. I realized there was nothing I could do, so I had to just forget about her. It wasn’t like Luke planned on being around his parents much, given his feelings towards them.
ALEXA: I better go. I have to read over my notes before my seminar.
LUKE: See you later tonight. We should do something fun. Meet for a drink and plan how we’re going to furnish the apartment.
ALEXA: You pick the time and place and I will be there. Later. OXOX
LUKE: Okay. O’Riley’s at six. Be there or be square. XOXO
I smiled, glad that he was so good natured about the whole business of his mother’s will. Not that I ever thought for a moment that he’d call off the engagement because of it, but still, it made me feel unwanted and rejected. It wasn’t a very nice feeling, even if Luke disliked his adoptive mother.
The rest of my afternoon went smoothly, and I soon forgot about Luke being disinherited, caught up in my seminar with my students discussing the Cold War.
Nuclear build up and tensions were preferable to family matters.
Later that day, I met Luke at O’Riley’s, and we spent happy hour drinking draft beer and eating bar food for snacks. The place was a neighborhood sports bar with multiple screens and several different games being shown. We sat at the bar and glanced around, our discussion moving from one game to another. It was a great way to reduce stress.
“I wanted to bring up something that might be uncomfortable,” Luke said, leaning closer to me, his eyes on mine.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m already uncomfortable, waiting to find out what it is you want to discuss.”
Immediately, I wondered what he meant. Was he having second thoughts about our marriage?
“It’s the prenup,” Luke said. He made a face of pain. “I don’t like to have to have one, but my lawyer insists, and it is normal for someone with my money to have one. I hope you can understand.”
My face reddened. “Oh, God, Luke,” I said and felt my throat constrict. “I’ll sign anything you want. Do whatever you need. I don’t want your money.”
He took my hand and stroked it, then kissed my knuckles. “I’m sorry to have to bring it up. I know you don’t want my money. It’s just one of those things we have to deal with. You need to bring a draft of what Peter draws up to your own lawyer to advise you, but you can be assured it will be standard and fair.”
