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“Come dear, your uncle will take us back home,” she says, and I nod. I glance at the white casket again before leaving the cemetery with her.
“Are you okay?” Uncle Tyler asks as we head to the car.
“Yes,” I reply. We settle inside the car and start heading to the estate. I hated spending a night there, and now I’m about to spend another. However, it was either or probably spending the little money I had on a hotel. I don’t want to disturb my aunt and uncle any further. They took care of all the funeral bills, making me wonder why they didn’t just use John’s money. The only part of the house that gave me sweet memories was the cottage, and it’s no longer there. I briefly wonder if it was brought down while Jeffrey was there or after he left.No, John made a promise.I don’t want to imagine a life of hell because of Jeffrey.
“Phebe dear, how long will you stay in town?” my aunt asks.
“I’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning,”
“What? Why?” my aunt asks as she turns to face me.
“The funeral is done; I need to return to my life,” I tell her.
“But,” she trails off. I realize my uncle’s hand is on hers. They exchange a look before she nods.
“Phebe, dear. You can’t leave tomorrow morning. You need to visit your father’s lawyer and sign a few things,” he says.
“I don’t care about his properties. You can give it to the orphanage for all I care,” I tell them.
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. I guess we need to talk,” he says. I stare between him and my aunt, wondering what makes them tense.
“Okay,” I reply. The rest of the drive is silent. Finally, we stop at John’s house. There is no way I’ll refer to this place as home.
We exit the car and head inside.
“Do you want me to get you anything?” I ask upon entering the living room.
“A glass of water is fine,” my aunt says. I nod and leave to get her a glass of water, returning to hand it to her. My uncle and aunt are sitting side by side on the couch.
“Here we are. What’s so important you needed to discuss with me?” I ask.
“How do I start? You see, a lot has gone on since you left, but things aren’t how they used to be for your father,” my uncle begins. He glances at Aunt Maryann, who nods to encourage him to continue.
“Your father made a bad investment and lost almost all his wealth. I don’t know the depth of it, but his lawyer does. That’s why we are asking that you meet with the lawyer,” he finishes. I don’t know what shocks me most, John making a bad investment or the fact that he might have been bankrupt at his death. I’ve always known him to be cold and calculative in every aspect, including business; hence it’s a surprise he got himself into the mess he did.
“It still not any of my business; the lawyer can handle whatever needs to be handled,” I tell them.
“That was the same thing we told him, but he insisted that your presence is required for him to proceed. You are your father’s sole heiress; it’s only right he gets your permission in all of this,” my uncle says.
“Fine, can I go and meet him now?” I question.
“I don’t think so. We thought we should give you time to mourn, so we fixed your meeting with him for a week from now,” he says, and I also scoff. Mourn John? I mourned him a long time ago; now I just want to get this over with.
“I don’t need that much time. Can you please shift the meeting forward, let’s say, tomorrow before my trip?” I ask.
“He is out of town. He told us this when we were fixing the appointment,” my uncle says.
“I can’t stay here for that long,” I tell them.
“We understand it’s lonely here, especially since all the staff have left,” he says.
“That’s why we were hoping you could stay with us until you leave for New York,” my aunt adds.
“I don’t want to inconvenience you,” I begin.
“Nonsense, you’re never an inconvenience to us. You’re family. Besides, this is an opportunity for us to catch up. I know if you leave, no one can say when you will be back,” she says.
“Alright, I’ll just tidy things up and come to your place tomorrow,” my aunt gives me a bright smile upon hearing this.
