Tag Archives: inheritance

IS BLOOD ALWAYS THICKER THAN WATER

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Last night I received an unexpected call from my cousin Flossie. It was unexpected for many reasons. For one thing, I hadn’t heard from heard in over fifty years. I could barely remember what she looked like. I recall her having light blond hair and blue eyes. I had blond hair as a child but my hair was always referred to as dirty blond. Because what was once blond turned a nondescript light brown as I got older.

Because I hadn’t heard from Flossie in so long, it set off an alarm. I knew without a doubt that someone in my family had passed on. I didn’t recognize Flossie’s phone number when I saw it. But I did recognize her name, Flossie Brown. She was from my mother’s side of the family. She is the youngest daughter of my Uncle Pete. Who died in the mid- 1970s.

When I picked up the phone I heard someone yelling, “Hello, hello, is this the Cabri number? I’m trying to get hold of Coleen Cabri?”

“This is Coleen but I haven’t been a Cabri for over forty-eight years. My name is Coleen Sabrina. Are you my cousin, Flossie?”

“Of course, I’m your cousin Flossie. Who did you think I was?”

And that is when I remembered why my cousin Flossie and I were never close or even friendly. To put it politely she was always a jerk. And she had a tendency to be argumentative and sarcastic but not in a funny way. And it seemed as if she hasn’t improved over the many years that had passed by since the last time I saw her. “Well, what can I do for you, Flossie? It’s been such a long, long time since we spoke. I believe the last time I saw you was when your dad passed away.”

“Yeah, well I called to let you know that my older brother passed away not too long ago. And he was living in my dad’s house up until he had to go into the nursing home. And I don’t know if you remember this but the house was originally owned by our mutual grandfather. And according to the Will, the house must be sold and the contents distributed. And you and I are the last members of our family to survive.”

“You have got to be kidding. I had no idea. The house must be really old. What kind of shape is it in?”

“It is habitable. But I have to admit my brother didn’t take good care of it very well in his last years. He developed dementia about ten years ago and in the last years, he didn’t do anything at all. It’s a mess. But I believe that with time and some cash we could sell it and make a tidy sum. Are you interested? If you’re not I can sell it as is. And we could split the profit. But with a little sweat equity, we could make a tidy sum. What do you say?”

“Wow, I don’t know what to say. I’m not as young as I used to be. I don’t have a lot of extra money to invest. But I can do cleaning, painting and I’m a hell of a gardener. I live several hours from there. I couldn’t travel back and forth. I would have to stay at the house or at your house.”.

” Well as I said the house isn’t in great shape, but you could stay there. But you would be sleeping rough if you know what I mean. I am living in a rental with an old friend of mine and it’s a trailer, so not a lot of room. It’s a tight fit for the two of us. If you are able to come and stay at the house I would suggest bringing your own sheets and blankets and towels etc. And once you get here you’ll have to go to the nearest Shop Rite and get food. Unless you intend on eating out all the time.”

“Wow, Flossie that’s a lot to consider. Let me think about it for a day and I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning.”

“OK, talk to you then.”

And then she hung up. I was having a hard time taking it all in at once. My uncle’s death and inheriting a house. You just never know what any day is going to bring to you. I couldn’t sleep that night because I kept waking up every hour or so and obsessing about what my cousin Flossie had told me. At some point, I fell asleep and woke up at 5 AM. And I knew what I was going to do.

So at 9 AM I picked up my phone and called her. She answered after the third ring. “Why the hell are you calling me at the crack of dawn?”

“Good morning Flossie, it’s nine o’clock in the morning, hardly the crack of dawn. Just wanted to let you know that I decided that I will come and help with the house. I’ll bring all the tools that I think will be useful and whatever food I have in my house. I have to admit that any money we make on the sale of the house will be extremely helpful because I live on Social Security and it is barely enough to keep body and soul together.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. I know only too well what it is like to live on Social Security.”

“When do you think you will be getting here? Make sure you give me a call before you arrive and I’ll give you my address and then we’ll take a ride out to the house and a look around. And decide what kind of work we will be able to do. I’m definitely not up to putting a roof on. But, luckily my dad put a new roof on about four years ago. Only because every time it rained outside, it rained on the inside of the house as well.”

“Wow. So today I’ll start getting stuff together that I need to bring and I’ll take care of all my business here, paying bills, etc. And I will be there the day after tomorrow. I’ll call you when I’m about an hour away. How’s that?”

Flossie said, “good, talk to you then.” And the line when dead. And that is when I remember how abrupt and rude she was. Oh boy, this was going to be a fun time spent with an unpleasant relative. But, I’ve always thought things happen for a reason. And I set about getting ready for my trip and taking care of any business that was outstanding with my own house.

I spent the rest of the day getting my affairs in order and packing all the tools I thought I would need in the trunk of my old car. I hope I didn’t have any difficulties on the road. My car is fifteen years old. But, knock wood. It runs like a top. Never any problems. But just in case I took it to my friend, Bill’s auto repair shop and had him do a tune-up and check the tires and anything else he thought might cause a problem on a nine-hour ride. He told me I could pay him after I make all that money and sell my relatives’ house.

The next day I was on my way. I really detest long car rides. They kill my back. I packed a couple of sandwiches of bologna and cheese and two thermoses of hot coffee. And I was on my way. Luckily the weather was cooperating. I had to make several pit stops along the way because when you get older you spend a great deal of time in the bathroom. About an hour from Flossie’s house I pulled into a rest stop and I gave her a call to get the address of the house. She picked up the phone and said, “So?”

“So, I’m an hour away how about giving me the address? And she rattled off the address. Could you please tell me that again more slowly, I’m trying to write it down for crying out loud?”

So she repeated the address after making a sound that indicated that she was already losing patience with me. She said, ” I’ll meet you there in about an hour.” And then she hung up.

I shook my head, and I thought I better make a lot of money out of this. I can tell Flossie is going to be a major pain in my ass. The last hour of the trip was uneventful and I arrived in front of a house that looked like what my mother would have described as ” the wreck of the Hesperus.” Meaning it was a bloody mess. It looked like the grass hadn’t been cut in a couple of years. The shutters were hanging crooked by a single nail. There were a least three years of newspapers lying on the front yard and sidewalk. And there were bags and more bags of trash, too many to count.

“Dear god. What have I gotten myself into?” I said out loud to no one in particular. I walk around the back yard. There was a washer and dryer rusting out there. Look like they had been there for a millennium. “Holy mackerel, what a nightmare.”

I had a strong impulse to get into my car and leave as fast as possible. And then I heard someone say, “well you must be my cousin. Long time no see. I wasn’t exaggerating, was I?

“Exaggerating? No, just the opposite. Well, let’s take a look around and see what needs to be done first.”

“Well, I think the first thing we need to do is have the electricity turned back on and check that the water is working? I haven’t been here for several weeks.”

“Yeah, electricity would certainly be beneficial especially at night when I’m here all by myself. And yeah, it would be nice to have water too.”

Flossie looked at me like I was crazy. And said, “that’s what I just said.”

“I was being sarcastic, Flossie.”

She looks at me and says, “come on let’s go inside.”

She jammed the key into the lock on the front door. And said, “this lock sticks. You have to really shove the key in hard. And it’s difficult to get the key out too.”

“Well, we probably should get the locks changed front and back and get an extra set of keys.”

“Yeah, good idea. You know I don’t think I would have recognized you except for the fact that you are standing here at the house. I couldn’t really remember what you looked like since we haven’t seen each other since we were kids.”

“Well, I can see that you certainly resemble Uncle Pete and you look like a Brown. I always resembled my father’s side of the family.”

“Wow, you are really skinny. That certainly isn’t a Brown trait. “

“Oh, thanks, I think that was supposed to be a compliment.”

“Yeah, it’s a compliment. I have never been very good at conversation.”

“I kind of remember that you could be rather abrupt, Flossie.”

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I always say.”

I just stared at her for a moment and I thought. Oh yeah, this is going to be a fun time.

“Well let’s start in the living room and work our way up to the attic. I haven’t been up in the attic since I was a kid. I can only imagine how much “memorabilia” is up there now.

The kitchen hadn’t been updated since about 1971. It had an original Frigidaire refrigerator It was lime green. I open the door and the smell that emanated from the inside of the refrigerator almost knocked me out. “Dear god, did you bury grandfather in there. It smells like someone is decomposing in there. Then I look up at the top refrigerator shelf and I can’t believe my eyes. In a jar, the size of a huge pickle jar was a tongue floating in some kind of green fetid liquid. “Holy mother of god what is that?”

“What are you babbling about?”
I pointed at the floating tongue. “That’s nothing, it’s just a cow tongue.” People slice it and make sandwiches out of it. You are being ridiculous.”

“People eat cow tongues? And you think I’m being ridiculous? “Wow.”
“Yes, people eat all kinds of things. You need to settle down. You haven’t even seen the rest of the house.”

“I need to settle down. Oh brother. Let’s move on. I’ll take a look in that disgustingly dirty oven. I trust nobody’s cooking in there.” Flossie just snorted in my direction.

The inside of the oven had a good four inches of charred food on it. It would need to be sandblasted to get it clean. And the smell was indescribable. The oven is disgusting as well. And now that I look down at this lime green linoleum floor it’s clear this whole room hasn’t been updated since the early ’70s.

Coleen made her way around bags of trash and broken chairs, and what looked like piles of dog poop to the dining area. If you could call it that. “Did someone own a dog at one time, dog poop is all over the place.”

“Not that I know of, but as I said my brother had dementia so who knows.”

“Flossie, shall we make our way upstairs?”

“Alright, Coleen. It can’t get much worse than this?”

“Dear god, I hope not. Maybe we should try not taking deep breaths?”

“I agree no deep breaths.”

When they got to the top of the stairway, there were so many bags of trash next to the wall that it reached almost to the ceiling. “Did no one ever come to check on your brother at all? This is just unbelievable. “

“Well, like I said not in recent years. My brother and I never saw eye to eye. For some reason, he always said that I had an abrasive personality. And he couldn’t stand being in the same room as me for more than an hour or two. Can you believe anyone would say anything that mean?”

Coleen just stared at Flossie. “People can be quite unfeeling that’s for sure.”

“OK, so this is my Uncle‘s bedroom. So, it will probably be the worse room. Do you have anything to cover your nose and mouth? If you don’t I brought an extra handkerchief you can use. Well, keep it. You’ll need it.” She hands Coleen a red plaid cloth to put over her nose and mouth.

“Wow, we should have put these on at the curb. I may never get the stench of this place of my olfactory system.”

Flossie snorted and opens the door. “Holy mackerel, it smells like he died in here and they never took the body away. Come on let’s get this over with as quickly as possible. the bed was stripped but the stains on the mattress were horrific and neither one of them wanted to touch it. “You know what Flossie I think we should hire someone to come in this house and take all the furniture and all the trash out and dispose of it. I’ll pay half of the cost if you will. What do you say?”

“I say, hell, yes. After all the stinking crap in here gets taken out and burned we can come back in here and clean and paint and repair. In the meanwhile, we can get started on the outside of the house. We can remove all the trash and cut the grass and plant some flowers. We could also clean the windows and have the pavement repaired. Then we can come back in here. Sounds like a plan.”

For the next two weeks, Flossie and Coleen worked their butts off working in the yard, cleaning the windows, and painting the front and back door. They planted some small ornamental shrubs and flowers. They hadn’t gone in the house the whole time it was being cleaned out. They decided to hire some painters, and a plumber to come in and do the lion’s share of the work. Flossie decided she did have enough room for Coleen. She set up a cot in Flossie’s bedroom and Coleen slept in there.

“Well, Flossie it seems like the beginning of the end of this nightmare. It seems like we make a pretty good team. What do you think?”

“I think we do make a pretty good team Coleen. And I had an idea. How do you feel about you and I moving in here and sharing the house and the expenses? We are the only family either one of us has left? What do you think?”

“I think that it is a great idea. And I have come to appreciate your sarcastic sense of humor Flossie. I wish that we have gotten to know each other long before now. But better late than never.”

After Coleen and Flossie finished their work. Flossie came with Coleen back to her home and helped her pack up and head back to their new home together. Sometimes endings mark the beginning of something new and better. As they stood on the sidewalk in front of their new house they hugged each other and hung a sign on their door that said Home Sweet Home.

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Where There is Hope. There is Possibility

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I’m awakened by the noise of my stomach growling and rumbling. I glance over at the clock on the nightstand, and I’m shocked when I realize it’s one-thirty in the afternoon. How has so much time passed by?

I have a god-awful taste in my mouth as if something died in there, and my head is pounding. I must have a migraine coming on. I drag myself out of bed. I still feel kind of groggy. I turn the cold water on in the shower and step in under the cold and unforgiving water. It’s pounding down on my head and weary body. As I step out of the shower, I almost slip on the tile floor. I manage to grab ahold of the edge of the sink at the last possible moment. I dry myself off and dress in blue jeans and a tee-shirt. I don’t have any clean underwear, so I have to put on yesterdays. They’re lying in a heap of dirty clothes on the bathroom floor. I vow to do the laundry today.

Road Trip

I’m almost afraid to look in the mirror. There are dark circles and bags under my eyes. I drag the comb through my hair. I need a haircut so badly, and yet I can’t manage to gather the energy to call up my hairdresser and make an appointment.  Once again, I stare into the mirror at my reflection and think, who is that? That can’t be me. When did I get this old?

I shuffle out toward the kitchen and can’t help but notice the disarray I come across with every step. When did I stop caring about, well, everything? I need something or someone to give me a reason to keep going. Ever since my husband died. Well, he didn’t die. He’s just dead to me since, after thirty years of marriage, he left me for another woman. Not even a younger woman, someone my own age. I sigh and head toward the kitchen. I know I‘ll feel better if I get a good breakfast under my belt. That is, if I had a belt that I could still buckle. I really need an exercise routine. I need something that will give me the incentive to get up, get out, and start moving. I decide to make hot oatmeal with raisins. I have always loved hot oatmeal.

That was great, I do feel so much better, and the Earl Grey tea hit the spot as well. I start washing the dishes and wiping down the counters, and even cleaning the sink. The phone rings. It’s probably just someone wanting me to buy something or some scammer trying to sell me additional time on a warranty for a car I no longer own.

“Hello, yes, this is Janice Rathgeb. Who’s this?”

“Mary O’Donnell, you say. Yes, that sounds familiar. Oh yes, you’re my Aunt Patsy’s lawyer. What can I do for you? What, she passed away? I’m sorry to hear that, I haven’t spoken to her in a long time. She was always so kind to me. I should have kept in touch. But you know how things are. You get busy. But that’s no excuse.”

“The reason I’m calling is that your Aunt Mary has left you her most precious possession, but you will have to come here by end of the day to take ownership. Please send me your email address, and I will give you the location where you can take delivery.”

“You want me to come to pick “it” up? Can’t you just mail it to me?”

“No, the condition of taking ownership in your Aunt’s will states clearly that you must come to the location and take ownership.”

I decided to check out my email and the news on the internet. The next thing I know, it’s four hours later. I received the address to pick up my “inheritance.” I can not imagine what my Aunt would give me. She was always kind to me when I was growing up. She was somewhat of an odd duck. She was creative and used to write stories and even paint. She really didn’t fit in with the rest of the family at all.

But she always made time for me. She gave me thoughtful gifts on birthdays and Christmas. One time she took me out and paid for me to go for a ride in a helicopter. I can remember how I was so excited by that ride and didn’t stop talking about it for months. I don’t understand why I stopped seeing and talking to her. And now it’s too late.

I pull myself up out of my chair and head into the kitchen to make some lunch. I decided that tomorrow first thing I would go to the location my Aunt’s lawyer sent me and pick up my mysterious inheritance. I start feeling optimistic about it. Finally, something good is going to happen. After dinner, I plan my trip and pack an overnight bag just in case I have to stay over.

I imagine all the things my aunt might leave me. She was quite a collector of art, antique furniture, and musical instruments. Oh, I almost forgot about the musical instruments. When I was about fifteen, she bought me a mountain dulcimer. It was handmade, and the sounds it created were incredible. I loved that dulcimer. It turned out that I had a natural talent. I played it for many years when I met my husband to be and then we got engaged. He didn’t care for the dulcimer.

He discouraged me from playing, and when we were able to buy our first house, he said I was going to be too busy setting up the household and eventually having children. Turns out he wasn’t able to have kids, so I spent the next thirty years selling insurance. I tried to convince him that we could adopt children, but he said he didn’t want to raise anyone else’s kids.

I went to bed early that night since tomorrow would be a long day of driving. I haven’t been back home for years. After my parent’s passed away, there didn’t seem to be any reason to go back to North Carolina. My whole family had spread out across the country, and no one was left in Pittsboro. It’s a small southern town, and there didn’t seem to be much of a future for me there. So, I moved to the Philadelphia, Pa area. And that’s where I met my future husband.

The next morning, I woke up before the alarm went off. I feel optimistic, as if something wonderful is going to happen. I don’t remember the last time I felt happy. I feel energized and excited. I eat a quick breakfast and drink a cup of coffee. I grab my purse and suitcase and head out to the garage.

I look at my car and wish I had taken the time yesterday to take it to the car wash. I decide to take the time to clear out all the fast-food wrappers and old take-out coffee cups. When did I become such a slob? I used to be so neat and clean. I guess it happened about the time I realized my husband didn’t love me anymore, and it was clear he had found someone else. I just stopped caring about everything, even myself. But today is a new day, and I just feel in my bones that it’s going to be the beginning of something life-changing.

It will take about seven and a half hours to drive from Philadelphia to North Carolina. If I only take a couple of stops along the way, I should arrive at about six ‘clock tonight. I pack a lunch and have a big thermos of coffee. I back out of the garage and get out and lock the garage and check the front and back doors. Everything is locked tight. And I’m off.

My first and only stop is going to be the exact midway point between Philadelphia and Pittsboro in Woodford, Virginia. It is 423 miles at the halfway point. The first half of the trip goes by quickly without any problems. I decide to stop at one of the rest stops to have lunch. I haven’t done that in years. For some reason, I always loved shopping and eating at Rest Stops. The food is always awful and greasy. And to be completely honest, I just love that greasy food.

But somehow, there’s a kind of excitement about being midway between two places and not having any responsibilities or worries other than getting from point A to point B. And then there is the added enjoyment of watching your fellow travelers and listening to their conversations. I have always loved listening to the conversations of strangers. The ones you will never see again. I guess I’m kind of a voyeur.

I pull into a parking spot and grab my purse and lock the car. And head into the rest stop. I use the lady’s room and then find an empty seat and look at the menu. I decide to go for a cheeseburger with the works, including onion, since I’m driving by myself. I also order spicy fries and a piece of apple pie with hot coffee.

As I wait for my order, I look around, and the place is almost completely full.  I see a couple of little kids running all over the place and hear their parents yelling, “Joey and Samantha come back to your seats right now. Your lunch is here.” The kids run around once more until the father yells at the top of his lungs, “get your asses over here and sit down.”

Every head in the restaurant pops up, and everyone quiets down. I guess at some point in their lives, they all had their fathers yell at them with that voice and knew they had better sit down and shut up, or you were in big trouble. I laugh out loud. I stop at the lady’s room once again just in case. And head back to my car for the second half of the trip.

I arrived at the hotel and made a reservation outside of Pittsboro. I gave my aunt’s lawyer a call and let him know I arrived. He gave me an address to meet him tomorrow morning at ten in the morning. I am exhausted by the long drive but, at the same time, excited by all the possibilities of what I may have inherited. My aunt always had a big heart, but she had a great sense of humor, so who knows what would happen tomorrow?

I decide to freshen up in my hotel room and then eat at the restaurant down the street. They promised to have country cooking. Oh, how I always loved country cooking.

The dinner was great and about as Southern as you can get. I left a big tip and thanked the waitress. I promised to stop by again if I ever came this way.

The next morning, I woke up a seven o’clock sharp and got a shower, and headed for the hotel dining room where breakfast. I settled for yogurt and coffee and a buttered muffin. I studied the map last night, and it looks like I have about a forty-five-minute drive to the address I was given. I was told to ask for Liz Fortunato.

I forgot how beautiful North Carolina was in the Spring when all the wildflowers started appearing all along the country roads, and the farms were coming alive. Oh, and all the cows and sheep and horses on the family farms along the way. Really beautiful. I didn’t realize how much I missed it. I was about to make my last turn for my destination when I started thinking, what in the world could my aunt have left for me way out here in the country? And then I saw a large sign at the gate of a beautiful farm. It said Fortunato’s Kennels and Boarding. What in the world did my aunt leave me a horse? What would I do with a horse?

I pulled up to the front gate, and there was a sign that said, Open the Gate, and drive through and close the gate behind you. So, I did just that. I drove down a long driveway past some beautiful pastures with horses and burros and goats and sheep. I pulled over at the end of the driveway when I saw a middle-aged woman walking toward me. “Hello, are you Janice Rathgeb?”

“Yes, are you Liz Fortunato?”

“Yes, I am. I’m so happy that you were able to come out here as quickly as you have. We have been looking forward to meeting you since Harry came to live with us. He is such a wonderful fellow. I know you will fall in love with him the moment you meet him.”

“Harry, who are you talking about?”

“Well, as I understand it, Harry is the inheritance that your favorite aunt left you when she passed away.”

“But what is Harry?”

“Why Harry is a dog, of course. He is the most beautiful Irish Setter I’ve ever had the pleasure to board here at Fortunato’s. I know you will love him as much as we have all come to love him. Hold on while I contact his kennel and have one of the keepers come out with Harry.”

Janice stood there flabbergasted. She was so shocked by the turn of events she didn’t even know how to respond. She hadn’t owned a dog since she was a young girl. When he passed away, she was brokenhearted. She loved that dog more than anything or anyone. She was about ten years old when she passed away. And Janice said she never wanted to have another dog again. Because the loss she felt when he died was more than she could ever take again in her life.

At that moment, a young girl in her twenties came walking up the path toward them, and next to her walked the most beautiful dog that she had ever seen. She realized Harry was the spitting image of her dog Naomi.

“Thank you, Ellen, for bringing Harry. This is Ms. Rathgeb, and she is going to be Harry’s new owner.”

“Oh, Ms. Rathgeb, I’m going to miss Harry so much. He is the most loving dog you can imagine. He has such a sweet temperament.” And with some reluctance, she placed Harry’s leash in Janice’s hand. “Goodbye, Harry. I will miss you so much.” And she turned and walked away.

Janice looked over at Liz Fortunato and said, “Harry is my inheritance?”

“Well, yes, I suppose he is. When your aunt became ill, she contacted me and asked if I could care for him until you arrived. That was about a month ago. I heard she passed about two weeks ago. I was sad to hear it. She was the kindest soul I had ever met. And Harry here, well, he is an angel. There are no other words to describe him. He never met anyone that he didn’t like, and everyone who has met him loved him on sight. I’m not exaggerating.”

Janice looked at Harry, and he looked right into her eyes, and her heart began to melt. He stepped forward a few steps and place his beautiful face in the palm of her hand, and she leaned over and began petting his beautiful long, silky coat. “Wow, he reminds me so much of a dog I had when I was a child. I loved that dog.”

“I have no doubt but that you will fall in love with Harry in no time at all. He is intelligent, has a sweet and loving nature, and rarely barks. As I said, everyone had come to love him and will miss him. But we know he will be happy with you. I’m sure your Aunt knew what would make you happy. Unconditional love and loyalty.”

Janice got down on her knees and petted Harry from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail. “Oh, he is such a beautiful dog.” Janice felt her heart melt a little, and then Harry put his head on her knee and looked up into her eyes. And that’s when Janice knew that nothing her aunt could have left her would be better than this beautiful dog. Who she had no doubt she would love for the rest of his life.  And she had found a soul that would give her life meaning and unconditional love.

Thank you, Ms. Fortunato. I have to agree I can’t imagine any greater gift that my aunt could bestow upon me than this beautiful dog.”

Janice took Harry’s lead and said, “let’s go home, Harry.” And he walked off with her towards her car and never looked back. Janice opened the back door of the car and jumped in as if he had done it a thousand times before. Janice got in the front seat, locked the doors, and started driving toward the gate. “Well, Harry, I wonder what life has in store for us? I don’t know for sure, but I know it will be a wonderful adventure.”

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