All The Love In The World

[smokingboot]

Seen my father's will, barring the bits he left in various locked up settlements. He seems to have left Mum, my brother and me out comprehensively, given everything to his second wife and I suspect tried to secure all he could for his third child, my half-sister. This I can understand, but it still hurts not to have had an acknowledgment; I have his shonky ring (admittedly given to me by Mum) and no need of his money, likewise Bro isn't exactly a pauper, though he was hurt that Dad's straight razors, promised to him, never appeared. I am almost relieved at that, god knows what Dad did with them in his youth, and ghosts follow blood they say. But they were a promise. Still, a promise from Dad is not exactly a gold standard. I'll not mention the will to Bro. This primitive pang at being forgotten/ignored will leave me, Bro is not resilient that way.

It could be a life changing amount of money for one if that person was modest. What it may not be is what I suspect he tried to make of it; a lifelong guarantee of comfort and care for Alice Jane. AJ is extremely disabled with cerebral palsy and many associated issues. Her mother died before probate was granted, so I assume Dad's will stands and the guardian cited within it is AJ's legal guardian, but I have no way of chasing that, because the will was written nearly 16 years ago, Dad died 10 years ago, his second wife died 4 years ago, probate was granted 3 years ago, and said wife may have had a will which superceded this in any case. As long as AJ is safe, happy, and not banged up in some miserable facility while executors live the life of Riley on her money, there seems to be no cause for concern. But even if there is, the solicitors have made it very clear that I can do nothing about it.

R tells me that I have enough on my plate with Bro and Mum, and he has a point; my emotional labour levels are high. On the other hand, I can sympathise with a very vulnerable little girl who lost her parents and all the love in the world. Of course, she's not a little girl anymore she's in her 30s now I think. I never knew my half sister, she only ever spoke three words to me, over our father's coffin, and those three words were unpleasant coached no doubt by her unpleasant mother. Dad wanted me to adopt AJ (huh?) but he was drunk when he suggested it, and I refused and still would. But my determination not to get involved in Dad's mess doesn't extend to just leaving AJ to live or die a stranger in whatever circumstances. Only that's how it has turned out. If there's a way round this, I don't know what it is.

Comments

[mallorys_camera]

That's a hard situation. But R is right (as usual).

[smokingboot]

He is. A dreadful habit, this business of being right!