Epilogue Part 2
EPILOGUE PART 2
S ix Months after The Garden.
“What are we doing here you weirdo?” Amelia giggles as I lead her through the foyer of a home I haven’t stepped foot in in almost two decades.
I’m surrounded by walls that hold more memories from my childhood than any other place I’ve lived. My grandparents house has been well maintained over the years by the company I’ve hired to ensure it doesn’t fall under disarray. I could never bring myself to come here after they died. It hurt too much to know that they would never bribe me to wake up for school with strawberry Pop-Tarts when I overslept or that I’d never get the feeling of coming home again because my home was now buried in the ground.
I notice all the things missing as soon as I walk through the house. The china cabinet that used to be filled from top to bottom with my grandmother’s expansive collection is now void of teacups and saucers. The mirrored shelves are perfectly dusted but empty. The paintings on the wall are gone and in its place are bare spots on the walls that should’ve been covered with my grandfather’s collectable art .
This house has been raided of anything worth any value. I’m glad I didn’t see this house when it was being ripped apart by the vultures that share my last name. The funeral was hard enough for me, but had I been here to see the aftermath of what my home had become, I don’t know if I would’ve survived their loss a second time.
“Riley…” Amelia gently runs her hand along the side of my face, “baby, talk to me.” Her voice, an angelic anchor to the good in this world pulls me from my own memories.
“I’m sorry.” I look her in her eyes, grateful that I have her here with me as I walk the halls filled with ghosts from my past.
“Don’t be sorry. I’m here for you. What exactly are we doing here again?” She asks curiously.
“Right!” I snap my fingers, instantly remembering why I had brought her here in the first place. I grab her hand and pull her towards the staircase that leads to my old bedroom. “It’s almost Christmas!”
Amelia chuckles behind me, her stiletto heels clicking against the hardwoods attempting to keep up with my excited pace. I slow my walk allowing her to take her time in her heels. I had asked her to come with me after work today to help me grab a few things without divulging too much detail but also left her no time to change into more comfortable shoes.
It’s been six months of working together, after I had quit my job at Anderson & Anderson, Amelia asked me to join Thatcher Inc. as her Head of Legal Council. She said while she’s sure the law firm Daniel, her father, had hired was great, she still felt more comfortable having someone that she could trust leading the charge of her company's acquisitions moving forwar d. The idea of my girlfriend being my boss should’ve bothered me more than it does but I can’t complain when I’m able to take advantage of late nights in the office when it’s just us or the occasional business trip we need to take together to close a deal.
“Yes, I know it’s Christmas silly! We scratched up our ceiling with a tree you were so sure would fit in our home!” I duly noted that a twelve foot tree might have been overkill now that the tip of our tree is slightly bent at the top. “But what does that have to do with us being here?”
“You’ll see!” I hold her hand in mine as I open the door to my childhood bedroom. A bedroom I haven’t walked into since I was sixteen. Luckily for me, I never went through an embarrassing phase of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit posters so the only things on the walls are bare cork boards where I used to tack note cards and artwork my grandmother thought were fitting for a man’s room which was anything that didn’t include flowers. I guide her towards the empty closet, and open the secret door at the back wall that hides a box that only comes out in December.
“What in the Narnia is this?” Amelia jokes while trying to peek over my shoulder while I’m crouching down to pull the box out.
The box is covered in a layer of dust from years of neglect. I gently pry the top off, careful not to disturb the dust to keep it from flying in our faces. The moment the lid comes off, Amelia lets out a gasp behind me.
“Riley! It’s beautiful!” I pull out the gold star covered in Swarovski crystals that my grandparents let me place on the top of our tree every year. “Why on earth would you hide it in here?”
“My grandparents always told me that the mos t valuable things need to be kept safe and the only people that knew about this secret closet were the three of us…. and now you.” I turn around, stretch my body, and kiss the delicate spot above her collar bone. She purrs at my touch and I can’t resist pulling her down on the ground with me to kiss her more thoroughly.
“Riley!” Amelia squeals beneath me, giggling at my aggressive touch. I pay her no mind as I pin her body down with the weight of mine and run my other hand down the length of her suede dress. Too impatient to wait until we get home to have her the way I need her. “Riley, wait!” Her confusion makes me pause.
I lift my body off of hers and turn my head in the direction she’s staring. “What?” I ask curiously, clearly not seeing what caused her to stop me from completely devouring her.
“There’s something taped to the rafters up there.” She crawls out from under me and she’s halfway in the closet before I have a chance to grab her back.
“Amelia, be careful.” I warn her. There’s never been more than this box in that space but I never know if there’s some animal that might have made its way in there in the last seventeen years.
I hear the sound of rustling then she scoots back into the closet with what looks like a large manilla envelope in her hand.
“What is it?” I ask.
She eyes me curiously, “how should I know? This is literally my first time stepping foot in this house.” Amelia hands me the yellow package and waits patiently while I open it to reveal the contents while she brushes off the layer of dust from her exposed knees and hands.
“This can't be… ”
“What? Tell me! What is it!?” Amelia stares at me trying to decipher the look on my face.
“It’s my grandparents' last will and testament.” I try to make sense of what I’m seeing. “We thought the last one was what was on file at the law firm. It was dated before I was even born, but this one is dated a year before their accident.”
My heart is pounding so hard in my chest I feel like I might crack a rib.
“What does it say?” Amelia asks gently.
I read her the document in my hands.
Last Will And Testament
Of
I, George Jonathon Anderson, of sound, mind, and body, hereby revoke my former Wills and Codicils and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament.
“Oh my god.” I read the remainder of the will in stunned silence.
“What is it Riley? Is everything ok? What else does it say?”
Unable to truly process or believe the words I’m reading. I swallow the lump in my throat as I read Amelia the rest of the Will.
If my spouse does not survive me, my estate will be distributed to my next sole beneficiary, Riley Nicholas Anderson. Assets which will include but are not limited to: my seat and ownership of Anderson & Anderson Law Associates, and any and all real estate holdings that bare my legal name or that of my spouse upon our passing.
“What does this all mean Riley?” Amelia places a gentle hand against my cheek.
“It means… they left me everything.”