Chapter Four
Gabe
A week after the funeral Matt and I headed out to the lawyer’s office to hear the reading of dad’s will. I had left Louie with Lana, who seemed happy to spend some time with him. Matt initially refused my offer to drive him to the meeting in town, but he eventually relented and sullenly got into my car.
We spent the journey in silence, although the deep, unhappy sighs I could hear coming from Matt were loud enough to make the entire journey awkward. I wanted to pull him up on his attitude, but thought better of it. I didn’t have the energy to deal with another tantrum, so I kept my mouth shut and we managed to get into town in one piece.
I knew an argument was coming. I could sense it in the air. It was always that way with Matt. He would let things build up and stew inside and then he would explode. It was hard to remember he was grieving the loss of dad too, when he was intent on alienating everyone all of the time.
I parked the car and was just about to get out when Matt huffed a huge sigh out and shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m bothering to come to this. I know he’s left the entire estate to you.”
“You don’t know that at all.”
“Really? Come on Gabe, be real. We both know he’s gonna do some fucked up shit where I get completely left out of the will.”
I frowned, unable to believe that Matt would think so lowly of our father. “You’re being paranoid. Come on, we’re going to be late.”
The lawyer carefully looked through the sheaf of papers on her desk while we waited on uncomfortable wooden chairs across from her. She had been my dad’s lawyer for years, helping him to draw up contracts and title deeds for various things to do with the farm.
“Okay Gabriel, Matt. I have in front of me your father’s last will and testament. Matt, you have been left the plot of land adjacent to the forest, along with his collection of guns and watches. Gabriel, Charlie has bequeathed you the remainder of his estate, with the stipulation that the farm is to be kept as a going concern. You will continue to manage the estate, employing whomever you see fit.”
Matt turned to look at me, his face filled with rage. “Now do you believe me?”
I had to admit I was confused myself. I sat forward in my seat. “I’m sorry Sandra, this doesn’t make much sense. Why has dad left the farm solely to me? Surely it should be split equally?”
“Well, I do have to agree that this isn’t normal. But it’s what your father has stipulated.”
Matt pushed out of his chair, knocking it over. He looked like he could turn into the Incredible Hulk. “This is ridiculous! I always knew he hated me!”
“Matt! Sit down!”
Sandra cleared her throat. “There is something else that I need to give to you.”
We both stared at Sandra as she picked up a folded piece of paper and held it up. I took it from her and opened it.
“It’s dad’s handwriting.” It was a letter, addressed to me. I scanned it quickly, somehow unable to pick up the meaning of it. I looked up at Sandra for an explanation. She simply shrugged and folded her hands.
“This can’t be right.”
“What does it say?” Matt grabbed the letter out of my hand and began to read it.
I sat down hard. “What the hell was he thinking? He wants me to get married to a local woman. What the hell?”
Matt looked up from the letter in confusion. “It says here that if you don’t marry a local woman, you forfeit the whole estate and it comes to me, to be disposed of as I see fit. Well, fuck me dad! You played a doozy, that’s for sure!”
“He sure did. But why? That’s just crazy. It can’t be right.”
“Charlie was adamant that the instructions in his letter be carried out in the event of his death. He asked me to witness his signature,” Sandra explained.
“But it doesn’t make any sense, Sandra. Why bother leaving the estate to me in the first place if he was going to place such a stipulation on me? He might as well have just left the whole thing to Matt.”
“Hell yeah. There’s no way on earth you’re going to marry another woman from South Dakota,” Matt crowed. “We might as well just settle it here and now. Do you forfeit the estate?”
I was just about to speak when Sandra put out her hand. “Hold up just a minute. You don’t need to forfeit the estate right this moment. Why don’t you take some time to think about it? Your father’s wishes have to count for something surely?”
I shook my head. “No. Not when it comes to trying to force me to marry someone. No inheritance is worth that. I just don’t know why dad would do this to me, what purpose he had in making such a demand.”
Sandra shrugged. “From what he said when he asked me to witness the letter, I can only surmise that he knew how bitter you were about what happened with Rebecca. He told me that he wanted you to realize that just because one woman from South Dakota broke your heart, you couldn’t discount all of the women here.”
My head felt like it was about to burst. “So what? He uses the inheritance as a sort of carrot to get me to marry some local woman? That’s nuts!”
“All I know is that I knew your father for decades, and he was always of sound mind and fair in his dealings. If this is what he wanted to come of his estate, then there must have been a reasoning behind it. Now, I suggest you go away and think about what you want to do. There isn’t a time limit per se, but I suggest if you’re dead set against following the will, we set a date as soon as possible to transfer all the title to Matt.
I didn’t respond. I was floored. Nothing made sense.
Matt stood up and took his copy of the will from Sandra. “Just to get one thing straight. If Gabe forfeits the estate, I can do anything I like with the property? Like, I could shut down the farm and redevelop if I wanted?”
Sandra frowned, as though she was embarrassed to even be answering the question. “Yes, Matt, that’s correct. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, shall we? I’m sure your father didn’t mean for the entire farm to be closed down. After all, the whole reasoning behind having Gabe manage the whole thing, was to ensure it would be kept as a going concern.”
“Uh-uh, I see. I just wanted to clarify that point.” Matt turned to me. “I’m going to pick up some things from the grocery store. I’ll see you down at the car.”
I just nodded back at him. I couldn’t move from my seat.
“Take your time over this, Gabe. Don’t rush into anything foolish either way. I know Charlie always had your best interest at heart.”
“Really? It feels like he never knew me at all. He picked a funny time to try and make a point, like somehow I have no right to be angry at what Rebecca did to me.”
Sandra patted my arm sympathetically. “I think what he’s trying to say is that you can’t blame the town for something that one woman did.”
Matt’s mood had improved when he finally got back in the car. He even smiled at me as he organized the bags in the back. “I got us some beer for when we get back to the house. We can celebrate.”
“I don’t really feel like celebrating.”
Matt snorted and climbed inside the car. “Your nose is just out of joint because something didn’t go your way for once.”
I slammed my hand down on the dashboard. “Is that what you think this is about? Are you so wrapped up in your obsession that you have to be in competition with me for dad’s love?”
Matt cracked open a beer with his teeth and spat out the lid. “Just calling it like it is, bro.”
Gripping the steering wheel so hard that my knuckles went white, I put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. I could feel my blood pressure going through the roof, and it was all I could do to focus on the road in front of me.
“I can’t believe he’s done this.”
“I can. And I know you’ll cave in and marry someone local just so you can get your hands on the inheritance.”
“Don’t be so sure about it Matt. There’s no way in hell I’m marrying someone from here just for the sake of some money. I don’t need dad’s cash. I’m doing pretty well for myself with the company.”
Matt laughed derisively. “Yeah, you’re already set for life. You don’t need the farm or the land. You can just keep profiting off war.”
“Don’t test me, Matt. I work hard for my money. And for your information, we specialize in peacekeeping, not war mongering. You would know that if you bothered to keep in contact with me. But you don’t give a damn about anyone but yourself, and your petty little inferiority complex.”
I threw the car round a corner and Matt cursed as his beer spilled over his shirt. He took one look at my face and laughed. “Gabe, you’re absolutely right, you know that? And you know something? I can’t wait until you sign everything over to me and fuck off back to DC with your tail between your legs. I’ve got big plans for the land.”
“Yeah well, you’re welcome to it. I’m out of here as soon as possible. Now shut up and let me concentrate on driving, or we can stop the car and duke it out on the side of the road.”
“Sir, yes Sir!”
I cursed under my breath and used up the last reserves of my self-control concentrating on not punching my brother’s lights out.