Mr. Stefano found the will among his papers and began to read it out loud, �I, Theodore McTalon Jones, of sound mind and body, leave all my worldly possessions, money, house, and two businesses, to my great nephew, Michael Edward Woodson, and my two great nieces, Crystal Gail Woodson Hilton and Jeannie Marie Woodson. They will have all power over everything and if they choose to sell, they have the right to do so without any outside interference from anyone.�
The lawyer stopped there and I exchanged looks with my family. I wanted to know what was meant by that last part, but I was afraid to ask.
Chris apparently knew what I was thinking because he asked for me, �What did that last part mean?�
Mr. Stefano shrugged and stated, �It simply means that Crystal and her siblings can do whatever they want with the property, but if they choose to sell, it will put a lot of people out of work.�
�What kind of businesses are we talking about?� I asked.
Mr. Stefano glanced at me, smiled and replied, �A Bed and Breakfast inn called the Weeping Willow and a dance club called Moonlit Skies.�
Mike choked on his soda at the mention of a dance club and I at the bed and breakfast. They were two totally different styles of business and I wondered how our great uncle kept them straight. On one hand you have a night club that�s more of a scene for the younger generation and on the other hand you have a nice quite inn for the older generation. I couldn�t see someone in their sixties dancing the night away on a dance floor somewhere.
I figured out which had more of an interest to my baby brother when he pulled himself back together and asked, �Did you just say dance club?�
Mr. Stefano smiled like the Cheshire Cat and replied, �Yes I did.�
�I call dibs on the dance club!� Exclaimed my brother.
I glared at him from across the table because he was too far for me to kick him in the shins. I returned my attention back toward the lawyer and asked in a calm voice, �So we can either keep them or sell them right?�
It was an innocent question but the look from my brother told me I was in for a fight. Mr. Stefano even seemed displeased with my question because he froze and his smile slipped from his face. He turned towards me and the look on his face scared the crap out of me. His face looked liked it shifted into something else all together.
He pulled himself together to keep me from seeing how pissed he was and reached across the table to put his hand over mine as to say things will be ok, but the look in his eyes told me what Carrie had told me earlier. He�d got a thing for me and it sort of scared me because I�d seen two sides of this man in two seconds that most people wouldn�t pick up on until it was too late.
�Yes as the new owners you have that right,� he said.
Someone cleared their throat across the table and we both glanced over to find Chris giving Mr. Stefano a mean glare. He also had his arms crossed over his chest which was a bad sign. It showed that he was pissed and he was ticked because the lawyer was touching me in a way that was only meant for lovers. Mr. Stefano caught the meaning as well and removed his hand from mine and Chris eased up a little.
I saw Mike give me another look that wasn�t too friendly. He was starting to bug me with his stares so I asked him, �Got a problem Mike?�
�You damn well believe I�ve got a problem. I can�t believe you are seriously thinking about selling,� he stated in a hard tone.
Shaking my head I met his anger with my own and replied, �I don�t know Mike, but this is too much being dropped into our laps at once. What are we supposed to do? What will mom think when she finds out, �cause you know we�re going to have to tell her?�
Mike ignored me completely and turned his attention back to Mr. Stefano and asked the question that pissed me off, �How much money did he leave us?�
My eyes bugged out and I screeched, �Mike how can you think about money at a time like this? We don�t even know if all this is legit and what does that have to do with telling mom about all this?�
Everyone at the table went quiet because they knew Mike and I were about to get into it, and we did.
�Dammit Punk. You don�t get it do you? This is a chance to help mom with getting rid of the bills, for Steph and I to start over with a clean slate and you�re more concerned with how mom is going to take the news. You seriously don�t know mom at all do you?� He yelled at me from across the table.
Oh talk about pissed, I more than screamed back, �Well excuse the hell out of me for being more concerned about moms wellbeing. Do you realize that we might have to move to be able to manage the business? Have you thought that maybe mom might not want to move?�
�Oh for crying out loud sis, it�s not mom you�re worried about! You�re worried about being dragged out of that shell of yours. You hide from the world thinking everyone is out to get you and you refuse to trust anyone or take chances. Well sis, let me tell you something.� He got up and grabbed a glass. �This is your shell.� He threw the glass on the floor and stomped on it while continuing, �And I just smashed it �cause I�m dragging your scrawny ass out of it.�
My brother had never talked to me like that before and I was nearly in tears, but I kept myself together and just sat there feeling embarrassed as hell. If my brother had decided to keep the club then I was all alone in my decision because Winky and Steph would side with him, while Chris would remain neutral due to it being an immediate family issue.
I turned my attention back to Mr. Stefano and remarked, �I guess it�s unanimous that we�ll be keeping everything.�
He smiled big and I so wanted to slap it off his face. Rustling through the papers he came up with a bunch for us to sign.
Chris stopped him with his hand and said, �Before you drag my wife and her family through this paper work, I�ve got a few questions of my own.�
Mr. Stefano�s smile faded a little and he motioned for Chris to continue. I didn�t hear anything Chris was saying because a ringing noise began to play loudly in my ears. It was almost like a radio station trying to come in. After a few seconds it cleared and what I heard chilled me to the bone.
�She won�t be your wife for long human. Not if I�ve got anything to say about it.� This came from Mr. Stefano and I quickly turned my head toward him. He hadn�t said a word and I just shook my head as if I was imagining things. Voices started going off in my head all around me. I turned around to see who was doing the talking and no one was showing the signs of verbal communication. They were all sitting there quietly eating their lunch or sipping on their drinks. I stuck a finger in my ears and wiggled it trying to unclog it. By now my head was hurting and I thought the whole scenario was due to being under a lot of stress.
I had picked up my drink and taken a sip of it when I heard my sister�s voice in my head, �I wonder what he looks like without a shirt on. I bet he�s sexy.�
Her comments made me choke on my soda and I went into a fit of coughing. Everyone�s attention turned toward me, while Winky tried to get me to stop coughing by beating me on the back.
Once the shock was over and I had stopped coughing I turned around and smacked my sister and said, �You need to have your mind washed out with soap.�
Her eyes got big and she sputtered, �Excuse me. I didn�t say anything. I think you�re losing it.�
I muttered under my breath and stated, �You�re not the only one.� Then out loud, �So what were we talking about?�
Everyone looked at me like I�d grown an extra head. Chris glanced at me with concern and asked, �Have you heard a word that�s been said?�
I shook my head and answered, �No I haven�t.�
Chris rolled his eyes and snickered, �Why am I not surprised?�
Mr. Stefano took this opportunity to chime in, �We�re discussing where the house and businesses are and how much money has been left and what of your uncle�s possessions you�ll need to go through.�
I made a big O with my mouth then asked, �So what�s the deal?�
�The deal is you need to start paying attention Punk. You are such a space cadet,� nagged my sister-in-law.
I stuck my tongue out at her and she returned the favor.
�If everyone�s through bickering, can we get back to business,� snapped Mr. Stefano.
We all gave him dirty looks and he ignored them and continued on, �Now, like I was telling Chris, the dance club is located on the outskirts of Arlington, Virginia, before you get into D.C. The bed and breakfast is out in the country of Arlington on a piece of private land owned by your uncle. It even has its own lake. The house sits on the opposite bank of the lake and has plenty of room for everyone.
Each of you was left with five hundred dollars in a bank account established in each one of your names.�
�You�re shitten,� came Winky�s voice beside me.
Mr. Stefano glanced up at her, smiled, and replied, �No I am not.�
�Woo Buddy,� she replied in a sing song voice.
I rolled my eyes and sighed knowing I was out numbered now. I went back to the conversation at hand and asked, �Is there anything else?�
He smiled and stated, �Only to sign the papers to clarify that you�re the new owners of everything.�
I rubbed my temples with my fingers and questioned, �Can you give us a moment to talk this through?�
�Of course. Take all the time you need. I have a few calls to make anyway,� he replied and got up from the table.
When he was out of the room, I glanced at Chris and asked, �What do you think?�
�What I think is that it�s up to you all and I�ll stand by what everyone decides,� he answered.
�That doesn�t help Chris,� I moaned.
�What do you want me to say?� He asked.
�I want you to say this isn�t happening and everything is a scam and not to do it,� I whined.
He shook his head and replied, �I can�t do that because everything is legit. It�s up to you, Mike, and Wink now.�
Throwing my hands up in defeat I turned to my siblings and stated, �Well, what do you have to say now.�
�I�m still for it,� said Mike.
I turned to Winky and asked her the same thing, �What about you Winky?�
She shrugged and replied, �I�m game as well as long as mom�s not going to kill us for it later. We�re going to have to tell her, since it looks like we�re going to have to move.�
I laid my head down on the table for a few minutes trying to gather my thoughts. Then when I realize that I was beaten, I looked up and asked the dreaded question, �So who�s telling mom?�
�You are,� they all chimed in.
I rolled my eyes and stated, �Thanks guys. Let me be the one to get thrown to the wolves.�
When I made that comment I didn�t realize how soon I�d be actually thrown into a wolf den.
Mr. Stefano came back shortly afterwards and we all signed the papers for the deeds. We finished with our lunches and light conversation before we all left the restaurant and went our separate ways. I wasn�t sure how to tell mom about all this but I was pretty sure she was going to be pissed. I wasn�t sure if her health was up to taking this kind of news. I just hoped she didn�t have a heart attack on me. Goddess, help me now in this time of need, because it was going to be one hell of a roller coaster ride�Blessed Be!