Orphan's Inheritance

The lazy sun bathed the wet grass in its golden light. It was a bright morning, with clear blue skies as far as the eyes could see. I breathed in the fresh air and stared at the sight of emptiness before me. I guess there was one good thing about being locked up alone in a huge mansion in the middle of nowhere; you had peace.

Just about a week ago, I was standing at my front door in my decent apartment staring at an unfamiliar man’s face and wondering whether I should let him in or call the police.

“Please Miss Emerson, I have my card and all the documents right here in this folder. Just allow me to explain, then if you still think I’m trying to scam you, I’ll show myself the door. Do we have a deal?”

I scanned the supposed “Lawyer” and looked for any hint that indicated fraudulence. Finding no such thing, I took the documents and inspected them instead. They seemed clean too.

“Fine, come in.”

The man stepped in and sat on the couch. He opened his briefcase and pulled out some papers and spread them out over the coffee table in front of him.

I sat down too. “Okay Mr. Walker. Can you start over your story? And this time I want to see evidence for everything you say.”

He nodded. “Well, as I would have told you earlier, my name is Jacob Walker. I was a lawyer to one of your relatives until she passed away about a week ago. She has left you some inheritance. Her name was Carolyn Marshall.” He paused at this point to slide me a photograph.

Normally, the word “Inheritance” could send a middle-class woman like me scrambling halfway across the country. However, I was quite wary.

My life began in a dumpster where I was discarded about an hour after I was born. I grew up in an orphanage until the ripe age of eighteen when I was kicked out to clear some space for new orphans. From then, I worked my way up the social strata to a point where I no longer needed to get abused by middle-aged women who got mad over their inability to fit into a size “small” dress to pay my bills.

Now, when I had finally settled down in life, this strange man turns up at my door informing me that a so called “family member” had left me some inheritance. Any person in their right mind would have shut the door and gone back to their business. But I didn’t. I guess that no matter what I liked to believe, there was still a tiny spark inside of me yearning to find my family again.

I picked up the photograph and looked at the smiling woman in it. The first thing that struck me was the resemblance. She had the same amber eyes as me, the same olive skin colour, the same small nose, and the same black hair; except hers was streaked with hundreds of grey strands. 

“Hm. Well there’s no denying that we share some kind of genetic connection. How is she related to me though?”

I handed the picture back to him.

 “er- don’t you want to keep it?”

“No.”

He reached for it a bit awkwardly and gently put it into a folder.

“I’m sorry, but she asked me specifically not to disclose any information to you beyond that which is written in the will.”

I frowned. More vagueness.

“Alright, what does the will say then?”

Walker opened another one of his files and pulled out a paper. He showed me Carolyn’s signature on the will, then proceeded to read about fifteen lines of legal frills and fancies before he got to the actual message.

“All of my property, real and personal, of every kind and description, which I may own or have the right to dispose of at the time of my death, I give, devise and bequeath solely to Jessica Emerson once the following requests have been properly met:

1.      Jessica Emerson is expected live in the mansion where I had lived prior to my death, for a period of 24 hours.

2.     She will be given a key and a letter by my lawyer. Once she reads the letter, the key’s use will be known to her.

3.     No one other than Jessica is allowed to enter the mansion during the 24-hour period.

If the above requests are not followed accordingly, then all of my property shall be equally divided and donated to charity.”

I sat quietly, listening to every word. Millions of questions materialised in my head as each line was read. Once Walker finished reading, he put the paper down and looked at me, waiting for a reaction.

I took a sip of water and a deep breath along with it.

“Why?” That was the first word that escaped my lips.

“Pardon me?”

“Why would someone who has never even seen me before decide to give me all of their property? And those conditions…they’re so strange. Is that all that she wrote?”

“What I have read here is all that she has written. Perhaps you will understand Ms. Marshall’s intents once you have visited her mansion.”

“I never said that I agreed to take the inheritance.”

“Then that is your wish. But I am obligated to inform you that you would be refusing thousands, possibly millions of dollars in cash, a two-storey mansion and the acres of land surrounding it. That is, of course among other things.”

A momentary image of me sitting on a pile of cash flashed before my eyes. But then, I reminded myself that the money belonged to the same people who had literally tossed me in the trash. For once in my life, I decided to put my self-respect above money.

“I understand, Mr. Walker. But my answer remains the same.”

The lawyer nodded and rose.

“Well, Ms. Emerson, the offer will stand for a fortnight. You have my card. If you change your mind, give me a call and I will make immediate arrangements. For now, have a good day.” He draped his jacket over his shoulder and made his way out.

I watched him leave, then shut the door. I grabbed a bowl of cereal and turned to the couch to practice my weekend ritual of watching soaps until noon. As I sat down, I noticed a card tucked between the cushions. It was a photograph of a smiling woman. Walker had left me a little gift.

…

It had been about a week after Walker’s visit. I…had had some changes of mind about the whole affair. You see, my hate for “Family” was still immeasurably high. However, by taking this inheritance, at least I would be getting compensated for my childhood misery. Besides, the opportunity to get rich within twenty-four hours seldom knocks twice. Right?

Marshall’s photograph was sitting on my table, staring at me. I could practically hear a haughty “rich-person” laugh echoing from behind those pearly-white teeth.

Ha! So much for self-respect above money.

“Shut up Carolyn. I really hope you have some treasure stashed up under that worm-eaten mansion of yours. Cause if you’re making me go all the way there for nothing…”

The ringing of a phone interrupted my mini-rant. The taxi was here already. I stuffed the picture into my pocket and dragged my suitcase downstairs. As I dumped the giant load into the trunk and slammed it shut, I took one last look at my apartment. Then, I sailed off towards a rather strange and interesting adventure. 

The mansion sat on the side of a green hill. It was not as old as I expected it to be. The inside was well-furnished and clean, and all of the supplies I needed for the stay was already stocked up.

Walker had already arrived before I did. He stayed for about an hour, showing me around and reminding me of the conditions I needed to follow. Then, he handed me my letter and key and drove off. I sat down to read it.

'Dear Jessica,

If you are reading this right now, then I am probably dead. Nevertheless, it is good to meet you. I understand that you are probably confused by my requests in the will. I will explain everything to you in due time.  

First of all, you deserve to know this. I am your mother. Now, I know you are angry. If you are going to leave right now, I have no way of stopping you. I also know that you don’t owe me anything, but please. Just read my story and you might understand my circumstances.

You were born out of wedlock when I was sixteen years old. Your grandfather would have killed both you and me if he had found out about my pregnancy. So, I ran off the very day I found out. I moved around from one place to another like a vagrant for ten months. When you were born, I couldn’t look into your eyes. I couldn’t even dare to hold you in my arms in case I grew to love you. As soon as you were born, I left you in the hands of the poor woman in whose house I gave birth.

I went back home after that and told my parents some foolish story about a religious journey. They took me back in and I continued on with my schooling. There has not been a single day when I haven’t thought about you. I have always kept an eye out for you. But I was too much of a coward to ever approach you. I never married because I grew distrustful of men after my first lover had left me in the time of need.

 Last year, my doctor told me that I would not live to see another year. So, I have written my will and planned your stay here.

Now, I want you to go to the second floor. At the far-left portion of the house, you will find a small room. In that room, you will find a wooden box with my initials carved into it.

With love,

Carolyn M"

I put down the letter and stared at the frilly white curtains through a screen of tears. I couldn’t explain what I was feeling. I didn’t know whether I should hate Carolyn for hiding herself all these years from me or if I should be happy that she never really threw me in the trash but left me in the hands of a woman who she thought would keep me safe. 

I had been carrying so much hate all these years for a woman I didn’t even know. Now that I realised that she never tried to hurt me, that space in my heart made me feel so hollow. I got up and walked up the wooden staircase to the second floor. I decided to follow her instructions.

When I found the room and opened it, I was greeted by the scent of antique perfumes. It was a small, bare room except for a cupboard in the corner. I made my way towards it and opened each of the draws one by one. They were mostly empty, save for a few old journals and letters. However, in the last draw, I found Carolyn’s wooden box. It was about the size of a shoebox.

I sat down near the window, stuck the key into the box and opened it. Inside, was another tiny box, a note, and a large photo album. I flipped through the unfamiliar faces. In every picture, I looked for a small space where I might have fitted in. The Marshalls were a large family. All of them were dressed in beautiful clothes and expensive jewellery, but none of them had a genuine smile in any of the pictures. I had met this kind of people before. They lived for others. They were empty shells of humans with no passions or dreams or joy in their heart. I guess I was better off by myself.

I put the album down and picked up the box. When I opened it, I was greeted by the most beautiful sparkle I had ever seen. It was an enormous diamond set into a designer gold ring. I had never held a diamond even half that size before in my hands. Carefully closing it, I picked up the note. 

'Greetings once more Jessica. I don’t know if you could ever forgive me. But I don’t want to leave this earth knowing that you feel like an orphan. The people in the pictures are all your family members. They can be snakes sometimes, but in the end, they will always stick up for you. The ring is an heirloom piece. I honestly don’t know how much money it would be worth today but it meant a lot to me in the past.

Jessica, the reason I arranged this stay and asked that you be alone was because I wanted you to feel something here. I want you to walk amongst these walls and understand that money and luxury alone cannot carry you through life. Look at these people in the pictures. Look at me. I have money and yet, I have made some awful mistakes in my life. Mistakes that have caused you pain. I am sorry for the pain, but if I were to make that decision again, I would do the same thing.

Do you know why? Because if you were raised in this mansion, you would have become a puppet of society; driven by the will to please others. But now, you are a strong woman made from strong decisions of your own. Go fulfil your dreams and live life to your richest. I have not done anything significant in my forty years of life. But you will be different. I love you my dear. I always have, and I always will.

With love

Carolyn M"

I dropped the letter into the box and shut it. I still didn’t understand a lot about Carolyn. I didn’t know what she had gone through in life. But what I did know is that she truly loved me and wanted to see me grow.

The next morning, I woke up about an hour before the twenty-four hours had ended. I packed my things and stood out in the veranda. When my taxi arrived, I got in and began my ride back to my apartment.

As I turned back to take a look at my mansion, I could see a mirage of Carolyn standing by the window, waving at me. She was smiling.

“I forgive you mom.”