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As I study my dad, I notice that he’s a lot thinner than the last time I saw him; his hair is starting to thin out, too. He looks hollow, which is fitting to his personality. The dim lights that hang from the kitchen ceiling only make it worse, like the life is being sucked out of him.
“Callan, seeing as you already got the company, I’m going to be leaving the house in Virginia’s name with you as beneficiary seeing as she’s still a minor. Obviously, she’ll get access to her trust fund when she’s eighteen and you will help oversee her assets until then.” I look at Virginia who doesn’t seem surprised by this news. My first thought is,why isn’t mom getting the house? The place she made a home and raised two children in. Becausethat’show big of a piece of shit my dad is, to not leave your wife the home you’ve shared for decades?
“Callan, here is the info for my lawyer, Charles. He’ll be the first person you’ll need to contact once my death is announced. He’s handling my affairs and estate accounts, all of which you will have sole control of once this disease takes over,” he continues, and again there’s no mention of my mom. I look over to see a look of sadness blanketing her face.
“Virginia, you get forty percent of the shares in all my stocks and your brother gets the remaining sixty percent. This is also outlined in my will.” He pats his hands down on a pile of paperwork sitting in front of him on the counter.
I’m trying to keep my cool, but I am about to blow up on this asshole. Does he really hate his own wife enough to leave her out of his plans like this? Is he really going to leave her high and dry when the inevitable happens?
“And lastly, Cait, I will make one final transfer of fifty thousand dollars into your personal savings account by next Friday.” My dad struggles to get out his words as he chokes on air, he shakes as he reaches for water before continuing. “As per our understanding and agreement.”
Okay, I’ve fucking had it.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I slam my hand on the counter, Virginia jumps, and a small yelp escapes my mom’s mouth. “You really are a piece of shit, you know that? What the fuck has Mom ever done for you to treat her with so much hate and disrespect, huh?” My tone is heated when the words fly out of my mouth. My body feels red with anger and my blood boils under my skin.
“Callan, please sit down before you embarrass yourself,” my dad threatens gently.
“Fuck that!” I challenge. “Fifty thousand dollars? That’s laughable. You just handed over a three million dollar home and over seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars in stocks to a fifteen-year-old! And your agreement with Mom is a measly fifty grand?” My anger strengthens when I see my mom on the verge of tears.
“Callan, please stop,” Virginia sobs, pleading.
“Ginny, this wasn’t meant to offend you. But this needs to be said. I’ve watched this bastard belittle our mother for too long. Belittleus. And I can’t stand that he would treat her like this. He needs to know his fucking place.” My mom's sobs get louder as I stand and turn to my dad.
“How would you feel if some asshole treated your daughter the way you’re treating our mom?” I slam my fist into the counter.
“Callan,” my mom whispers in between tears.
“You know what, fuck your stocks and fuck your trust funds. Fuck you!” I throw my chair back and it hits the floor behind me.
“Callan, please don’t do this,” Ginny begs behind watery eyes. My dad looks like he’s enjoying this which pisses me off even more.
“Virginia, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. But our father needs to hear this.” I lower my tone to speak to her, tears springing from the corners of her eyes.
“Yourfather,” she whispers.
“What?” I must have misheard her.
“Callan, your mother and I have an agreement in place. This is what she agreed to. This is what the plan is. We talked about this before the cancer came. If you or Virginia decide to share or split any of your inheritance with your mom, that’s your choice. But that’s our agreement.” My dad straightens the paperwork and slides it my way, across the counter. “Disloyalty gets you nowhere,” he adds quietly and insidiously.
“Why, mom?” I look in her direction. Her eyes refuse to meet mine. “Why let him get away with this?” I genuinely don’t understand. Why would anyone subject themselves to this kind of disrespect? My mom deserves the world. It’s my dad who doesn’t deserve shit.
“Mom?” I plead, confusion washing over my face.
“Callan.” Her voice is low and crackly.
I see something cross her eyes. Fear. Or maybe anger. Possibly a mix of both. But I can tell that whatever she’s feeling, there’s a secret attached to it. She wants to tell me something. Something she’s not ready to tell me.
“Mom, what is it?” I settle my anger, try to approach her with a calmer tone. What could possibly explain why she's getting so fucked in this deal? After everything she’s done for this family, all the shit she’s had to put up with. Me included. God knows how unruly and wayward I was as a kid, even worse as a teenager. You can thank my bastard of a dad for that, but nonetheless, she stayed. She put up with everything and more. What could she possibly be hiding from me?
“Callan.” She gulps a sob. “There’s something you need to know.”
fifteen
Sterling
I’ve never felt more out of place in my life. The auction gala venue sparkles around us. It’s lit up with crystal chandeliers, purple and blue mood lights reflecting off them. There’s violin music in the background and people gather around with drinks and laughter. It’s classy, but it’s definitely still a party.
I look up at Callan as we walk in, hoping the upbeat vibe of the gala can turn his mood around. He barely spoke the whole car ride here, and I could tell he was frustrated, by the way he was gripping the steering wheel. I didn’t attempt to break the silence, but I couldn’t help but worry that he was mad at me for being a drunk idiot last night.
