Twist and Turn

Sometimes life takes unexpected turns that you are wholly unprepared for and other times life is so mundane, the same repetitive routine with the same people. But for one young woman, her life was about to change, for the better or worse.

At six o’clock in the morning, no one expects their phone to ring, it was especially true for people growing up on the islands. More often than not a call early in the morning or late at night, the pronouncement of someone’s death often followed. The only way to find out would be to answer unless it's her uptight boss who had absolutely no sense of boundaries and expected everyone to keep ungodly hours for the sole purpose of being reachable. With much trepidation, Erica answered the phone, to her surprise it was a man who introduced himself as Mr. Brooks, a lawyer.

Mr. Brooks had a deep baritone voice and a European accent which Erica assumed meant there was a time difference, hence his early call. That was later confirmed when he apologized for the hour but stressed its urgency, which only made her wonder what could be so important? Mr. Brooks proceeded to summarize the reason for his call; a dead aunt, Erica named beneficiary of her money and estate, which came with stipulations, as well as a date when they could meet in person to discuss this aunt’s will.

With that being said Erica’s dumbfoundedness was an understatement, she was floored! Eyes bulging, mouth gaping. To her mind, this man definitely had the wrong person, she had no known living relatives. Both of her parents were the only child of their respective families and they were both deceased, leaving her as their only child. Growing up on an island in the Caribbean everyone knew everyone else, if there had been a possibility that she had relatives she would’ve heard about it by then.

With her confidence intact and knowledge sure she informed the man that he was mistaken and aimed to hang up the phone. But before she could follow through, he attempted to convince her by throwing out random facts about her life, which left Erica speechless and gave him the opening he needed to extract a promise to meet. However, Erica did not plan to keep that promise, mama didn’t raise no fool. Seeing as her morning was already interrupted, she decided it was a good time to start getting ready for work.

As an office assistant Erica barely had time throughout her day to take breaks and usually had extensive projects to complete, her boss was relentless. Yet that day she couldn’t quite focus on her tasks, the memory of her conversation with Mr. Brooks made unannounced visits at the most inopportune times. And those times happened more frequently the closer the day of the meeting was supposedly meant to take place. It had been a week since their conversation and the meeting was two days away. The pressure gradually increased as time went on and honestly she was quite curious to hear what he had to say, as the saying goes ‘curiosity killed the cat’.

Truthfully, the major reason Erica didn’t want to meet Mr. Brooks was that she didn’t want to go alone, she watched enough Lifetime movies to know that it was not a good idea to meet a complete stranger for the first time by herself. Still, she really didn’t have anyone she was close to or trusted enough to take with her. In addition, the nature of this meeting wasn’t anything she wanted to spread and spark rumors about. She contemplated asking a former co-worker who she had gotten along with surprisingly well and the rare times Erica confided in her it remained between them. Her decision was made. Erica contacted Sasha and arranged to meet an hour before the meeting to find a suitable vantage point for her to be close enough to keep an eye on things; but not so close as to hear the conversation. With their plan set, Erica started to relax not realizing she was holding herself so tense and began to look forward to her meeting with Mr. Brooks.

Unfortunately, on the island of Grand Bahama situated a few miles from Fort Lauderdale, in the middle of summer with schools being closed, Downtown was extremely congested. So, it was agreed that Sasha and Erica would need to occupy a table in a restaurant located on one of the main streets, it was too hot and muggy to sit outside anyway. Sasha found a table somewhere in the middle of the space while Erica took a secluded corner to await Mr. Brooks. As it turned out she didn’t have to wait long, after only one drink and ten minutes later, he walked through the door. How Erica knew with such certainty she had the right person, was his demeanor and dress. He was tall, athletically built, impeccably dressed in a pinstripe suit and he walked in like he owned the place. As hot as it was that day, he managed to look cool, calm and collected. Erica gave a small wave to gain his attention because she noticed he stopped to scan the restaurant. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. Probably a woman on the thicker side of the world’s spectrum, plain, glasses, and her teeny-weeny afro which Erica loved.

While she contemplated those thoughts, he headed toward her and it allowed her to notice a few other things about him, but what kept her regard was his eyes. He had the most penetrating gaze; the gray almost silver color made the effect piercing. However, she was not there to ogle the lawyer but to assuage her curiosity, though she couldn’t help but notice Sasha’s thumbs-up gesture, which she gave a slight chuckle and head shake to. Mr. Brooks extended a hand and introduced himself properly as Derek Brooks, he then pulled out the opposite chair and placed his briefcase on the table. He took out a stack of papers and a highlighter and skimmed the documents to make sure everything was in order. While he did this, she didn’t interrupt and continued to study him. Once he was done he looked Erica in the eyes, she wasn’t sure if he realized how intimidating that was. He smiled at her then got down to business. He read the Will clearly, concisely and discreetly.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

OF

MORGAN WINTERS

This is the last Will and Testament of myself, Morgan Winters, of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, Canada.

1. Revocation

I hereby revoke all former wills, codicils and other testamentary dispositions made by myself.

2. Executors

I nominate, constitute and appoint my Lawyer, Derek Brooks, of 33 Davisville Ave, Toronto, ON, to be the Executor and Trustee of my Will and Estate.

3. Debts, Expenses and Taxes

To payout of my general estate my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses.

4. Residue

To give the specific items in the following way:

I would like to give everything I own to Ms. Erica Deal of Freeport, Grand Bahama, Blue Marlin Cove. However, there is a condition, I would like to firstly give Ms. Erica Deal; $20,000.00 which she is to double within the first year of receiving the money. She can use any method she sees fit to accomplish said objective. Once this is completed and confirmed by a written letter from her chosen bank. Upon receipt of the letter by my Executor, he is to relinquish all of my possessions to Ms. Erica Deal.

*********

If someone had told Erica a week ago that her life would’ve changed substantially by financial gain, she would have laughed in their face. All she could do at that moment was look at Sasha like a deer caught in headlights. When it seemed as if Sasha was going to approach the table, Erica shook her head subtly to discourage such action. But Derek wasn’t done yet, he invited her to the estate of her aunt to have a tour and to use that time to make a choice if she was willing to accept the conditions presented or reject all that was promised to her. The choice was easy enough for Erica to make right then and there, who in their right mind would give up a chance such as this, particularly an opportunity to learn more about their family. Decision made; Erica booked a flight to accompany Derek on his return trip to Canada.

Upon accepting the conditions of the Will, Erica planned to open a pet grooming business, a lifelong dream that could now come to fruition. In the interim Derek allowed her free rein of the estate. The staff were friendly but distant which was understandable, they had never seen her prior to the month she had already been there. Nevertheless, she made an effort to greet everyone she came across during her wanderings. On one such wandering, she stumbled upon Derek, with who she had become quite close with, maybe even a possibility of more, as she had hoped. While being at the estate afforded her the convenience of not having to apartment hunt, it also allowed her sufficient time to focus on her objectives. Another noteworthy aspect of staying at the estate, there was always something new to discover no matter how long and frequent she explored. Her life back home was never this exciting, though she would miss the few acquaintances she had, her favorite dining spots and definitely the crystal-clear beaches on a hot summer day. Since her stay in Toronto, she came to the realization that life was about taking chances whether it was planned or thrown at you like a curveball, either way, she intended to make the best of it.

*********

During a night she couldn’t sleep, Erica decided to wander the house in an effort to exhaust herself, but she discovered a room she hadn't seen before. Though she was sure she traveled that exact hallway just a few short days ago. She entered the room, there were boxes stacked against the walls, it appeared to be just knick-knacks or keepsakes, though a black notebook caught her attention. It was an inconspicuous notebook; nothing unusual that made it stand out from everything else. Intrigued, she flipped through the book, but the only entry was on the first page, as she read what was written her life flipped upside down yet again.

“Hello Erica, if you’ve found this book then that means you’ve accepted the conditions I have left behind. There is additional information you should know. The people you’ve known as your mother and father are not your biological parents. I would have preferred to have written all you need to know in this little black book but unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, time did not permit. Please do not worry, we will meet when the time is right. I ask that you continue to live your life for we will see each other in the future, my dear daughter.”