#
Andrik had climbed out of the suburban and painfully made his way into the house. He'd excused himself and went to the bathroom. When he came out he was determined to keep some distance between himself and Willetta until they could talk privately and come to some kind of arrangement.
The meeting was being held in the living room. Andrik walked in and headed to the fireplace where Samuel was standing. Samuel cleared his throat and prepared to speak.
"I know that in the truck I said I had to read Mama Jean's will, but in truth I have four wills to read. Mama Jean was entrusted with three other wills. This meeting will probably cause some strong emotions to erupt. I ask that you please be patient until we are completely finished with all of the wills. If you need me to stop, if you need to take a break, or if you need to confer with someone in this room at any point, do not hesitate to let me know. Mama Jean was complicated and thorough in her wishes. In the end she was responsible for more futures than I feel are normal, but she did a good job, as you will see for yourself."
Samuel looked around at the faces in the room and smiled. All was well. Mama Jean had taken a gamble and won.
CHAPTER 51
"I am to begin with Orlando Townsend's will," Samuel said.
Vivica's mouth fell open at his words. She was sitting on the couch next to Willetta who reached out, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it. If anyone thought it odd that Orlando would have the reading of his will delayed until Mama Jean had passed, they didn't say so. No one wanted to slow down the process of the reading.
"He has left a trust fund of five-hundred thousand dollars for his only grandchild, Chance, provided the initiative is taken to have him named Chance Townsend instead of Chance Jones." Samuel stopped and looked around. No one seemed disturbed by the stipulation. So, he continued. "The funds will be available to him upon his eighteenth birthday."
"He has also left to his ex-wife, Vivica Townsend, two of his properties; the one in Batesville, Mississippi where they lived as a married couple and Mama Jean's land, which he purchased for the sole purpose of putting Vivica closer to her grandchild, should he be placed into his mother's custody. Along with the land comes two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a new home. If for some reason Chance remains in Vivica's custody the two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars goes to Willetta Jones for pain and suffering inflicted by Vivica and Orlando's offspring. He also has bequeathed another freestanding twohundred and fifty-thousand dollars to Willetta Jones. Are there any questions?"
Willetta's breath hitched. She didn't know if she was alone in her thinking, but Samuel was talking about an astronomical amount of money. She felt a mixed sense of relief and validation that Orlando acknowledged what his son had done to her. It was humbling and she knew after today she could move on and not look back. But she was worried about what the arrangements for Vivica meant. Had someone assumed she would own Thompson Estates and Andrik would not? She sat on the couch with Vivica's hand squeezed in her own and wondered, if Mama Jean had assumed she would take Andrik's house away from him once she found out Stanley was her father. She would never be that cruel. She chewed her bottom lip and speculated how everything would play out. She couldn't deny a sense of excitement at having twohundred and fifty thousand dollars. She needed it badly.
"There are letters to be released to Orlando Jr. and Olivia Townsend, which will remain a private affair between father and children and that is the end of the reading of Orlando Townsend Sr.'s will."
Samuel excused himself to go get a drink of water and to let everyone talk a few minutes before he began again. When he left the room, Willetta looked at Andrik. He stared back, but his face gave nothing away. She decided it was best to be quiet and wait. Chance and Vivica were talking quietly to one another. It sounded as if Vivica was trying to explain everything to him. He was just as disturbed as the adults in the room. One couldn't help but feel that something huge hung in the balance. The whole situation was odd in the extreme.
Samuel reentered the room with his papers under his arm. He took his place once again in front of the fireplace.
"The second will is that of Maureen Jones'," he said. Samuel couldn't resist letting his eyes take a turn around the room. He was particularly interested in Willetta's reaction. Her eyes were wide with wonder and she beseeched him silently to hurry with the reading. So, he did.
"I, Maureen Jones, being of sound mind am entrusting Jean Myers with the care of my most valuable possession, my daughter, Willetta Jones. Should Jean Myers fail me and allow any untoward thing to happen to my child while in her custody, Stanley Thompson, the biological father of Willetta, should be entrusted with the execution of my estate and all funds should go into his estate to be distributed accordingly."
Andrik frowned and pushed himself off the wall. "What the hell does that mean," he asked.
"It means that whatever Maureen left Willetta is now part of Stanley's estate. There was no explanation of what she considered untoward and if she meant death, she should have said death. Willetta was savagely victimized at age fifteen and in my view that is an untoward thing to happen to a child. The dictionary defines untoward as improper or unfortunate and rape definitely fits in that category. So, every bit of the eight-hundred thousand dollar trust, which has tripled over the past years, is now part and parcel of Stanley's estate and whoever holds it."
Willetta's eyes narrowed and she refused to say a word. Andrik looked uncomfortable and would not make eye contact with her. Vivica swore underneath her breath and wished she could leave.
"Please get on with it," Andrik said irritably. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and backed up against the wall of the fireplace again.
"I will read Mama Jean's will now," Samuel said theatrically. This was the part he had been waiting for. The truth about all the adults in the room would come out at this point and he couldn't wait to see what that truth was.
"Mama Jean was of sound mind and body when this will was written. There will need to be some clarification up front on a few matters before we begin. When I mention the estate of Mama Jean, I am referring to that of Thompson Estate and all monies attached. Everything that belonged to Stanley Thompson was bequeathed to Mama Jean upon his death. His will is here and will be read as well. It is very simple. 'I, Stanley Thompson, am of sound mind and body. I hereby entrust Jean Myers with all my earthly possessions. My heirs, an Andrik Thompson and a Willetta Jones, are hereby entrusted in her care and shall receive their inheritance at her discretion.' "
"Oh lord," Vivica murmured. "You should have warned us that we needed pencil and paper. No one can keep up with all these twists and turns," she said indignantly. She was outraged on Willetta and Andrik's behalf. In her viewpoint they had both gone through enough.
"Did you verify the signatures on all those documents," Andrik asked.
Samuel turned toward him and didn't try to hide his feelings about the question. "I did better than that. I have made countless trips down here. I was here for each signing as I should have been. I've been on this case ever since Willetta was fifteen."
"So, Stanley knew I was his daughter before he died," Willetta asked.
"Yes, he did," Samuel said. "Time was not on his side, Willetta. He wanted to tell you and planned to do so, but he had a heart attack shortly after he found out."
"Well what does Mama Jean's will say," Willetta asked anxiously.
"Now that you've asked, I will be glad to read it."
CHAPTER 52
"I, Jean Myers, being of sound mind and body, leave my entire estate to my son, Andrik Thompson and my daughter, Willetta Jones. If they should decide to marry all should go well. If they have not married within six months of the reading of this will, half of all cash revenue attached to the property of Thompson Estate shall immediately go to Vivica Townsend for the care of Chance Jones. The other half should be placed in a trust and split amongst any offspring of Andrik Myers or any other offspring of Willetta Jo
nes. Andrik and Willetta may not sale Thompson Estate ever and it should remain in their joint possession as long as they both shall live and should be bequeathed to the youngest of each of their offspring upon their death and they too shall serve as joint owners."
"I will tell you how much cash there is now, before you ask," Samuel said. He pulled out an envelope and opened it. His eyes scanned what looked like a bank statement. "There is exactly ten million, five-hundred thousand, three hundred and thirty-seven dollars and ninety-six cents."
No one said a word for several minutes. Even Chance was disbelieving. Vivica's heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest and she looked from Willetta to Andrik. If they didn't marry, she would have over five million dollars.
"Where did all that money come from," Andrik asked calmly.
"Mama Jean had an insurance policy worth a million. There was a lawsuit regarding Maureen's untimely death and the cause of her sickness, which was determined to be from illegal use of a pesticide in the jurisdiction where she lived. The settlement was substantial and went directly into her estate. Stanley made investments with money from farming the land. Most of this money has been sitting for many years in the hands of some pretty competent investors."
"Are you finished? Are there anymore surprises," Andrik asked calmly.
"Uh, no. That's it," Stanley said. "Except there has to be a decision as to who will take care of Chance. There is a six month time frame allowed for that decision to be made."
"There's no hurry," Vivica said anxiously. "We'll see how things go."
When both Willetta and Chance looked noncommittal and no one had anything further to say, Andrik walked over to Willetta and lifted her off the couch. He hefted her up into his arms and tumbled her against his chest.
"We'll be back in a couple of hours," he said to no one in particular.
"Andrik!" Willetta yelled. "What are you doing?"
He didn't answer. He mounted the stairs with her held close in his arms and made a right at the landing heading to his bedroom. He kicked the door open and strode across the room to the bed where he dropped her and went back to the door to lock it.
Willetta watched as he approached the bed. He pulled his shirt over his head in mid stride and tossed it across the room. She watched as he stopped briefly and kicked off his shoes.
"What are you doing?" she asked again.
Andrik stared at Willetta. His chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing. She suddenly realized that he was angry.
"I don't like being told what to do. I've put up with all of this because you asked me to, Willetta. I know she cared in her own way, but that doesn't make any of this right. It's still just as crazy as what Etta did. You can't take someone else's life in your own hands and decide what's good for them," he said.
Andrik unbuttoned his pants and tugged them down his legs. Then he reached for Willetta. Without her consent, he pulled her shirt over her head and bent to untie her tennis shoes.
"What are you doing?" she whispered again. Her mind wasn't functioning any longer. Her eyes were glued to Andrik's thick, muscular legs and his hard buttocks and huge erection. She felt his warm hand against her naked back as he steadied her to slide her jeans down her legs.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered in her ear as he reached to pull the covers back. "I need this," he said huskily.
"I…I didn't tell you I would do this," she murmured. He pushed her back onto the mattress and lay beside her in the bed. His hand lay against her stomach.
"Are you going to marry me, Willetta," he asked.
"Of course. You know we ain't fixing to let ten million dollars go nowhere," she said without hesitation. Andrik fell out laughing.
"It helps that I love you," he finally was able to say. "But I may have married you anyway even if I didn't."
With his admission of love, Willetta's skin came alive in a way she'd never felt before. The hand he held against her stomach seemed to burn and she moved beneath it. Andrik's eyes became hooded and lazy and she waited. It seemed an eternity before his lips touched hers. He just pressed his lips against hers and didn't ask anything from her. She breathed in his essence and committed it to memory. This would be her husband.
"Tell me now if you want to wait until we're married. In about thirty seconds I'm going to be inside you unless we stop now," he said huskily. #
Andrik was on the warpath. Samuel was tickled. Whatever had transpired between him and Willetta most definitely had not been to Andrik's satisfaction. There was no talk of money and no talk of whom Chance would live with. This was surprising to Samuel. Instead Andrik seemed almost desperate to marry Willetta and slink off into a corner to have his way with her. He was watching her unashamedly and making everyone in the house uncomfortable.
"Would you like for me to wed you guys right now," he asked innocently, while everyone was eating.
Andrik tore his eyes away from Willetta. "What did you say," he asked.
"I am a Justice of the Peace and I can officiate your wedding right now. I have a marriage license in the truck."
"Oh, that's wonderful," Willetta said. "But maybe I should wait until--"
"No more waiting, Lettie. We will have it in the living room. You have an hour to get ready. I'll go get Martha and Mr. Ricky," he said firmly.
Willetta and Vivica looked at each across the table and tried to keep from laughing.
EPILOGUE
(Six months later)
"Sweetie, you look like you're having twins," Vivica said laughingly, as she met Willetta by the fence. They were about to take a thirtyminute walk down the dusty road of Thompson Estates. Willetta was exactly six months pregnant, which means she must have gotten pregnant within hours of marrying Andrik.
"I don't remember being this big when I had Chance," Willetta breathed heavily. "This baby is going to be huge."
Vivica hooked her arm with Willetta's and they took off at a slow but steady pace. She and Willetta had become as close as any mother and daughter ever could. Although she and Chance technically lived down the road in the new, but modest home she'd had built, they spent more than half their time at Thompson Estates with Andrik and Willetta. Mr. Ricky and Martha still lived in the little house that belonged to Mama Jean. Vivica didn't have the heart or the desire to disturb the two old people. So, she simply built her house next to theirs. The arrangement had worked out
wonderfully for everyone.
As for Willetta and Chance's relationship, it was rather interesting how it had developed into more of a sister and brother bond than anything else. This seemed to satisfy them both and Chance blossomed with the love of all the new people in his life.
"Did Andrik get any response from the private investigator yet," Vivica asked. Andrik had been busy the last month or so trying to find answers to some of the mysteries of the journals. He wanted to know who Aunt Olivia's real people were. He also wanted to find out if William had killed the old white lady who owned the house and land or if Etta had been lying when she wrote that in her journal. To that end, he had investigators searching for any family or connections that may still be alive to pass on a bit of gossip concerning the old white woman and the young black man who lived on Thompson Estates many years ago.
"He did find out who Aunt Olivia's momma was. There was an old archived newspaper article about a white woman who had gone to a store in Earle, Arkansas where her baby had been abducted. It said the baby was snatched right out of her young son's arms as he stood on the sidewalk. She has to be the one. The dates match that in William Thompson's journals of when Etta came home with the white baby."
"So, what's Andrik's next step," Vivica asked.
"He's going to help Aunt Octavia and Olivia reunite with them. I wish Aunt Olivia had lived long enough to know all this," Willetta said sadly.
"She was a good woman," Vivica said. "I wonder how finding their lost relatives will affect Olivia and Orlando. I hope it will be for the good," she said quietly.
; "I think Olivia has potential, but Orlando is a lost cause," Willetta said.
"Well, we shall see," Vivica said softly.
"It will be interesting to see how they feel about the journals," Willetta said. "I think Andrik made the right decision to allow them to read them. Mama Jean was right about everything. We needed to read all of that history no matter how sordid it was. It helped us to see things clearly and appreciate our opportunity to make better decisions. Maybe it will do the same for Olivia."
"And Orlando," Vivica said.
"As you said before, we shall see," Willetta said noncommittally.
THE END…..FOR NOW!
Journals of the Secret Keeper Page 19