Southern Greed

by Peggy Holloway

  “She became weak and asked that an apartment be set up for her downstairs and Adam assured her he would take care of it.

  “Everything changed after that. As she got sicker, Adam and all the rest of them started spending more and more time here and then they all moved in. Of course the professor and his boy were already living here.”

  I stopped her, “Wait a minute, Mrs. Hildebrandt, When did Adam get power of attorney for my grandmother?”

  “Does he have power of attorney? Lord have mercy, I didn’t even know that. But I was surprised when one day Rachael turned up in a nurse’s uniform and moved into the apartment with Miss. Gracie. I didn’t even know she was a nurse before that.”

  CHAPTER 14

  After talking to Mrs. Hildebrandt, I ran into Mrs. Dover in the foyer. I smiled and said hello but she looked at me like she didn’t know who I was.

  “I’m Adam’s wife, Kathy. I met you last night, remember?”

  “Of course I remember. What, you think I’m senile?” She said as she walked off, not even waiting for an answer.

  I ran up stairs to the green and white room I had picked out for Adam and me but when I got there our things were no longer there.

  I found our luggage in the gold room and everything had been hung on hangers or put into drawers.

  I repacked everything and moved it back into the green and white room and started back downstairs to find Mrs. Dover. She worked for us, not the other way around.

  I met Adam coming up the stairs and he smiled at me, “Hi, Kathy. How are you doing today?”

  He sounded like we had just met. I didn’t bother to answer him but followed him up the stairs. “We’re not in the gold room anymore,” I called to him and he froze in mid-step.

  He turned around and faced me and he looked so confused it confused me. “Where are we, then?” He asked.

  “I moved us to the green and white room.”

  He moved down the hall and didn’t say anything more and when we got inside the room he shut the door and turned to me, “You decided to just take over, didn’t you?”

  “Yes I did,” I said and was amazed at myself for sticking up for myself against a man. “And, by the way, I fired the doctor. I’m getting a second opinion.”

  He stood there with his mouth open, staring at me. I waited him out until he said, “What’s gotten into you, Belinda? Where is the sweet little girl I married?”

  “She grew up, and the name is Kathy, not Belinda. Why did you marry me, Adam? You obviously don’t love me.”

  He laughed, “Why, because we didn’t have sex last night? Don’t worry. I plan to keep you up all night tonight. I don’t have to work tomorrow.”

  He came toward me and opened his arms, “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s not fight. I love you. I want to make you happy. Let’s go down to supper and then back to this lovely room. We call it the Spring Room, by the way.”

  He took me into his arms and kissed me deeply. He then pushed my hair behind my ear and started kissing my neck and I was lost. This was the loving man I had fallen in love with. I began to have trust again instead of doubts.

  We sat side by side at the table and flirted with each other. Once I caught Rachael’s eye and she was looking at me with pure hatred. I was so happy, I just smiled at her. I felt like Adam and I were now on the right track and that everything would be wonderful like I had at first thought.

  The professor had taken Ronnie to a movie and promised him hotdogs for supper. Susan was her usual chatty self, describing the clothes she bought on her shopping spree that day.

  CHAPTER 15

  After supper Adam whispered in my ear that he wanted to be alone with me. We excused ourselves and started up the stairs. When we got almost to the top, he picked me up like I weighed nothing.

  He kicked the door closed and threw me onto the bed and started ripping my clothes off. It scared me because it reminded me of the rape. I needed gentleness but I didn’t have time to tell him, he was already on top of me and inside me. I was dry and it hurt.

  I started fighting him but he didn’t seem to notice and it was over so fast that when he pulled out I felt like I was being ripped apart. I cried out and he laughed, “I thought you had already had sex before. I didn’t know you were a virgin or I would have tried to slow down some.”

  For the second night in a row I cried myself to sleep. I hated him and planned to get a divorce right away. He was a pig just like Reverend Jacobs.

  I had also planned to go see a lawyer first thing tomorrow morning and get the power of attorney changed to me. I realized I had forgotten to tell him that I was really the granddaughter and I was glad.

  CHAPTER 16

  Adam had already left when I woke up the next morning. It was becoming a habit to dose off at dawn and sleep until 10:00 a.m.

  I stopped by the small dining room and got a cup of coffee to take with me to see my grandmother. I skipped the rest of breakfast.

  She looked better and was wide awake. Her eyes lit up when she saw me.

  She patted the bed and moved her legs over, “Come sit down by me, Kathy. I don’t know why but I feel better today.”

  “I’m so glad, grandmother,” I said as I sat down. We hugged and she drew back with tears in her eyes.

  There were things I wanted to ask her but didn’t know where to begin. I decided to just plunge right in with the thing that was mostly on my mind.

  “Grandmother, did you give Adam power of attorney for you?”

  “Of course not! I don’t need someone to have my power of attorney. I haven’t lost my mind yet. Why would you ask such a thing?”

  “The doctor who was here yesterday, Doctor Sims, told me he had power of attorney.”

  “Why would she tell you that?”

  “She was going to give you a shot and I wouldn’t let her and she said it wasn’t up to me, it was up to Adam, who has power of attorney.”

  She sat thinking and I noticed a tremor in her hands as she played with the covers. I took her hands in mine, trying to steady her.

  “It must be from the medication. I didn’t have these tremors before she started giving me the shots. And I slept better last night than I’ve slept for some time and I feel stronger today.”

  She looked at me with panic in her eyes, “Kathy, I need you to find me another doctor. Adam found her and I know you love him, darling but I’m beginning to have doubts about him.

  “And I need you to do something else for me. Call my attorney and tell him I need to see him right away. I need to update my will.

  “Here,” She reached into the nightstand and pulled out an address book and started flipping through it for a few moments before handing it to me

  “His name is Colin Baker and he’s been my lawyer for years.”

  I found the number and leaned over to the phone on the bedside table to make the call but the phone was dead. I followed the cord down and found that it was unplugged.

  I plugged it back in making a note to myself to ask Rachael why it was unplugged.

  The call was answered on the first ring, “Colin Baker’s office. How may I help you?” The receptionist sounded young.

  “I would like to speak to Mr. Baker, please. It’s concerning Mrs. Gracie Boston.”

  When he came on the phone, in about three seconds, his voice was the lowest I had ever heard. “Yes? Who am I speaking to please?”

  “My name is Kathy Boston. I’m Gracie’s granddaughter.”

  He didn’t say anything and I asked, “Are you still there?”

  “She found you,” He whispered. Then he was all business. “What can I do for you?”

  “She wants to see you as soon as possible.”

  He didn’t even pause, “I’ll be right there.”

  He reminded me of the ministers from my church. He wore a black suit with white dress shirt and a bright green tie. His hair and eyes were dark brown and I noticed he wore wing tipped shoes. He carried a big black briefcase.

  I
saw Rachael watching him and Grandmother told her she could take off for a couple of hours.

  After she left, Mr. Baker took Gracie’s hand and kissed it. He bowed to me and stood waiting and I realized he was waiting for me to be seated before he sat down himself.

  He opened his briefcase and took out a blank document. “Are you now ready to make out a will, Miss Gracie?”

  So, she hadn’t even had a will at all and I wondered if Adam knew this. If she died without a will, then everything would go to me if I could prove I was her only living heir. If I died Adam would get everything.

  What about the doctor. Was she in on it or did she just take Adam’s word for it when he told her he had power of attorney? Mr. Baker suddenly cut into my thoughts, “Kathy, if you would sign here stating that you are the legal granddaughter of Miss. Gracie,” He said, handing me a pen.

  I was confused and asked him, “You mean you don’t have to check up on anything? All I have to do is sign this piece of paper?”

  He chuckled, “If Miss. Gracie is convinced that you’re her granddaughter then I am too.”

  I signed the paperwork he presented to me and he began to explain everything in layman’s terms.

  “You now have power of attorney and, as such, you are responsible for her treatment. You may choose any doctor for her you think is best.”

  He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye, “I have a good feeling about you. You are also her heir. You will inherit everything she has with stipulations.

  “I’m not going to go over all of them, but the main thing is that, in the event of your death, everything will go the charities she has listed here. You can read them over. I’ll leave you a copy of everything.

  “She has done this for your protection. If you have children, the assets will be divided equally among them and the same will apply to them.

  “In other words, the assets go to a direct descendant or to charity. That way, no one can marry into the family with the intention of doing away with their spouse in order to collect the inheritance. Do you have any questions?”

  I felt so overwhelmed that I could only shake my head.

  He left after telling me to feel free to come by and see him if I had any questions or concerns.

  I showed him out and I noticed Nurse Rachael had her head in a book when we passed by the outer room where she sat.

  CHAPTER 17

  You may be wondering why I hadn’t given much thought of my mama, or who I had originally thought of as my mama.

  I guess, at first it was simple rebellion. I felt like a bird let out of cage and I didn’t want anyone to spoil it. I didn’t want to think about anyone from my former life. Then I had the distraction of Adam and had fallen head over heels in love with him. Then there was my wonderful grandmother.

  It was over a month later that I began to think of the mama I had grown up with.

  The day the lawyer came and I signed all the papers, I went back inside to check on my grandmother.

  I found her sitting up in bed grinning like a cat that swallowed the canary. The first thing she said to me was, “We outsmarted them, didn’t we Kathy?”

  “Outsmarted who, grandmother?”

  “Whoever will try to get your inheritance.”

  “Do you have any pictures of my real family, grandma? Can I call you grandma?”

  “Yes and yes,” she said and rang the bell on the bedside table.

  When Rachael appeared, she said, “Rachael, get those albums out of the other room. I want to show Kathy her real family.”

  Rachael gave me a look of pure hatred before going into the other room.

  The first pictures she showed me were of my real parents and I thought they were beautiful.

  When she saw me staring at one of my mother she said, “You look so much like her, I knew who you were right away.”

  “But she’s beautiful, grandma!”

  “And so are you. Both of you have an exotic beauty instead of the classic beauty that people refer to when they talk about beauty. She was a runway model when your daddy met her.”

  My daddy was so handsome with sandy hair and eyes like mine, the same shade of blue.

  “See, you have his eyes.” Grandma said.

  I had often wondered, while growing up, why my eyes were blue and both my parents had brown eyes.

  She showed me pictures of great aunts and uncles, all dead and pictures of her husband, my grandfather. He was a handsome man.

  “He was as good as he was handsome,” She said while I studied it. “I wish you could have known him.”

  “I do too,” I said and felt a great sadness and also anger about being raised in the wrong household.

  “Grandma, how do you think my mama and daddy was able to keep me with everyone looking for me? Rehobeth is such a tiny town surely the police would have been able to find me there.”

  She stared off into space and said, “I don’t know, Kathy, but I intend to find out. Now that I’m feeling better we’ll figure out everything together. What would you like to do with your life? You can’t just be Adam’s wife. You want to have your own boutique?”

  “Can I do anything I want to?”

  “Yes, you most certainly can. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do?”

  “Art. I love to draw and paint but am not very good at it. I’d like to go to art school.”

  “Then you will, my darling. But first we need to find a private detective. Would you look some up and make appointments for them to come see me?”

  CHAPTER 18

  Adam found me, when he got home from the office, in the pool with Ronnie and the professor. Ronnie had invited me while we were having lunch together.

  I had been having so much fun swimming that the time had gotten away from me. I had planned to swim for about an hour and then look in the yellow pages under private detectives.

  Eugene had been telling me how he had taken an early retirement from the English Department at Ole Miss when he had seen the ad in the paper for someone to write their memoirs. He came down to Savannah and met Miss Gracie and both he and Ronnie had loved her right away.

  “This has been so good for Ronnie, well for both of us,” He said. “We lost my wife and Ronnie’s mother last year to cancer and this change has been a good thing.

  “I had always wanted to write and this is just what I needed.”

  Eugene wasn’t as good looking as Adam but he was so kind I was attracted to him and wished I had met him years ago.

  “Hey, Kathy, watch this,” Ronnie said as he dove off the edge of the pool. When he came up I clapped and heard Adam say, “Good job, Timmy.”

  “His name’s Ronnie,” I said.

  He shrugged, “Whatever. I have to talk to you. Can you come up to the room?”

  I didn’t answer and he said, “Come on, Kathy. I want to make up.”

  I noticed Eugene watching us and he swiftly looked away. Adam put his mouth to my ear and whispered, “I want you so much. I’ll be more gentle, and I’ll pleasure you, this time.

  A shiver of disgust ran over me and he mistook it for desire, “See, you’re turned on just thinking of me inside you.”

  I looked at him shocked, but got up and toweled dry. I waved bye to the other two and Ronnie made me promise to swim with him again tomorrow.

  The only reason I had gone with him was that I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of the other two but as soon as we were in our room, I closed the door and leaned against it.

  I felt empowered now. I had someone on my side. It wasn’t like when the reverend had raped me. I now had my grandma, and she would believe me.

  Before he could speak, I said, “You raped me last night, Adam. You hurt me and you will answer for it.”

  He laughed, “Come on, honey, aren’t you being over dramatic? What we do in the privacy of our bedroom is no concern of anyone else. You’re my wife, or have you forgotten? And who’s going to believe you over me?”

  He sat on the edge of
the bed and sighed, backtracking. “Look, honey, you’re right, I wanted you so badly last night I couldn’t wait. Please forgive me and don’t call it rape. I would hate myself if I thought you were hurt. Come on, honey, come on over here.”

  Why are women so stupid sometimes? Why was I so ready to forgive him and tell myself that I had been mistaken, that he had really wanted me so badly he had gotten carried away and didn’t mean to hurt me?

  This time he took his time and made love to me and I had never experienced so much pleasure. I fell in love with him all over again. What a fool!

  For days I felt like I was floating on air. He would give me a secret smile across the room during supper or anytime we were around others.

  He took off during the middle of the day on some days and came home so that we could make love. My grandmother understood and didn’t mention me finding a detective again. I didn’t even think about starting art classes or of anything else but Adam.

  We took several week-end trips together and drove down into Florida and swam in the ocean. My grandmother was getting better all the time and had started joining us for supper and I loved hearing the stories about my ancestors.

  When she would talk about the wonderful marriage she had with my grandfather, Adam would look across the table at me and smile. When Adam was at work, I would spend time with the professor and Ronnie or with my grandmother.

  My grandmother loved gardening and was teaching me about flowers. We puttered around in the garden for hours.

  During all this time, I didn’t think much about the parents I had grown up with. I didn’t think about going to church even though it had been a major part of my life for most of my life.

  Sometimes Susan and I went shopping and she liked me to help her pick out clothes. The only person who seemed to dislike me was Nurse Rachael. She acted friendly enough when we were with other people but when no one was watching she looked at me like she hated me.