PART 1 – THREE OF SWORDS (cont.)
Joyce met Adrian and Aiden at Bahir’s house. Typically in a professional setting, Joyce was never anything but Dr. O’Connor. She hadn’t spend 5 years on her Ph.D. to be called Joyce. But for Bahir and his neiphling, and only for Bahir and his neiphling, she was Joyce, even in professional settings. In fact, it was only as a favor to her long-time friend that she even practiced law. Head of her law department, she was normally much too busy to take on a case, let alone something as small and straightforward as a will. But these were good people and old friends, and for them, she, Joyce, would be there.
“What’s up Dr. O’Connor?” Aiden greeted. Joyce nodded curtly.
“Aiden.” She put and hand on Adrian’s shoulder. “Adrian.” She knew better than to ask them how they were ‘holding up’. She simply lead them into the house by the shoulder. They all sat down at the kitchen table, Joyce holding copy of Bahir’s will.
“It’s pretty simple,” she said, looking up through her reading glasses. “Anything Bahir owned goes to you, Adrian. The house, everything in it, and a substantial sum of money.”
“Oh,” said Adrian, passively. They did not look up. They supposed that normally one might be excited to suddenly come into possession of their own house and a “substantial sum of money.” But they had a hard time getting excited. That the house was Adrian’s, and Adrian’s alone, only made it seem emptier and lonelier. They would rather live under a bridge in a box or something if it meant Bahir could still be here, lighting up the halls with his laughter.
“Yeah, I know,” responded Joyce. “But Bahir also left you items of a more…personal importance to him. I’ll call you later in the week to talk through the financial side of things. But for now, maybe you’d like to take a look at his bedroom?”
Adrian nodded numbly.
This was a big gamble. It was the sort of thing that could either make Adrian feel better or worse, but that didn’t really matter. Because Bahir had tasked Joyce with something much more important than the settlement of his estate. He had tasked her with guiding Adrian to the answers they would need. Whatever the cost.
Nihilistic Porcupine 