Bidadisndat
Contributing Member
Another short story that hangs off the CHANGES of PACE collection. I'm not a legal eagle and a real lawyer would probably make mincemeat of this yarn, but I enjoyed writing it anyway. Hope y'all enjoy reading it!
AARGH! I just found I've double posted this story. Thought I'd somehow lost the first one so redid it. Anyone know how to completely delete a post?
Lynne’s father, Barry, had died of a sudden heart attack about a month before, and Lynne was still very upset about it. Adding to her distress at the time was the fact that Miriam, the woman that Barry had married only six years before, had tried unsuccessfully to contest Barry’s will, although the family solicitor had been quite confident all along that she didn’t have much chance of changing anything in it.
Miriam was actually fairly well off in her own right, and owned a house that she and her previous husband had purchased and paid off shortly before he had died of cancer. Unfortunately, what Barry had initially taken for sharp business acumen turned out to be simply a greedy and miserly attitude. Following the advice of her movie-star-mentality friends, who said it was the best way to protect her assets, Miriam had insisted on a pre-nuptial agreement before their marriage, and Barry, who had too late woken up to the fact that his new wife was not exactly the loving and caring person that she had appeared to be when they first met, had been very careful in rewriting the terms of his last will.
Basically, all that he owned before his marriage to Miriam had been left to his only daughter and her husband, and all that had been obtained jointly since the marriage was left to his new wife. Miriam did benefit from a one third share of a life insurance policy that Barry had taken out, and although it was hardly what could be called a substantial amount, it would help eke out her pension when she became entitled to one.
Alan and Lynne each also received a one third share of the policy. After probate had been granted, and in accordance with the terms of the will, Alan was able to take possession of Barry’s SUV. This was something of a godsend, as the car that they owned before would not have passed its next rego inspection without a substantial amount of money being spent on repairs. Not that they couldn’t have afforded a brand new car, as they were reasonably well off, however both of them were, without being tight fisted, very careful of their savings and investments.
Lynne was very happy that she got all her mother’s possessions and family heirlooms, however there had been one particularly contentious point: A large caravan that Barry had bought after his marriage to Miriam had been claimed by Miriam, despite the fact that she had actually disapproved of the purchase at the time, and had contributed nothing towards its acquisition. Lynne thus felt that it was solely her father’s property, and as a matter of principle she should be entitled to it. Miriam’s guiding principle of greed was very simple: “The caravan was purchased after Barry and I were married so it’s mine, and you’re not getting it.”
“So, what’s Miriam going to do with the van?” asked Dai when they were all sat around the coffee table that evening, after all the kids had been put to bed.
“She’s selling it. She put a "For Sale" sign on it last week,” replied Alan.
“Any idea what she’s asking for it? Might go and have a look at it tomorrow if she’s not asking too much,” said Dai.
“Well, she said dad paid $5,000 for it, and as it hasn’t been used much and is in good condition, she’s hoping to get at least $4,500,” put in Lynne. “You know, dad told her it was second-hand and that he paid $5,000 for it, but to me it looks to be worth a quite bit more than that.”
Dave looked thoughtful for a moment before saying “Your dad was no fool Lynne, and if he’d become a bit wary of Miriam I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d claimed to have spent less than he actually had.”
Watching Dave’s face, Bron knew that some sort of plan was already forming in his mind, so wasn’t surprised when he went on to say “Bron, I think that after we’ve dropped the truck off at the workshop tomorrow morning we’ll drive over to Miriam’s and offer our condolences. We’re not going there to have a look at the caravan, of course, because we know nothing about that now, do we?” he added with a wink and a mischievous grin.
Both Alan and Lynne looked at him with some surprise, and then a slow smile spread across their faces: Dave was up to something, and knowing Dave, it was probably something devious. The conversation moved to other topics and during that time they managed to do justice to a bottle of good Port. Well, at least Dave and Alan did. The girls simply finished off the wine that had been served with dessert. It was almost midnight before they went to bed, with Dave, Bron and the boys being accommodated in the garden bungalow at the rear of the house.
“Do we have a spare basket that we can put some of our farm goodies in?” Dai asked. “I may have to soft-soap Miriam a bit when we visit.”
“We have a couple actually. And plenty of goodies; Eggs, Cheese and veggies in the large esky, with jams and preserves in one of the totes,” Bron replied rather sleepily, and she drifted off into the Land of Nod.
AARGH! I just found I've double posted this story. Thought I'd somehow lost the first one so redid it. Anyone know how to completely delete a post?
The Caravan
Leaving Brian, who had been volunteered for the job by his mother Laura, in charge of the animals and gardens Dai and a newly pregnant Bron took their two boys and drove down to the city to visit Alan and Lynne, the married couple who had sold Dave his camping gear some years before. Dai drove the truck, which was going to a Custom Shop to have some work done on it, and Bron drove the Crown so that they would have transport while the truck was off the road.
Lynne’s father, Barry, had died of a sudden heart attack about a month before, and Lynne was still very upset about it. Adding to her distress at the time was the fact that Miriam, the woman that Barry had married only six years before, had tried unsuccessfully to contest Barry’s will, although the family solicitor had been quite confident all along that she didn’t have much chance of changing anything in it.
Miriam was actually fairly well off in her own right, and owned a house that she and her previous husband had purchased and paid off shortly before he had died of cancer. Unfortunately, what Barry had initially taken for sharp business acumen turned out to be simply a greedy and miserly attitude. Following the advice of her movie-star-mentality friends, who said it was the best way to protect her assets, Miriam had insisted on a pre-nuptial agreement before their marriage, and Barry, who had too late woken up to the fact that his new wife was not exactly the loving and caring person that she had appeared to be when they first met, had been very careful in rewriting the terms of his last will.
Basically, all that he owned before his marriage to Miriam had been left to his only daughter and her husband, and all that had been obtained jointly since the marriage was left to his new wife. Miriam did benefit from a one third share of a life insurance policy that Barry had taken out, and although it was hardly what could be called a substantial amount, it would help eke out her pension when she became entitled to one.
Alan and Lynne each also received a one third share of the policy. After probate had been granted, and in accordance with the terms of the will, Alan was able to take possession of Barry’s SUV. This was something of a godsend, as the car that they owned before would not have passed its next rego inspection without a substantial amount of money being spent on repairs. Not that they couldn’t have afforded a brand new car, as they were reasonably well off, however both of them were, without being tight fisted, very careful of their savings and investments.
Lynne was very happy that she got all her mother’s possessions and family heirlooms, however there had been one particularly contentious point: A large caravan that Barry had bought after his marriage to Miriam had been claimed by Miriam, despite the fact that she had actually disapproved of the purchase at the time, and had contributed nothing towards its acquisition. Lynne thus felt that it was solely her father’s property, and as a matter of principle she should be entitled to it. Miriam’s guiding principle of greed was very simple: “The caravan was purchased after Barry and I were married so it’s mine, and you’re not getting it.”
“So, what’s Miriam going to do with the van?” asked Dai when they were all sat around the coffee table that evening, after all the kids had been put to bed.
“She’s selling it. She put a "For Sale" sign on it last week,” replied Alan.
“Any idea what she’s asking for it? Might go and have a look at it tomorrow if she’s not asking too much,” said Dai.
“Well, she said dad paid $5,000 for it, and as it hasn’t been used much and is in good condition, she’s hoping to get at least $4,500,” put in Lynne. “You know, dad told her it was second-hand and that he paid $5,000 for it, but to me it looks to be worth a quite bit more than that.”
Dave looked thoughtful for a moment before saying “Your dad was no fool Lynne, and if he’d become a bit wary of Miriam I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d claimed to have spent less than he actually had.”
Watching Dave’s face, Bron knew that some sort of plan was already forming in his mind, so wasn’t surprised when he went on to say “Bron, I think that after we’ve dropped the truck off at the workshop tomorrow morning we’ll drive over to Miriam’s and offer our condolences. We’re not going there to have a look at the caravan, of course, because we know nothing about that now, do we?” he added with a wink and a mischievous grin.
Both Alan and Lynne looked at him with some surprise, and then a slow smile spread across their faces: Dave was up to something, and knowing Dave, it was probably something devious. The conversation moved to other topics and during that time they managed to do justice to a bottle of good Port. Well, at least Dave and Alan did. The girls simply finished off the wine that had been served with dessert. It was almost midnight before they went to bed, with Dave, Bron and the boys being accommodated in the garden bungalow at the rear of the house.
“Do we have a spare basket that we can put some of our farm goodies in?” Dai asked. “I may have to soft-soap Miriam a bit when we visit.”
“We have a couple actually. And plenty of goodies; Eggs, Cheese and veggies in the large esky, with jams and preserves in one of the totes,” Bron replied rather sleepily, and she drifted off into the Land of Nod.
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