"That blanky phone." thought Mary, knowing who the caller would be. It could only be Ida. On this occasion, as conversations go, this proceeded relatively well, given the sibling spat that ensued. It was loud enough for the whole world to hear if there had been any inclination, albeit the limits of the telephone.
As usual, Mary was the target of her bossy elder sister's verbal diatribe. Ida was never wrong. Her word was law, and short of a Biblical quote to prove otherwise, nothing silenced her, nothing stopped Ida except if and when she got her way.
Apparently, according to Ida, the antique coffee table which the sisters both loved, was left to Ida and not Mary by their mother. Nothing would do but for Mary to give up every thought of keeping it. She could not get a word in edgewise; therefore, Mary slammed the phone in Ida's ear just as Bob, her husband, entered the room.
"What's up, love?"
Bob listened carefully, nodding his head to indicate his understanding.
"Do we have a copy of the will?"
"I dunno!" said Mary.
"Okay. Let's call the lawyer; he must have the details."
As luck would have it, Mr Anderson, according to his secretary, would not be available for a day or two. Mary was not happy, feeling deflated and defeated yet determined. She looked at Bob and said:
"Would there be a copy of the will in the safe? Can we look?"
"It's worth a try!"
They beetled to the office but had to concede their efforts to find the will were in vain.
"Try again tomorrow, love. If Ida gives you any more twaddle, I will speak to her. Nothing can be established without proof, but if she is wrong, she will be wearing egg on her face for a long time and I don't mean an Easter egg. No one, especially my sister-in-law, talks to my wife as though she owns the world and treats people, especially you, like dirt."
Mary smiled. She had the greatest treasure ever in Bob, but she still felt that she was the rightful owner of the table. She needed proof.
The next day, Mary continued to search. She could not remember whether or not the document was in a file or manilla folder. It all escaped her, and of course, the stress built up. She knew that letting go and doing something else may assist her memory. Mary and Ida had one thing apart from genes in common: determination.
She turned on the kettle, deciding that a cup of tea would calm her. Then she remembered the load of washing that needed to be done and set about getting things in motion.
Wouldn't you know it, something had fallen on the washing pile. The box was heavy, but in due course, Mary lifted it, carrying it to the kitchen, the tea forgotten. In examining the contents, Mary felt deflated, but an orange-coloured folder caught her eye.
Washing forgotten, she set about examining the box contents
She opened it and screamed
"Found it," she yelled to no one in particular, given she was home alone
The telephone rang. Fearing the worst, Mary answered
"Mary Stone speaking,"
"Hullo Mary, It's Mark Anderson. Are you okay? You asked about Mrs Painter's will?"
"Yes, I did." She regaled the story
"Mary, have you found your copy of the will?" he asked
"Yes, only half an hour ago."
"Look on page three."
"What does it say?" asked Mary
"Read it for yourself."
She did as bid.
"Oh... Oh my!"
Mark laughed heartily.
My dear, it is there in black and white. The coffee table plus the piano is yours. Ida got the hall table and the mirror. You need not worry."
"Ida will go mad."
"Leave it to me, Mary. I will ring her now."
"She might get mad at you."
"That's a possibility." he conceded, "but she still gets the hall table and mirror."
Writing Prompt |
Write a story where your character found something that impacts his or her life. Maximum word count: 2,000 words. |
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