Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (8 page)

Mrs. Stuart stopped Aggie
’
s attempt at a reply before she could utter a word.
“
Let me finish.
”
Shoulders slumped, Aggie squeezed into a nearby child-sized rocking chair.

“
My lawyer has the paperwork prepared and ready to submit to the court. Agathena, if you do not agree immediately to relinquish guardianship of these children to Douglas and me, then we will file the papers tomorrow. Furthermore, I want you out of this house before you do any more damage. This basement is littered with laundry, and you have ruined the hallway with your disgusting ball apparatus. You do not have the financial resources to fight us, regardless of the inheritance Douglas and Alanna left for you.
”

Geraldine Stuart
’
s face looked as if chiseled in marble. Aggie considered a response but decided that it was foolish. Geraldine would not listen. The woman had no idea of the amount of insurance her son and Allie had left. She had no idea how strongly they had insisted that the children were to go into foster care rather than allowing Doug
’
s parents to assume custody of them. One thing Aggie did know; she was both going to have to move quickly.

Resigned to the ugliness that would follow, Aggie stood, shifted the towels, and moved past Geraldine on the stairs.
“
Do what you must, but I
will
honor my sister
’
s and your son
’
s wishes. I am sorry you feel obligated to disregard them. As to the house, we
’
ll be out as soon as I can move us. Until then, I
’
ll have to ask that you refrain from coming by or calling. I didn
’
t want to do this; but if I have to, I
’
ll get a restraining order.
”

Geraldine was stunned into silence by Aggie
’
s uncharacteristic assertiveness. She seethed as she ascended the stairs, fiercely humming the hymn,
“
Angry Words
.
”
As she entered the kitchen, Tavish heard her almost biting out the line,
“
May the heart
’
s best impulse ever, check them e
’
er they soil the lip,
”
and wondered at the reason. Moments later, he saw his grandmother climbing the stairs with a grim look on her face that told the young boy more than any child should understand.

Later that evening, Aggie decided to get some perspective. She turned on the computer and quickly signed into her instant messenger account. Her shoulders relaxed and tension began to ease even before clicking on Tina
’
s name.

Aggie says:
Oh, Tina, this is so hard. Are you
sure
I can do this?

Tina says:
Déjà vous
… didn
’
t we discuss this yesterday? If I remember right, the Word says that He won
’
t give us more than we can endure…

Aggie says:
Well… I hope He handles Geraldine Stuart for me. Eight children are enough work without adding in a temperamental, selfish, old woman!!!

Tina says:
Uh oh… what happened?

Aggie says:
Well, for starters, she hates me. Secondly, I hate her.

Tina says:
Whoa there… Do you really? Do you really want to be guilty of murder?

Aggie says:
Sigh. I guess not. I
’
m just scared. What if she can get custody of the children? Doug and Allie didn
’
t want that,
and here I am staring at that very possibility.

Tina says:
Well, didn
’
t your dad say that the court, prior to their
deaths, approved the guardianship papers? I mean wasn
’
t
your sister pretty Type A about stuff like that?

Aggie says:
Well, they are supposed to be settled… I just kno
w
that she
’
s fighting me tooth and nail. This woman thinks I a
m
completely incompetent.

Tina says:
Oh, Aggie…

Aggie says:
I am just afraid she might be right. And even if she isn
’
t, I can
’
t afford to fight her.

Tina says:
I thought there was healthy life insurance and stuff.

Aggie says:
I have to make this last for twenty years. Food, school, college, clothes, the works
--
times 8. That
’
s a lot of kids and money.

Tina says:
Hee hee… Aggie? Have you ever heard of INTEREST? You are going to be fine.

Aggie says:
Things just aren
’
t certain, and Allie trusted me. Can you believe it? She trusted ME. After years of me thinking that she considered me incompetent to do the simplest thing, she left me her children!

Tina says:
But do you think she really thought that, or was it your insecurity seeing her as something more than she saw herself as?

Aggie says:
What about my insecurities?

Tina says:
Did your sister really think that you were incompetent, or did you, due to some insecurity or something, assume that because you saw her as so over competent?

Aggie says:
I don
’
t know. I think you have a point. A strong point.

Tina says:
That
’
ll be one-
-

Aggie says:
No coffee… chamomile. Trust me; it
’
s tasty and not lethal to early morning slumber.

Tina says:
Gotcha. Chamomile. I can
’
t wait to tell the guys. Aggie without coffee. What next?

Aggie says:
It won
’
t last long. I
’
ll get desperate before too long.

Tina says:
Well, do it before I get there, will ya?

Aggie says:
Will do. LOL.

Aggie says:
Oh well, I better get back down there and find out what the munchkins are up to.

Tina says:
Ok, take care… poofs!

Aggie says:
Nighters.

Double Trouble

Monday, March 4
^th

“
Mr. Moss? This is Aggie Milliken. I am calling about the guardianship hearing. Can Geraldine Stuart gain custody of the children? She threatened to appeal yesterday. The temporary guardianship papers came so fast…
”
She listened for a moment and then protested,
“
But I thought I
’
d have to do all kinds of home studies and things
--
”

Mr. Moss heard the gentle tone of her voice strained with emotion and reassured her that everything was in order.
“
However, Aggie, I would recommend that you consider a new home for you and the children.
”

For the next few minutes, the lawyer explained his recommendation for the sale of the Stuart family home. She listened carefully and tried not to become overwhelmed at the realization of what moving would entail. Assured that there would be no custody problems, it was hard to concentrate on everything Mr. Moss discussed. The children were safe from Geraldine. That thought alone relaxed her features from the drawn, tense mask that had covered her face since she
’
d closed the door behind her sister
’
s in-laws the previous afternoon.

Aggie
’
s face was pleasant and appealing, yet few outside her family thought her beautiful. She had long, straight, silky hair, a delightful smile that brightened her face, and expressive hazel eyes. Her most distinctive characteristic was the tendency to wear her thoughts on her face like a billboard. Whether happy, angry, or sad, she couldn
’
t hide it. Perplexing situations gave her the comical appearance of trying to read incomprehensible hieroglyphics. Nothing Aggie did in the attempt to mask her thoughts or emotions worked; her face simply refused to cooperate. Poker was not her forte.

“
Thank you, Mr. Moss, I am very relieved. I
’
ll be in touch with you if papers do happen to arrive, and in the meantime, I guess I
’
ll look into finding another home.
”

Aggie groaned as she disconnected the call. She dreaded the thought of a move for an incalculable number of reasons. Staying meant stability for the children who had already lost so much. Moving eight children and everything in their large home was sure to be a nightmare, and she knew that the expenses incurred with a move and a large house purchase would be steep.

She stared at the phone, still in her hand, with glazed eyes for a moment before Aggie realized she was shaking. With a heavy sigh, she replaced the phone on its charging dock and moved toward the basement to start another load of laundry. The twins
’
squeals barely penetrated her consciousness as she mulled the lawyer
’
s suggestion that Aggie put the house up for sale. His reminder to her that she had not only the right, but also the responsibility to the children to protect their inheritance pricked her conscience. Leaving the home empty would not be good for it, and if she decided to sell, the Stuarts would likely decide to purchase to
“
keep it in the family.
”
Everyone would win.