First thing the next morning, before he went down to breakfast, Matt called the attorney who was handling his folks' estate and made an appointment to meet with him that afternoon. The lawyer was hesitant until Matt told him why he wanted the appointment.
The attorney listened to Matt's explanation and, after he heard what Ezra and Serena were up to, he said he thought the idea of Matt moving in with Mary and Rick was a good one. "I'm sure there won't be any problems with what you're suggesting," he told the young man. "You're eighteen, an adult. I can't imagine any way they could prevail, even if they did attempt to contest your plan in court." He chuckled. "I can't think of an attorney in a hundred-mile radius who'd even consider filing a case like that."
Uncle Ezra and Aunt Serena were in the kitchen eating breakfast when Matt, who was feeling quite optimistic after talking to the lawyer, came downstairs. Uncle Ezra looked terrible. Matt wondered how many beers he'd drunk the night before.
"Grab yourself something to eat, kid," Uncle Ezra said. His mouth was full of food and when he spoke, bits of food sprayed the table.
"Yeah," Aunt Serena added, "I made plenty. Growing boy like you needs a good breakfast."
Matt went to the stove. The eggs in the frying pan had a greenish tint. He took some, sat down, and tried them. They tasted rotten. Ketchup, lots of it, didn't help. Disgusted, he stood up, took the dish to the sink, and scraped the eggs into the garbage disposal. "I'm not hungry," he explained.
"Gotta eat, boy," Uncle Ezra said, spraying food in Matt's direction.
"We have another appointment with the lawyer at two this afternoon," Matt said.
His aunt looked surprised. "What's that all about?" she asked.
"Yeah," Uncle Ezra peered at him suspiciously through blood-shot eyes, "How come we didn't know about this appointment?"
"I ran into the lawyer downtown last night," Matt lied, "he said there were some papers that needed to be signed. They have to do with guardianship and my moving to Seattle."
"Well, then, we better make sure we're there," Uncle Ezra said. "Gotta get all that legal crap straightened out, don't we?"
"We sure do," Matt agreed.
Matt stayed in the darkroom and out of his aunt and uncle's way for the rest of the morning. He considered developing the last pictures he took of Mary, but he decided to let those wait. He didn't want to risk Serena or Ezra getting into the darkroom and finding the negatives. Since he had no more work to do in his photo lab, he went down and washed and waxed the car and truck.
He made himself a sandwich for lunch, declining Aunt Serena's offer of whatever it was she'd cooked, and went up to his room to get ready for his appointment with the attorney. At one o'clock, showered, dressed in a three-piece charcoal gray suit, he went downstairs.
"My," Aunt Serena commented, "don't you look handsome? So grown up."
Matt nodded. "I have to do some things. I'll meet you at the lawyer's office at two," he said.
He went out, got in the truck, and headed for Mary's house. She was waiting for him, got in the truck, and they drove to the lawyer's office.
The lawyer wasn't surprised by what Matt had told him about his relatives' greed. "I've seen it happen before," the imposing man said. "It's a sad commentary on people, especially family, but the amounts far less than the money in your estate often tends to bring out the greed in some people. I'm sorry this had to happen, Matt."
"Just so we can fix it so I don't have to go to Seattle with them," Matt said.
"That definitely won't be a problem," the lawyer said. "As I told you on the phone, even if this case were to come before a court, any responsible judge would most likely rule in your favor. The fact that Mrs. Forrester has consented to let you live with her and her son certainly helps your case, too. If I remember correctly, your father and I once had a discussion about who to appoint as your guardian if something happened to him. Mr. and Mrs. Forrester were among the names he brought up."
Matt smiled. He felt a lot better about the way things were going to work out.
Uncle Ezra and Aunt Serena arrived at two. Uncle Ezra saw Mary sitting there, and looked at Matt. "Who's she, and what's she doin' here?" he asked.
"You'll see," Matt told him.
"We're here today to clear up a few things..." the lawyer began, "As executors of Matt's parents' estates, we did have some concerns about his living alone."
Uncle Ezra smiled, looked at his wife, and nudged her with his elbow.
"However, Mrs. Virginia Forrester, a good friend of his parents, has generously offered to allow Matt to live with her and her son. That satisfies our concerns about his well-being." He looked at Serena and Ezra and smiled. "I'm sure you, as Matt's only living relatives, want only the best for Matt and understand that this action is in his best interest."
