My mother, Eva, left the house when I was 10 years old. I never saw her since. According to Dad, she moved to Venezuela to live with her lover. What hurt the most was that since Mom left, she did not try to call Dad or me and did not leave a contact number.
I was too young to understand all of Dad's feelings, but I recognized his sadness and disappointment. Five years ago, he married Jill, a bombshell who was 26 years his junior. He liked her and was happy she agreed to marry him. I was 16 at the time and knew nothing about their financial agreement.
Two years ago, at age 59, Dad was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, this type of malignancy had a poor prognosis. The doctors gave him up to 3 years to live.
Two months ago, he summoned me to his large office to have a heart to heart talk.
...
We lived in Philadelphia, and Dad owned one of the largest food processing companies. Our big house in Rittenhouse Square was the envy of our neighbors for its size and neat yard. I didn't know how much money Dad accumulated in his lifetime, but it was probably multi million dollars. Since the time Mom left, there was nothing I wanted Dad to buy me that he refused. Likely to compensate for lack of a mother around.
My father was apparently an excellent businessman. However, he was an introvert. We never talked at length, and not once did he divulge his feelings toward Mom or me. I knew he loved me in his own way because he was always nice to me, but he never expressed it in words or showed it in gestures. The lack of emotional support from parents may have shaped my character.
The relationship with my new stepmother was cordial. She was 34, 13 years older than me, and I knew she was Dad's trophy wife. She never worked a day in her life, and her days were occupied with activities that were meant to keep her beauty and shape for as long as possible. Dad gave her money for a yoga course, private exercise instructor, weekly spa, hair & cosmetics, and 'miscellaneous.' She knew her roles were to be Dad's loving wife and to look good in high society events.
As I said, Jill never tried to assume the role of a mother to me. She treated me the same way she would treat a family dog: Making sure I had enough food to eat, that I went to do my business on time (While for a dog, it was peeing and pooping, in my case, it was going to class), and I wasn't sick. I treated her the same way: She was Dad's wife and not my mother.
...
The last time I was in Dad's office was 4 years earlier. He wanted to interest me in his business, hoping when the day came, I would take over. However, I chose to become a lawyer. He did not try to dissuade me, and I have not visited his firm since then.
It was weird to go back to the office again for a private talk. If it was private, why not do it at home?
As I entered the office door, I was welcomed warmly by his old secretary, Alice. She offered me coffee and asked me to wait for a couple of minutes until Dad's board conference ended. Five minutes later, I saw members of the board leaving while chatting excitedly.
I entered the luxury office and saw Dad sitting behind his mahogany desk. I sat too and looked at him. He notified Alice he didn't want to be disturbed for the next half an hour, disconnected all communication lines, smiled at me, and said, "Nathan, I know I was not the model father to you, and I am not going to pretend to be one now. I brought you here for a reason. My doctor checked the latest diagnostic tests and told me my cancer had spread in my abdomen and my lungs. I already take narcotics for pain. According to him, I have 3-6 months to live. You are my only son, and I want you to know everything about what will happen upon my death. Mom is gone. I tried to track her using a private detective, but so far, no clues. I designated you as my only heir, so all my wealth, which amounts to about $500 million, will be yours. I just notified the board of my decision, and since you weren't interested in running the business, upon my death, the company will be owned by members of the board and the value of the company on that day will be in your bank account the next day. Everything was arranged and signed by the members and me, and awaits your signature to be official. Please sign the documents in the next 48 hours."
"Dad, I am sorry to hear the bad news. I had no idea your health was in such a bad shape."
"As you know, I could never express my feelings and did not want you to agonize over my suffering. But now it was time to let you know what to expect and prepare for the future."
"If I am the only heir, what about Jill?"
"This is the second subject I wish to discuss. When I married her, I was in love with her. She looked great and showed me all the support and love I was missing after your mother deserted us. Before the wedding, we had a prenuptial agreement that said that if we stayed married for at least 12 years, she'd get 1/2 of my wealth. However, if, for whatever reason, the marriage lasted less than that, she will get only $5,000 per month until her death. At the time, Jill claimed she loved me so much, she'd marry me for no money. The first 2 years were a dream marriage. But by the 3rd year, I noticed she frequently had excuses not to attend important events I wanted her to go to, and a year later, our bed was rarely shared. I asked a private investigator to check on her. As I suspected, she resumed her relationship with her former abusive boyfriend, Julio. They met 3 times a week in hotels. Jill was drawing from the account I created for her to support him, buying him clothes and even expensive jewelry. The detective gave me pictures of them together and receipts of her extravagant spending on Julio. There were several options to punish her, but by then, I knew my prognosis was grim, and I did not want to fight her. I'll continue pretending that I know nothing and hope YOU will find a way to vindicate the way she treated me."
"Dad, on occasions, doctors are wrong about prognosis. Who knows, you might be one of these exceptions and live to be 100."
He smiled, "I thought so too. I even got a second and third opinion, but everybody said the same thing. I could pray for a miracle, but I never believed in god and have no intention of starting now. I am giving you the keys to my life's work, and you can sell it and do with the money whatever you wish. Do me a favor, and do not mention to Jill anything I said today."
I had tears in my eyes. I approached and hugged him. He hesitated but then hugged me back. It was the first time we touched each other in more than 10 years.
"Dad, despite what you told me, I continue hoping you'll live a longer, happier life. And about Jill, don't worry. I will not mention anything to her as long as you are with us."
...
Dad died 3.5 months later. Jill and I went to the funeral together. Hundreds of people attended the funeral. Most of them I did not know and assumed were his employees. We mourned him for a week, with Jill trying very hard to be nice to me, cooking, doing my laundry, and cleaning my room.
On the eighth day, Dad's lawyer requested a meeting with Jill and me at his office. I drove us to the lawyer and listened to Dad's will. The summary was clear and reflected what my father said to me in the office: His wealth, which was now valued between $500-$600 million, was mine, and Jill was to leave our house in one month and get $5000 each month.
Jill's face turned pale, and she asked, "But I was a loyal wife until his untimely death. It wasn't my fault he had cancer."
He said drily, "The will specifically state, 'if for whatever reason the marriage does not reach the 12th year,' that was your late husband's instruction. You agreed and signed it."
Jill looked at me pleadingly. I said, "If this is what Dad wanted, I cannot argue with his lawyer. We'll talk later at home." I turned to the lawyer and blurted, "Please, tell the board I wish to sell everything and put the money in my Chase account. I'll decide within a month how to invest it."
On the way back home, Jill started talking to me about a 'more justice' dividing Dad's wealth. I replied, "Jill, let's not do it here. The subject is too important and complicated to deal with while I drive."
The rest of the drive we didn't talk. I saw from the corner of my eye she was very tense.
...
Upon entering the door, she gazed at me, "OK, we are home now. Let's talk."
"Sorry, I am hungry and tired. There is no rush. We can do it tomorrow afternoon."
Jill's lips tightened, but she remained quiet.
The next day, I went to class and returned at 3 pm. I found Jill sitting in front of the TV, watching a sitcom. Her eyes followed me constantly whenever I exited my room. She was anxious to talk but didn't dare alienating me.
At 4 pm, I brought a large envelope and said, "Jill, if you are ready, we can talk about the future."
She said sweetly, "Thank you. Obviously, you can see that Dad wanted to continue our marriage," she squeezed 2 tears from her eyes, "and unfortunately, cancer killed him. We were so happy together!"
I glanced at her, "Jill, have you ever cheated on Dad?"
"What kind of a silly question? I loved him with all my heart! I have never dreamt of doing that."
"Have you heard the name Julio Garcia?"
Her face paled, "Yes. He was my former boyfriend before I married your father."
"Have you met with Julio after the marriage?"
"I saw him a couple of times on the street. We chatted about old times and separated amicably."
"Jill, are you sure you didn't forget other times you saw him?"
"Nathan, what are you getting at?"
"Have you two met in hotels for hanky-panky 3 times a week?"
"Nathan, I told you I was in love with my husband. I wouldn't cheat on him."