I went to the funeral of my estranged father thinking that I would get some closure, but my grandmother’s urgent call made me rush to her house. My half-brothers had skipped the funeral completely, and when I found them rummaging through his study, I realized what they were up to.
I hadn’t seen my father for years. He abandoned my mother and me when I was a child, and every time I tried to get close to him when I grew up, I got nothing in return. Just silence.
I should have stopped worrying, but it’s hard to let go of someone who’s supposed to be your father. When I found out he had died, I didn’t know how to feel. Was I sad? Angry? Relieved? Honestly, probably all of the above.
When the funeral came around, I felt like I had to go despite knowing it would be better not to. I don’t know why. Maybe I wanted to get it over with, or maybe I just wanted to see who would be there.
The chapel was silent, except for the organ playing softly, and the smell of lilies hit me like a wall, too sweet and overwhelming. I fidgeted on the hard wooden bench, looking at the small program they gave me at the door.
Robert Sr.
It was strange to see his name written like that, as if he were just another man, not the ghost who had haunted me most of my life.
Nobody was crying. In fact, nobody seemed that upset. They were just sitting there, staring into space, as if they were waiting for it all to end. Meanwhile, my half-brothers, Robert Jr. and Barbara, whom I had only ever spoken to on the phone when they answered instead of my father, weren’t even there.
That was weird. You’d think the children he’d actually raised would show up, right?
Just as I was deciding whether to leave too, a bony but strong hand grabbed my arm. I shuddered and turned to see my grandmother, Estelle. I had only seen her a couple of times over the years.
She would catch up with me about my father and his new family, and I would just listen to her because she was the only one from that side who had paid any attention to me.
Her sharp eyes fixed on mine and her face was determined. She came so close that I could smell her perfume and she began to speak.
“Look around you, child,” she whispered. ‘Haven’t you noticed? You shouldn’t be here. You have to go to his house. Right now.’
I blinked. ”What? Grandma, what are you talking about?”
She didn’t answer. She just squeezed something cold in my hand. I looked down. A key. She must have noticed my confusion on my face, because she grabbed my arm tighter.
“Trust me,” she continued, her voice firm and deep. ”Go. Quickly.”
Then she let go of me and stood up straight as if nothing had happened. I followed her with my gaze, stunned, as she disappeared into the crowd.
For a second, I thought about staying there. Maybe she was playing a trick on me. Maybe she was going crazy. But there was something in the way she was looking at me that I couldn’t ignore.
I got up.
Silently, I left the chapel, key in hand. Outside, the sunlight seemed too bright after being in that dark, stuffy room. I took a deep breath, got into the car and drove to his house.
The two-storey property was even more impressive than I remembered. The fresh paint gleamed in the sunlight, and the yard was meticulously landscaped. It seemed that my father had truly loved this house. He had certainly put more care into it than he had into raising me.
I parked in the newly paved driveway and stared at the front door. I shouldn’t be here. This had been my home before she abandoned us. We stayed at first, but it didn’t take long for her lawyer to throw us out. It felt crazy to be here, but I had to find out what Grandma meant.
I approached the door and the lock clicked softly. The hinges creaked as I pushed the door open. Silence reigned inside. The air smelled fresh and clean, with a hint of something pleasant, like lemon or lavender.
I walked through the living room. The old furniture I remembered had been replaced by newer, more elegant pieces, but there was a strange feeling that made the house seem heavier, like a held breath.
It was then that I heard the voices.
They were faint and coming from somewhere in the corridor. I stood still, straining to listen. My father’s office. I remembered it from when I was little. I was never allowed in.
I tiptoed closer. On the other side of the door, I could hear the voices more clearly.
“It has to be here,“ said a man.
I didn’t recognize the voice, but it had to be Robert Jr.
“The deed, the account numbers,” he continued, sounding frantic. “We have to find them before she does.”
“You’re right. She can’t find them. Where could she have hidden them?” replied a woman’s voice. It had to be Barbara.
I gasped. Wait. Were they talking about me,?
I pushed the door open a little. Inside I saw Robert standing by my father’s desk, a pile of papers in his hand. Barbara was on the floor, rummaging through a pile of money and documents from an open safe in the wall.
What were they doing?
“Well,” said a calm voice behind me, making me jump. ‘Your father’s suspicions were true.”
I turned and came face to face with a man dressed in a gray suit. He looked calm, almost bored.
“Who are you?’ I whispered, swallowing hard.
“Mr. Davis,” he said, holding out a brown folder. ‘The family solicitor.”
Before I could say anything to the man, the door flew open. I almost tripped in the doorway. Barbara was there, and her face contorted with anger when she saw us.
“What the hell are you doing here?’ she snapped.
Robert turned towards the door and paled. “Emily? You shouldn’t be here.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but Mr. Davis beat me to it.
“Actually, she has every right to be here,” he said calmly.
Barbara glared at him. “What are you talking about? Who are you?”
“Ask your grandmother,” Mr. Davis replied.
At that moment she appeared. Grandma Estelle walked past Mr. Davis and me. Ignoring Barbara, who was frowning, she entered the study with her head held high.
Her eyes scanned the chaos created by my brothers and finally met mine.
“Honey,” she said softly, ”I wanted you to see this. To see them for what they are.”
“I don’t understand,“ I muttered, shaking my head.
“My son made many mistakes in his youth that he never acknowledged, but I think his illness finally woke him up. He wanted to divide his inheritance among the three of you,” continued Grandma Estelle, raising her chin toward my half-brothers. “But I knew that they would try to swindle you out of your share.”
Robert Jr. and Barbara exploded with disbelief, but I just shook my head. “Grandma, it doesn’t matter what they tried to do. I don’t want my father’s money. I didn’t even know him.”
“You see?” Robert Jr. began, glaring angrily between us. “She doesn’t want it, and anyway, she doesn’t deserve it. She wasn’t in his life, so his estate belongs to us.”
Grandma Estelle gave him an icy stare. “It’s what your father wanted, what he explicitly warned you about,” she said to my brothers, her gaze shifting to Mr. Davis. “Please read my son’s exact words.”
The notary picked up the folder and began to read. ”To my children: If you are hearing this, it is because I am dead. I want my estate to be divided equally. But, as we have already discussed, if any of you try to claim more than your fair share, it will all go to Emily.
Barbara let out a muffled scream and Robert Jr. shouted, both of them immediately launching into a tirade about how unfair it all was. Mr. Davis ignored them.
“Your actions today triggered this clause,” he said simply. “Emily, the inheritance is now all yours. He has also left you this letter.”
He handed me a sealed envelope and I opened it with trembling hands.
“Emily,
I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for not being in your life and for having missed out on all those years. The truth is that I was young and foolish. Walking away was the biggest mistake of my life, but at the time I convinced myself it was the only way.
Your mother was always so strong, so capable. Even when we were young, she had a fire inside her that intimidated me. I, on the other hand, was a child playing at being an adult. I had grown up with comforts and an easy life, and the responsibility of parenthood, of supporting a family, terrified me. So I ran away. Like a coward.
I had to face my own mortality to realize how stupid and irresponsible I had been. I had given up a good life, a loving family, all because I was afraid. And to make matters worse, I see the same weakness in the children I raised. After their mother’s death, all they cared about was money and who got more attention. It disgusted me.
Then, after so many years, I looked you up. I saw the woman you had become. How you had been working since you were 14, how you had worked hard at school and got a degree in computer science. How you had a stable job and a close relationship with your mother. You had built a life for yourself, a good life, despite my absence. And that made me realize how selfish I had been.
This house, this money… it’s not about making amends. I know I can never do that. But I hope it shows you that I am sorry for everything. I am sorry for leaving you. I am sorry for missing your life. And most of all, I am sorry for not being the father you deserved.
Have a great life, Emily. You’ve earned it.
Tears welled up in my eyes. For a long time I had been angry. I had fought against feelings of abandonment, against the pain of a missing father. Now I felt overwhelmed. He had noticed me. He was proud of the life I had built.
I only wish he had reached out to me. I don’t know if I would have forgiven him, but maybe I would have tried to get to know him too.
Things might have been different. However, as my tears fell, I realized that I was also grateful. Not for the house, not for the money, not for any of that, but for those words: they eased something in my soul.
I vaguely heard Grandma Estelle accompanying my brothers to the exit. Their protests quickly faded as they left the house. I focused on Mr. Davis, who instructed me to call him to finalize the legal matters.
And so I was left alone in my father’s house, the house that used to be mine and my only chance to get to know him now. Was it possible to get to know a person when they were no longer there? I wondered, but I supposed I was about to find out.