We all have secrets, but it is quite a shock to find them out after the death and via a will! Sometimes, however, even if that secret is completely shocking, it could end up being a good thing. Just like in our story today which was inspired by the readers at AmoMama. The huge shock to find out a fathers secret ended up being something positive and beautiful in the end
The Death of a Father
Liz was heartbroken. Her father had passed away and she’d just returned home from his funeral. Her mother, of course, was just as distraught. Liz knew she had to start going through her fathers things, and her mom was just not able to do it. She sat in what was her fathers home office and started to go through his paperwork. Liz also hoped to find her dad’s will, as it appeared he did not have one. At the very least, she knew that even if she did not find one, she would find old photographs or something special about her dad in the process.
Liz’s father had a lot of paperwork, if she was going to find anything, let alone a will, it would probably take a lot of time. She sat on the floor and went through some old filing boxes. All she found were bills and things related to his work. She’d already gone through his desk draws and found nothing of importance inside them. Liz grew tired and got up to sit in her dad’s big office chair. It reminded her so much of him, it even smelled like him.
Liz ran her hands over the desk, thinking about her dad. Her hands reached underneath the tabletop and she felt something odd. She leaned forward and under the table. To her surprise, a piece of paper was taped there. “Could this be the will?” She wondered to herself excitedly while peeling the paper off carefully.
Finding the Will
Liz now held an envelope in her hands. It had yellowed with age, so she knew it had been stuck there for a long long time. It was so old that it peeled open very easily. She took the papers out and realized that she had indeed found her father’s will. Excitedly and before reading the paperwork, she called to her mother.
“Mom! Mom!“
“Liz, why are you yelling?” her mother appeared in the doorway and entered the office.
“Look!” Liz exclaimed again and raised her father`s will in her hand.
Her mom was intrigued and told Liz to read it. They had no idea the surprise they were about to find.
A Man Named Jack
Liz read the contents of the will and sat opened mouthed. Her father had left everything to some man named Jack Grahame. Neither Liz nor her mother had any idea who this man was. He had left nothing to Liz or even her mom. Neither of the two knew what to think, but they noticed the name of a law firm at the bottom. They decided to call the firm and find out what was going on.
Liz’s mom called the firm and reached a lawyer by the name of Samuel. He asked the pair to meet with him in the morning. They realized they would have to wait to know who this Jack person was, or why everything had been left to him. Even their house was left to this unknown man!
The Truth About the Will
Neither Liz nor her mother slept very well that night, but eventually, morning came. They made their way to the offices of the lawyer, both wanting answers. After arriving, they sat in the waiting room for what seemed like forever. Eventually, Samuel called them into his office. Another man was sitting there, and Liz immediately knew it had to be Jack, the person her father had named in his will.
Samuel asked Liz and her mom to sit down, and he introduced them to Jack. Neither of them wanted to chat, they wanted answers. Liz asked the man who he was. He was about 20 years older than she was but seemed so familiar. Jack looked at her, and then at Samuel, who turned to Liz and told her the truth. “Liz, this is your brother, Jack.“
Liz was flabbergasted, as was her mother. How could neither of them have known about him? Why had her father never spoken of him before? Suddenly, Liz felt threatened and angry. Thanks to finding that will, this man was now going to take their home and everything they owned.
Jack could tell that Liz was upset, but he was not after their father’s estate. In fact, he wanted the exact opposite. He wanted to get to know his half sister.
The End of a Secret
Jack decided to speak up. He told Liz and her mom that he did not want anything that was left to him in the will. Not to mention, he was quite a successful man, and had no need to take anything. He told Liz that their father and his mother had been high-school sweethearts, and he’d gotten her pregnant at a very young age. This explained the age gap between Jack and Liz. He told Liz that while he knew about his father, he’d never met him.
Samuel the lawyer then explained to them that their father had come to him after Jack was born. Jack’s mother’s family had forbid him from seeing their daughter after getting her pregnant. But he wanted to make sure he was looked after. The will itself had been made many years before their father met Liz’s mom, and their father had taped that will under his desk way before Liz’s mother was even in the picture. The only thing that was unclear was why he’d not created a new will after marrying and having Liz.
Jack told Samuel that he wanted nothing from the will and that he was happy for Liz to be the one to get their fathers house and life insurance. His only requirement was that Liz would allow him to get to know her, the sister he never had. Liz’s anger vanished, and she realized that she too wanted to know Jack. Even though her father’s secret was so shocking, it had given her a part of him she did not know existed.
Keep Reading: I Came for My Inheritance and Ran into My Twin in a Wheelchair in That House – a Short Story
This story was inspired by an original piece of fiction that first appeared on AmoMama. Any similarities between this story and actual people is purely coincidental
