"Mama Gene left letters for all of you. This note states that I am to give you all your individual letters as you are to read them while you are here," Dr. Arnold handed his son Wilson, who resembled him greatly, a stack of letters. He passed them out clockwise as I was the last one to receive mine.

Each person opened their letters. The room was silent until Patience screamed. Everyone stopped reading and turned their attention to her.

Patience, a heavy-set woman who was wearing a peach colored skirt suit, was the one who screamed.

"Oh lord! Genie! Genie! Genie!" she was grabbing her chest while she was being fanned by Wilson and others.

David, Vera, and I jumped from our seats.

"Is she alright? I asked.

"I don't know. She doesn't look to well"

Patience was wailing uncontrollably. Vera stepped to help but Dr. Arnold blocked her from doing so.

While Patience was being tended to, we were assured to us by Dr. Arnold that she was going to be alright and for us to continue reading our letters.

"It's ok. She's fine. Just a little surprised that's all. Please, continue what you were doing"

We did as we were told and sat back down. I stared at my letter for a moment while Vera and David read theirs together. I wiped the sweat from my palms onto my skirt, took a deep breath and opened the letter.

Rosa,

You have taken wonderful care of me. Now it is time for me to do the same . . .

Thank you for everything.

Genie

I seen Patience being taken away from the room at the corner of my eye. I looked inside the envelope and found a check. My eyes widen as I looked at the number of zeros on the check. I had no idea Mrs. Irving had this much money!

"Whoa!" I whispered to myself. David must have heard me and looked over. I then felt his head next to mine.

"Whoa! You too?" he whispered. We looked at each other not saying a word. He turned to his mother and whispered in his ear.

"Really! God I hope the others don't find out! They would be pissed!" I heard his mother say.

I quickly put the check back inside the envelope as Dr. Arnold settled the room down.

"Everyone, please, let's continue. We have to be out the hall by 9:30."

I looked around the room and seen a range of emotions from satisfied to Woodrow yelling about how he would go dig his sister up.

"I will go to that cemetery, dig that bitch up and whoop her ass! How she gon' do that to her own flesh and blood! I don't want that shit! What the fuck was she thinking? I'm glad that bitch is dead!" Woodrow tore up the letter and stormed out of the room.

Morgan and Kaprice laughed until they read their letters and mimicked their uncle. Only they stormed out quietly and talking amongst themselves. They, however, did not forget to shoot me one final look.

David and Vera were talking among themselves when Leonard approach them. David let his parents talk as he spoke to me.

"Hey, you want to get out of here? By the looks of it, things are going to get a lot worse."

"Yes, please!" I did not hesitate to say. David and I waited outside the hall for his parents to finish talking. While we were waiting, I noticed David kept staring at me. I know he wanted to say something so I did instead.

"So I take it your grandmother gave you the same thing?"

"Huh what?" David was startled. "Uh yeah, she did. I had no idea she had that kind of money. Very unexpected," he rubbed the back of his head.

Before I could say something, his parents came outside the hall.

"It was nice of you to come Ms. Mendes. My mother talked a lot about you. I really appreciate it"

"No problem Mr. Otunga," we hug. "I owe your mother so much," And owe her I did.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow Dad"

"Yes, tomorrow, when my grandson comes home. See you then son" The two hug.

"Ok kids, are we ready to go?" Vera asked.

"We are. Let's go" David escorted us to his car.

The entire car ride, Vera talked about the antics that went down at the reading. Vera had found out what everyone received. Leonard knew before hand what everyone was receiving except for David, Vera and I. Our letters were given to Dr. Arnold who had them in safe keeping at her request since she knew Leonard would try to prevent us from receiving anything.

Vera said the foster children were given immense sums of money while the real ones were not. Leonard, Morgan, and Kaprice had received only $50,000 and words of discontent but forgiveness from their mother. Woodrow was given a bill for the damage he had done to her van from a hit and run accident he was in after she was admitted to the nursing home after her stroke.

"I don't know why Woody would believe Genie would give him another after the way he treated her. All their lives Woody had been horrible to Genie; stealing from her, trying to ruin her and Stan's relationship. Hell I'm surprise he didn't start burning when he entered the church along with the rest of those heathens."

"Mom!"

"I'm sorry David but you know how much I do not like your father's side of the family. Nothing but a bunch of nosy, miserable, drunk, horny, disgusting, hot messes! And that includes your no good father!"

Vera continued telling us who received what. She also revealed that she knew of the woman Woodrow mentioned in his drunken speech. She was co-worker of his at the factory he worked for at the time.

"That's the woman your father was going to leave me for. He was so in love with her. It was if she could do no wrong until she up and married his best friend." As it turns out, the woman divorced the friend and she and Leonard started seeing each other again.

"But she wasn't going to stick around for long anyway. When your father moved in with her, I forwarded all the bills to her house and even gave the bill collectors her number. Your father was furious!" Vera laughed.

"After a month of being harassed, she kicked your father out. Your father had begged for me to take him back. So I did. When he returned home, there was nothing but a milk crate and broken television in the middle of the living room floor. We moved, she dumped him, got hitched, and that was the end of it. Until two months ago when she contacted him saying she was moving back into town . . ."

David was pulling into my drive way when Vera finished her story. She never finished telling what everyone else had received but her story about her and her ex-husband was so fascinating that at that point I didn't care. I thanked David and Vera for the ride and to let me know when they had made it home safely.

I had entered my house to see that Beth and Santino had stopped by and turned on the lights for me. Before getting myself situated, I went to the kitchen to get a glass of wine. While I drank, I pulled out my cell phone and the letter from my purse.

I opened the letter and took out the check.

I rested my elbows on the counter and took a deep breath.

"You were right David, I did find something interesting. All ten million dollars worth."

I smiled at the check and took the last gulp of wine. I started walking toward my bedroom with thoughts of a hot bath. I called Beth to tell her I was home and safe.

When I was done taking a bath, I went to bed. I took out the letter and check. I re-read the letter.

Rosa,

You have taken wonderful care of me. Now it is time for me to do the same. Do you remember that cruise you said you wanted to go on? Pack your bags, girl, it's on me.

Thank you for everything.

Genie

I looked at the check for the last time.

"And here I was going on and on about how you were wasting your money on the lottery and how it was worthless to play. I'm eating my words."

I put the envelope on my nightstand.

I had no idea what I was going to do with ten million dollars but what I did know was that I was going to book that cruise first thing in the morning.

I turned off the light to go to sleep. I could feel my face started to hurt from me smiling so hard.

"Thank you Genie. I'll be sure to have fun for the both of us."