When Greenlee went back outside, she found a bustle of Smyth's chatting and laughing. The women were sipping white wine, and the men had some clear alcoholic drink. Greenlee shifted through the crowd, constantly looking for Andrew. She was able to find Amy, but Andrew was no where in sight.
"Ah, there he is," She said finally spotting him. His back was turned towards her. She walked up and tapped his shoulder, but when they were face-to-face Greenlee realized it wasn't Andrew, but his younger brother Kyle.
"Yes?" He said
Greenlee smiled and said, "Have you seen your brother?"
"Why, yes of course." Kyle pointed towards a small group of people a short distance off, and sure enough, Andrew was standing among them holding a drink and wearing his crooked smile.
"Thanks."
As she walked towards the group, she was stopped suddenly by a hand on her shoulder.
"Hello, Greenlee,"
"Aunt Maria, how wonderful to see you."
Greenlee was cringing inside. Maria was Jimmy's mother, but Jimmy and his mom were complete opposites, much like Greenlee and her own mother.
Aunt Maria entered the family by marrying Greenlee's uncle David, the third Smyth son. David and Maria were the parents to three of the Smyth grandchildren. Each group of generation had a name. There was Millicent and Woodrow, Greenlee's grandparents, at the head, followed by the Smyth children, which were Millicent and Woodrow's five kids and their spouses. The Smyth children were responsible for the Smyth grandchildren, their offspring, who were in turn responsible for the Smyth great-grandchildren.
The Smyth son's consisted of Greenlee's father Robert, who was the oldest, and his three brothers: Michael, David and Sean. They had one sister, Greenlee's Aunt Kelly, who was known as "the rose amongst the thorns."
All the Smyth children were married and had kids of their own. Only four of the Smyth grandchildren had kids, which was Jimmy, his younger sister Jacky, and Kelly's daughters Yvonne and Teresa. The rest of the grandchildren, (which numbered eight including Greenlee) weren't married or even enagaged. Bets for the next marriage were mostly on Josh, but some said Amy. Despite the large family, Greenlee had no trouble at all remembering who was who, who belonged to who, and most importantly, who she should avoid. Aunt Maria was someone to avoid.
"Have you seen my Grandchildren running around anywhere?"
"I think they might be in the maze," Greenlee guessed.
"Oh, yes, you're probably right." She looked disappointed.
"Well have you seen James then?"
"Nope, haven't seen James."
Greenlee was getting good at this lying stuff.
"Oh," Maria said, "how about your mother, seen her around?"
"No. I could care less where she is."
Maria raised both her eyebrows in surprise.
"Oh, look," she said, her face brightening suddenly, "here comes mother."
Greenlee turned around; her grandmother was wheeling herself outside. Her dog, Chops, was in her lap.
Maria quickly left Greenlee and went to the side of the wheelchair attempting to strike up conversation with the old woman, but Millicent was obviously in a bitter mood and wasn't interested. Either that, or she had also learned who to avoid over the years. Greenlee took the oppertunity to approach Andrew.
"Excuse me," She said as she stepped up to the group. Andrew was standing with Greenlee's uncles Norman and Michael, and her cousins Peter, John and Mady. Peter and Mady were twins.
"Hey Greens!" Mady said cheerfully, she was just barely eight-teen.
"I was wondering if I could snag Andrew away for just a minute?"
"Sure thing," Peter said with a nudge into Greenlee with his elbow, which he followed with a wink. Greenlee shook her head at him.
Andrew reluctantly excused himself from the group and followed Greenlee to a quiet corner of the yard.
"If you're going to try to--" Andrew began, but Greenlee interupted.
"Yes, I am going to apologise. I'm sorry, okay? My family is really messed up."
"Oh, you kissed me because of your family?" He said sarcastically. "Yeah, it all makes sense now."
"Look, I need a lawyer's opinion."
"I'm sure one of your cousins can help you. At least one of them had to of gone to Law School."
"No, Medical School is the big thing in this family. You're the only lawyer here. Please?"
How could he say no to a helpless girl?
"Alright, yeah. What is it?"
"Is it legal for a parent to say they'll pass everything onto their child, but only if that child is a male?"
Andrew knitted his eyebrows, "That's legal. It's a form of entailment."
"Isn't it sexist?"
"Well, it could be, but if that's what the parent's decide and they don't give birth to a male, then they don't have to pass their things on to their daughter. They don't have to pass their things on to anyone."
"What if they tell their daughter to get married, and then they'll pass everything onto her?"
"That could be considered bribary I guess, but it's an incredably weak case that I doubt any sane judge would take."
"Damn it!"
"Is that what you're parents are doing to you?"
Greenlee nodded slightly.
"...and that's why you kissed me?"
Another nod.
"Did you're mother, sort of, force you onto me?"
"Yes," Greenlee felt herself being drowned in mortification, she couldn't believe she was admitting this to him.
"My mother forced me to like you too."
"What?"
"That's why we came."
Greenlee felt a sense of relief flood over herself; he had fallen for the same trick she had.
"I'm so sorry that this all happened, Andrew."
"It wasn't all your fault, my behavior was only a provocation."
Greenlee couldn't deny that.
"Well thanks for your help." Greenlee stepped away taking a deep breath and headed back inside just as everyone was beginning to enter the maze. Someone caught her arm.
"Oh, Leo," She said surprised.
"I saw you and Andrew talking. How'd it go?"
"Not as bad as I thought."
"See, what did I tell you?" Leo smiled sweetly at her.
"Say, you wouldn't want to ditch the maze with me and have some cocoa, would you?" Greenlee asked.
"Gee, I don't know... you think that's okay with your mother if we miss the maze?"
"Oh we can sneak off into the library seperatly, no one will be the wiser."
Leo laughed, "You're so guileless," he joked.
Greenlee grinned, "See you in Library in ten minutes."
"Roger that."
"You're such a dork." She laughed, and they headed their seperate ways: Leo to the library, and Greenlee to the kitchen.
As Greenlee poured the steaming water from the kettle to the mugs, she had a sudden realization. Since she'd come home for Christmas, she hadn't even thought about Him once. Not once. It was like coming home had helped to assuage her obsession for him. But as Greenlee pondered over the events that had taken place recently, she began to wonder if her ex-fiance hadn't proposed souly because she was affluent. Maybe somehow he knew about the inheiritance, but eventually felt too guilty to go through with it and ended the relationship.
Greenlee shook her head at the thought, that was crazy. He couldn't have known about the money.
She sighed. Being wealthy sure was a pain in the ass.
"So," Leo said lifting his mug from the tray, "did you talk to your parents about the whole heir thing?"
"No, but I talked to Andrew about it."
"Did you really?"
"Yeah, he said it was entailment."
Leo blinked. "I don't know those fancy lawyer terms."
"Me neither actually. Did you happen to find a dictionary in here?"
"As a matter of fact, I did." He grinned. He got up from the couch and walked across the room to a shelf, he bent over and pulled a thick book from the bottom shelf. As he sat back down, he flipped through the E section.
"Entailment," he read aloud, "limited inheiritance of property to specific heirs."
Greenlee frowned, "When you put it that way, it sounds perfectly legal."
"That's because it is, unfortunatly."
"Well, shit," she muttered. "I think I'm going to take this to the top."
"What do you mean?"
"My father. I'm going to have a nice, long talk about this with my old man."
"Ah, there he is," She said finally spotting him. His back was turned towards her. She walked up and tapped his shoulder, but when they were face-to-face Greenlee realized it wasn't Andrew, but his younger brother Kyle.
"Yes?" He said
Greenlee smiled and said, "Have you seen your brother?"
"Why, yes of course." Kyle pointed towards a small group of people a short distance off, and sure enough, Andrew was standing among them holding a drink and wearing his crooked smile.
"Thanks."
As she walked towards the group, she was stopped suddenly by a hand on her shoulder.
"Hello, Greenlee,"
"Aunt Maria, how wonderful to see you."
Greenlee was cringing inside. Maria was Jimmy's mother, but Jimmy and his mom were complete opposites, much like Greenlee and her own mother.
Aunt Maria entered the family by marrying Greenlee's uncle David, the third Smyth son. David and Maria were the parents to three of the Smyth grandchildren. Each group of generation had a name. There was Millicent and Woodrow, Greenlee's grandparents, at the head, followed by the Smyth children, which were Millicent and Woodrow's five kids and their spouses. The Smyth children were responsible for the Smyth grandchildren, their offspring, who were in turn responsible for the Smyth great-grandchildren.
The Smyth son's consisted of Greenlee's father Robert, who was the oldest, and his three brothers: Michael, David and Sean. They had one sister, Greenlee's Aunt Kelly, who was known as "the rose amongst the thorns."
All the Smyth children were married and had kids of their own. Only four of the Smyth grandchildren had kids, which was Jimmy, his younger sister Jacky, and Kelly's daughters Yvonne and Teresa. The rest of the grandchildren, (which numbered eight including Greenlee) weren't married or even enagaged. Bets for the next marriage were mostly on Josh, but some said Amy. Despite the large family, Greenlee had no trouble at all remembering who was who, who belonged to who, and most importantly, who she should avoid. Aunt Maria was someone to avoid.
"Have you seen my Grandchildren running around anywhere?"
"I think they might be in the maze," Greenlee guessed.
"Oh, yes, you're probably right." She looked disappointed.
"Well have you seen James then?"
"Nope, haven't seen James."
Greenlee was getting good at this lying stuff.
"Oh," Maria said, "how about your mother, seen her around?"
"No. I could care less where she is."
Maria raised both her eyebrows in surprise.
"Oh, look," she said, her face brightening suddenly, "here comes mother."
Greenlee turned around; her grandmother was wheeling herself outside. Her dog, Chops, was in her lap.
Maria quickly left Greenlee and went to the side of the wheelchair attempting to strike up conversation with the old woman, but Millicent was obviously in a bitter mood and wasn't interested. Either that, or she had also learned who to avoid over the years. Greenlee took the oppertunity to approach Andrew.
"Excuse me," She said as she stepped up to the group. Andrew was standing with Greenlee's uncles Norman and Michael, and her cousins Peter, John and Mady. Peter and Mady were twins.
"Hey Greens!" Mady said cheerfully, she was just barely eight-teen.
"I was wondering if I could snag Andrew away for just a minute?"
"Sure thing," Peter said with a nudge into Greenlee with his elbow, which he followed with a wink. Greenlee shook her head at him.
Andrew reluctantly excused himself from the group and followed Greenlee to a quiet corner of the yard.
"If you're going to try to--" Andrew began, but Greenlee interupted.
"Yes, I am going to apologise. I'm sorry, okay? My family is really messed up."
"Oh, you kissed me because of your family?" He said sarcastically. "Yeah, it all makes sense now."
"Look, I need a lawyer's opinion."
"I'm sure one of your cousins can help you. At least one of them had to of gone to Law School."
"No, Medical School is the big thing in this family. You're the only lawyer here. Please?"
How could he say no to a helpless girl?
"Alright, yeah. What is it?"
"Is it legal for a parent to say they'll pass everything onto their child, but only if that child is a male?"
Andrew knitted his eyebrows, "That's legal. It's a form of entailment."
"Isn't it sexist?"
"Well, it could be, but if that's what the parent's decide and they don't give birth to a male, then they don't have to pass their things on to their daughter. They don't have to pass their things on to anyone."
"What if they tell their daughter to get married, and then they'll pass everything onto her?"
"That could be considered bribary I guess, but it's an incredably weak case that I doubt any sane judge would take."
"Damn it!"
"Is that what you're parents are doing to you?"
Greenlee nodded slightly.
"...and that's why you kissed me?"
Another nod.
"Did you're mother, sort of, force you onto me?"
"Yes," Greenlee felt herself being drowned in mortification, she couldn't believe she was admitting this to him.
"My mother forced me to like you too."
"What?"
"That's why we came."
Greenlee felt a sense of relief flood over herself; he had fallen for the same trick she had.
"I'm so sorry that this all happened, Andrew."
"It wasn't all your fault, my behavior was only a provocation."
Greenlee couldn't deny that.
"Well thanks for your help." Greenlee stepped away taking a deep breath and headed back inside just as everyone was beginning to enter the maze. Someone caught her arm.
"Oh, Leo," She said surprised.
"I saw you and Andrew talking. How'd it go?"
"Not as bad as I thought."
"See, what did I tell you?" Leo smiled sweetly at her.
"Say, you wouldn't want to ditch the maze with me and have some cocoa, would you?" Greenlee asked.
"Gee, I don't know... you think that's okay with your mother if we miss the maze?"
"Oh we can sneak off into the library seperatly, no one will be the wiser."
Leo laughed, "You're so guileless," he joked.
Greenlee grinned, "See you in Library in ten minutes."
"Roger that."
"You're such a dork." She laughed, and they headed their seperate ways: Leo to the library, and Greenlee to the kitchen.
As Greenlee poured the steaming water from the kettle to the mugs, she had a sudden realization. Since she'd come home for Christmas, she hadn't even thought about Him once. Not once. It was like coming home had helped to assuage her obsession for him. But as Greenlee pondered over the events that had taken place recently, she began to wonder if her ex-fiance hadn't proposed souly because she was affluent. Maybe somehow he knew about the inheiritance, but eventually felt too guilty to go through with it and ended the relationship.
Greenlee shook her head at the thought, that was crazy. He couldn't have known about the money.
She sighed. Being wealthy sure was a pain in the ass.
"So," Leo said lifting his mug from the tray, "did you talk to your parents about the whole heir thing?"
"No, but I talked to Andrew about it."
"Did you really?"
"Yeah, he said it was entailment."
Leo blinked. "I don't know those fancy lawyer terms."
"Me neither actually. Did you happen to find a dictionary in here?"
"As a matter of fact, I did." He grinned. He got up from the couch and walked across the room to a shelf, he bent over and pulled a thick book from the bottom shelf. As he sat back down, he flipped through the E section.
"Entailment," he read aloud, "limited inheiritance of property to specific heirs."
Greenlee frowned, "When you put it that way, it sounds perfectly legal."
"That's because it is, unfortunatly."
"Well, shit," she muttered. "I think I'm going to take this to the top."
"What do you mean?"
"My father. I'm going to have a nice, long talk about this with my old man."