Jack, butterflies dancing around his insides, made his way up to the third
floor of the executive building in downtown Rochester, where the law office
of Mahoney & Thaddeus was located. Stepping into the main office, he was
quickly ushered into Charles' private office, located in the back. It was
two minutes to ten.
Looking around him, Jack saw Maria's sister, Theresa, and her brother, John, each sitting in a chair. The room was empty otherwise. He smiled and nodded a greeting to each of them. Theresa gave him a tight-lipped smile in return, while John extended his hand.
"Hey, Jack. How've ya been?" John asked, motioning for Jack to sit down next to him.
"Same old, same old," Jack answered, some of his nervousness evaporating. Pressing his fingers together in his usual nervous habit, Jack made idle conversation with his former brother-in-law, keeping the conversation confined to simple things, like his trip and the weather. The girls weren't mentioned, nor was Maria's sudden death.
Finally, at three minutes after ten, the door opened again, and in walked Charles Mahoney, a girl on either side of him and a long, white envelope in his hand. Jack sat up straight in his chair, his eyes on the three as they all sat down, the girls on a small, ugly plaid couch in the corner, Charles at his desk.
"Ahem," Charles began, clearly enjoying the fact that all eyes were trained on him. He pulled open the envelope and took out Maria's will.
The next half hour was spent dividing up Maria's estate to how she planned it; her siblings and children getting fairly equal portions. During the reading, Jack stole several looks at his now-grown daughters.
Kate, who would be sixteen, the same girl whom he had barked at back at the hotel the previous night, was staring out a window, a drawn expression on her fair face. Hanna, who was now eighteen, kept fidgeting, a bored expression playing on her Italian-featured face. Only once had she looked over at Jack, only to see him glance over at her. The two had somewhat of a staring contest; Jack unsure of if to smile, wave, or just look away, Hanna's eyes narrowing in an almost hateful glare towards Jack. Finally, Jack looked away and checked his watch. It was quarter to eleven.
Clearing his throat, as Charles wrapped up the reading of the will, Jack finally decided to interject.
"Um, excuse me," Jack began, his patience thinning out some when he saw the smug look on Charles' fat face.
"Yes, Jack?" Charles asked, the papers still in his hand, a triumphant smile playing on his lips.
"Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but you read through that whole thing, front to back, and I didn't hear my name once." Jack gave Charles a threatening look. Charles shrugged.
"Who said I'm finished yet?" Charles inquired, a cheeky-tone to his voice. Hanna snorted. "You two can leave now," Charles said, motioning for Theresa and John to exit his office. "You can talk to my secretary for the proper forms and paperwork about your inheritances. And you," Charles taunted, looking directly at Jack, "Well, I saved the best for last."
Jack rolled his eyes and waited while Maria's siblings left the room and his daughters took the chairs closer to Charles' cluttered desk.
"Well?" Jack asked. folding his arms.
"What would you say if I told you your inheritance was right here in this room with you?" Charles asked, smiling.
Jack stood up. Charles was too much for him to handle, and he was about to loose his cool. Grabbing Charles by his collar, he pulled him out of his chair, forcing him to his feet. Kate looked like she was about to say something, but Hanna reached out and silenced her sister, her eyes speaking multitudes as she continued giving her father the look of death.
"What would you say if I wiped that little smirk off your face?" Jack sneered, letting go of the other man's collar. "Cut the crap, Chuck, and cut to the chase!"
"Temper, temper," Charles clucked his tongue. "Do you really want more assault charges brought against you, Jack?"
"If it meant wiping that smile off your face, it'd be worth it," Jack muttered, settling back down in his chair.
"She left you your daughters," Chuck finally answered, throwing the papers down on his desk, facing Jack to show him.
"She...she what?" Jack asked, his mind suddenly racing. He picked up the will and skimmed through the parts that mentioned his name, which only involved caring for Hanna and Kate. Not quite believing his eyes, Jack re- read it a second time, and a third time. Finally, the fourth time around, Charles cut in.
"Well, that's it," he said, snatching the will out of Jack's hands and standing up. "You can talk to Stella out front for the forms..."
Charles continued talking, but Jack wasn't listening. He slowly turned towards his daughters, looking them both in their faces. He blinked several times, trying to remember what they had looked like the last time he saw them. Hanna wouldn't even talk to him that final day. Kate, on the other hand, had fallen and scraped her knee, and had been asking him to kiss the boo-boo. Looking down, now, Jack saw his younger daughter's legs through her pantyhose, underneath a skirt of questionable length. No boo- boo's present. "Mental note," Jack thought to himself, eyeing each of their outfits, "Burn their entire wardrobes and have Vivian take them shopping as soon as we return to New York."
"Well," Jack said, as he and his daughters exited Charles Mahoney's office, "I guess it's the three of us now."
Kate and Hanna exchanged an indecipherable look. Jack cleared his throat and smiled.
"So, you guys wanna get some lunch now?" Jack asked, only to have attempt number two shot down.
"Actually, we already have plans with some friends," Hanna interjected, grabbing Kate's wrist and nearly dragging off her sister, who looked helplessly at Jack.
Jack ran after them both, grabbing Hanna's shoulder to stop her from stepping inside the elevator.
"Ok, then go, but here," Jack scribbled out a phone number on a scrap of paper and handed it to Hanna. "This is my cell phone number. Call me sometime today so we can start planning what's going to be happening these next few weeks." Jack reluctantly took his hand off Hanna's shoulder and smiled at both of his daughters. "You both look really good," he added, touching Kate's cheek with his knuckle. "I've missed you both," Jack said, before giving them one last smile and headed towards the stairs.
Looking around him, Jack saw Maria's sister, Theresa, and her brother, John, each sitting in a chair. The room was empty otherwise. He smiled and nodded a greeting to each of them. Theresa gave him a tight-lipped smile in return, while John extended his hand.
"Hey, Jack. How've ya been?" John asked, motioning for Jack to sit down next to him.
"Same old, same old," Jack answered, some of his nervousness evaporating. Pressing his fingers together in his usual nervous habit, Jack made idle conversation with his former brother-in-law, keeping the conversation confined to simple things, like his trip and the weather. The girls weren't mentioned, nor was Maria's sudden death.
Finally, at three minutes after ten, the door opened again, and in walked Charles Mahoney, a girl on either side of him and a long, white envelope in his hand. Jack sat up straight in his chair, his eyes on the three as they all sat down, the girls on a small, ugly plaid couch in the corner, Charles at his desk.
"Ahem," Charles began, clearly enjoying the fact that all eyes were trained on him. He pulled open the envelope and took out Maria's will.
The next half hour was spent dividing up Maria's estate to how she planned it; her siblings and children getting fairly equal portions. During the reading, Jack stole several looks at his now-grown daughters.
Kate, who would be sixteen, the same girl whom he had barked at back at the hotel the previous night, was staring out a window, a drawn expression on her fair face. Hanna, who was now eighteen, kept fidgeting, a bored expression playing on her Italian-featured face. Only once had she looked over at Jack, only to see him glance over at her. The two had somewhat of a staring contest; Jack unsure of if to smile, wave, or just look away, Hanna's eyes narrowing in an almost hateful glare towards Jack. Finally, Jack looked away and checked his watch. It was quarter to eleven.
Clearing his throat, as Charles wrapped up the reading of the will, Jack finally decided to interject.
"Um, excuse me," Jack began, his patience thinning out some when he saw the smug look on Charles' fat face.
"Yes, Jack?" Charles asked, the papers still in his hand, a triumphant smile playing on his lips.
"Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but you read through that whole thing, front to back, and I didn't hear my name once." Jack gave Charles a threatening look. Charles shrugged.
"Who said I'm finished yet?" Charles inquired, a cheeky-tone to his voice. Hanna snorted. "You two can leave now," Charles said, motioning for Theresa and John to exit his office. "You can talk to my secretary for the proper forms and paperwork about your inheritances. And you," Charles taunted, looking directly at Jack, "Well, I saved the best for last."
Jack rolled his eyes and waited while Maria's siblings left the room and his daughters took the chairs closer to Charles' cluttered desk.
"Well?" Jack asked. folding his arms.
"What would you say if I told you your inheritance was right here in this room with you?" Charles asked, smiling.
Jack stood up. Charles was too much for him to handle, and he was about to loose his cool. Grabbing Charles by his collar, he pulled him out of his chair, forcing him to his feet. Kate looked like she was about to say something, but Hanna reached out and silenced her sister, her eyes speaking multitudes as she continued giving her father the look of death.
"What would you say if I wiped that little smirk off your face?" Jack sneered, letting go of the other man's collar. "Cut the crap, Chuck, and cut to the chase!"
"Temper, temper," Charles clucked his tongue. "Do you really want more assault charges brought against you, Jack?"
"If it meant wiping that smile off your face, it'd be worth it," Jack muttered, settling back down in his chair.
"She left you your daughters," Chuck finally answered, throwing the papers down on his desk, facing Jack to show him.
"She...she what?" Jack asked, his mind suddenly racing. He picked up the will and skimmed through the parts that mentioned his name, which only involved caring for Hanna and Kate. Not quite believing his eyes, Jack re- read it a second time, and a third time. Finally, the fourth time around, Charles cut in.
"Well, that's it," he said, snatching the will out of Jack's hands and standing up. "You can talk to Stella out front for the forms..."
Charles continued talking, but Jack wasn't listening. He slowly turned towards his daughters, looking them both in their faces. He blinked several times, trying to remember what they had looked like the last time he saw them. Hanna wouldn't even talk to him that final day. Kate, on the other hand, had fallen and scraped her knee, and had been asking him to kiss the boo-boo. Looking down, now, Jack saw his younger daughter's legs through her pantyhose, underneath a skirt of questionable length. No boo- boo's present. "Mental note," Jack thought to himself, eyeing each of their outfits, "Burn their entire wardrobes and have Vivian take them shopping as soon as we return to New York."
"Well," Jack said, as he and his daughters exited Charles Mahoney's office, "I guess it's the three of us now."
Kate and Hanna exchanged an indecipherable look. Jack cleared his throat and smiled.
"So, you guys wanna get some lunch now?" Jack asked, only to have attempt number two shot down.
"Actually, we already have plans with some friends," Hanna interjected, grabbing Kate's wrist and nearly dragging off her sister, who looked helplessly at Jack.
Jack ran after them both, grabbing Hanna's shoulder to stop her from stepping inside the elevator.
"Ok, then go, but here," Jack scribbled out a phone number on a scrap of paper and handed it to Hanna. "This is my cell phone number. Call me sometime today so we can start planning what's going to be happening these next few weeks." Jack reluctantly took his hand off Hanna's shoulder and smiled at both of his daughters. "You both look really good," he added, touching Kate's cheek with his knuckle. "I've missed you both," Jack said, before giving them one last smile and headed towards the stairs.