Cristina was totally stunned, when she emerged from her father's study. She was speechless at the reading of her father's will. Equally shocked were Beatrice and Bertha.
Her father's attorney, George Loverton, had played a dvd of her father reading out the provisions of his will. Cristina was overjoyed to see her father looking so well on the DVD. It was clearly done before his illness had ravaged him. This was the way she really wanted to remember her father – energetic and full of life.
He made a few jokes before he started the nitty-gritty details of the will. He told both Beatrice and Cristina how much he loved them and wanted to provide for them. He thanked Bertha for her years of dedicated service for the family and how she had stepped in the early days, when they first moved to South Carolina, to be a strong female figure for Cristina. Cristina reached over and squeezed Bertha's hand, as the housekeeper wiped away a tear.
"So here we go," Harold said. "What am I leaving for all of you. Let's start with Bertha. Bertha, I am going to leave you a lump sum of $250,000." Bertha's mouth dropped open. She had never had so much money in her life, before. Oswald, her husband, was probably going to faint.
"I am guessing, Bertha, that you are probably shocked. But it is a measure of my gratitude for you," Harold said.
He continued, "My lovely wife, Beatrice, you have always loved this house. It is yours to enjoy. Also, I am going to ensure that the estate pays you a generous stipend every month for your upkeep and the maintenance of the property. The two vehicles are also yours. You can choose to keep or dispose of them, however you wish. In addition, my one million dollar insurance policy will be paid out to you." Beatrice dabbed a tear away.
"As for my beloved Cristina, I think you should know you were always the light of my life. You brought me so much joy from the day you were born. Yes, we have had our bad times but through all of it, I always loved my little girl. To you, Cristina, I leave the sum of $5 million," Harold said, with a smile.
There was a gasp from all three women. None of them knew that Dr Yang had so much money. Mr. Loverton expected this. "Dr. Yang had a lucrative practice in California, which he sold for quite a bit of money. Plus he was a very savvy investor," he said in explanation. "He also sold his practice here in South Carolina, when he got ill."
Harold continued on the DVD, "I guess you are a little bit shocked by that, Cristina. In any case, I have not forgotten my grandbabies. Both Iris and Laurel will each receive $750,000 to be held in trust until they turn 18 years old. All interest accumulated will also be paid out to them. If you have any more children, Cristina, I have put aside similar amounts for their well being."
"I guess that is all," Harold ended. "Even though I am now gone, all I wish is for you to be happy. I love you all." There was a silence in the room, as no one knew quite what to say. Cristina did not even know her father had that much money. The lawyer cleared his throat. "We will be moving ahead as quickly as we can to ensure that Dr. Yang's wishes be carried out. There will be documents to be signed and the firm will be in contact with all of you." Everyone nodded, as they got up to leave the study. Cristina went to her daughters' room and watched them sleep. Cristina lay down next to Iris, who felt the sudden shift of weight in the bed. Iris opened her eyes, "Mommy?"
"Yes, baby," she said. Iris snuggled against her mother. "Are we going home, tomorrow?" Iris asked.
"Yes," Cristina said. "We are going back home to California."
"I am glad. I like our house in California on the army base," Iris said. "Can we talk to Papa, tomorrow?"
"Absolutely," her mother said. "I have lots to tell him."
They returned home the next day. Everyone hugged Bertha, as usual. Cristina asked her stepmother if it was alright to give her a hug. Beatrice looked surprised but she smiled and nodded. Cristina noted how much the smile had softened her stepmother's face. The two women hugged – the first time they had ever done so. Cristina never forced her children to hug or kiss anyone in her life because she always felt that it would be their choice if they wished to do so. The children, on seeing their mother hug Miss Beatrice, came forward on their own, and offered her light kisses on her cheek. Beatrice told the girls, "Thank you."
As the taxi to the airport drove them away, the three of them turned around and waved to Bertha and Beatrice. For the first time, since Beatrice had come to into her father's life, Cristina felt no bitterness towards the woman. It was sad, though, that it took her father's death for that to happen. When they arrived back in California, Cristina put on the computer, immediately. She knew Owen would be calling. She had managed to get in a shower and to unpack everyone's things before she heard the call on the computer.
"Papa's calling," screamed Laurel, rushing to the computer. The two little girls were there in a flash, before Cristina even got there. Iris answered the call. "Papa," they both shrieked.
"Hey, baby girls!" Owen said. "I have been missing you two soooo much. Give me a smooch." Both girls kissed the computer screen. Owen and the girls continued to chat, while Cristina waited off screen for them to finish their conversation.
"Where is Mommy?" he asked. "I need to speak to Mommy." Iris ran across to her mother and dragged her in front of the computer. "Ah, there you are, my love," he said. "Iris, can you take Laurel to your room and play with her? I need to talk to Mommy about important stuff."
Iris nodded. "Bye, papa. Talk to you soon," she said. Laurel may have been saying the same thing but her words came out in a mumble. "Bye, babies," Owen said.
When the girls were out of earshot, he said, "So how was it?"
"The reading of the will? It was interesting, to say the least. I loved that Dad left it on a DVD. It was so good to see him, looking so well and happy," she said. "That was the best part for me. As for the rest, I was a little shocked. So were Beatrice and Bertha, too. None of us, it seemed, was aware of what was in my father's estate." Owen nodded.
"He left me $5 million. I was completely dumbfounded," she said. Owen, too, was shocked at the amount. "Five million?"
"That's not all," she said. "The girls each got $750,000 plus any interest that will be held in trust until they turn 18. Plus he also left similar amounts for any baby you and I might have." She clutched at her stomach, when she mentioned the baby. At this point, she didn't even know if she had a baby in there.
"That is very generous of your father," Owen said. He had a fair idea of what was in the will but he was not aware of the actual dollar amounts. "So what are you going to do with it?" he asked, tentatively. He desperately wanted to hear his wife's answer to this question.
"I guess we can save and invest it. Maybe, we can buy a house of our own and we can settle down somewhere and you can be with us, all of the time," she said. Owen heard the wistfulness in his wife's voice. Settling down somewhere meant having permanent roots and that probably would mean that he would have to leave the army. He hadn't really thought about leaving the army though the pull of being with his family on a full-time basis was becoming ever stronger.
"Yeah, maybe," he said. "We can think about doing that."
"You mean it?" she asked. He nodded. She looked so happy, he thought. It was good that she was thinking about their future, together. It meant that she wanted to stay with him, despite the fact her inheritance had made her a millionaire. She loved him and he felt comforted by that.
"So when do you think that we will know about the baby?" he asked.
"I am going to wait to see whether my period will come," she said. "If it doesn't, then that is a good sign. I already bought the pregnancy test kits. Two different kinds, so we can be sure about it."
"So, soon," he asked. "Yes," she answered. They both stared at each other, without saying anything. They both wanted this so badly, especially since they knew that it would be months before they could see each other again.
"I better go, now," he said. "I have to check on some of my post-op patients."
"Okay," she replied. "I love you."
"I love you more," he told her. He put up his hand to do a small wave and then he hung up.
She knew exactly when her period would come. She was always on time so when her period did not come, she started to get excited. But she could be a little late, she told herself, trying to temper her excitement. Another day passed and another and another. Still, there was no sign of her period. She waited a full two weeks before she even broke the seal of the pregnancy test kits.
"So here goes nothing," she said, peeing on the two sticks. She laid down the sticks on a piece of tissue paper on the counter. "Come on, come on."
"Mommy," she heard Laurel's voice from the other side of the bathroom door. "Open the door. I want to come in." Cristina opened the door for the three-year-old to enter. "Whatcha doing?" the tiny girl asked, looking around the bathroom. "What are those sticks?" She stood on tiptoe to peer above the counter.
"Um, just checking something, Laurel," she said, sitting on the edge of the tub.
"So we are just going to sit here and wait?" Laurel said, as she climbed up on Cristina's lap.
"Yes, we are," Cristina said, checking her watch. Mother and daughter waited patiently. Cristina checked her watch, again. It was time. She took a deep breath and picked up the first stick. There were two pink lines. She almost couldn't believe it, so she picked up the second stick. It was even clearer. The word, "PREGNANT" was in the window. A tear rolled down her cheek; she was so happy for herself and Owen.
"Why are you crying, Mommy?" Laurel asked, touching her mom's face.
"Oh, Laurel, you are going to be a big sister. We are going to have a baby," she told the little girl.
Laurel's green eyes opened wide. "A baby!" She could hardly imagine it. For all of her three years of life on earth, she was always the little sister. Now there was going to be someone else, littler than her.
Cristina wiped her tears and shrieked. "I can't wait to tell him." She took Laurel off her lap and ran to get her phone. She took pictures of the two sticks and sent them in an email to her husband with one word, "Yes."
In less than three minutes, she got a reply from him. "We're pregnant! So, so happy. Going into surgery. Will call you."
She was so elated that all she wanted to do was dance around the house. She turned on the music and told Laurel, "Let's dance." The two of them were dancing away in the living room when Iris came out of her room, wondering what was going on.
"Why are you dancing, mommy?" she shouted over the loud music.
"Baby, Iris. We are having a baby," Cristina told her. Iris' green eyes were as wide as her sister's were earlier.
"A new baby!" she shrieked, jumping up and down. She started to dance, too. Mother and daughters totally danced it out.
A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. Thanks for leaving your reviews. I really appreciate them.