When you lose one of the most important people in your life what do you do?
Do you drown yourself in tears and stay hidden from the world or do you saddle up and ride that bitch out?
Losing my dad at 30 was something I had thought I had prepared myself for, boy was I wrong. That man held our family together and after losing him we all went downhill for a good while. Who was supposed to be our protector now? Dad took care of his girls. My mom, then me, then my daughter Rayne. We were his girls and we soaked it up. Now it's my turn to step up and take care of "his girls". Mom and Rayne need me now more than ever.
Dad always wanted to make sure we was taken care of and that he did.
:Reading of the will, 2 months after passing:
"Mrs. Bennett, thank you and Kathryn for being here today, I wish we could have met under better circumstances." Mr. Hall my father's lawyer said.
I nodded my head and took a seat next to my mother across the table from Mr. Hall.
"Well ladies you know John always wanted to make sure after he passed that everything was taken care of. He had it set up that the money was already taken out for funeral and burial costs. So any money that was left over he wanted to go to you." Mr. Hall said flipping through some papers.
We knew dad had everything figured out and had saved for years to make sure everything was paid for.
"With that being said, Crystal, John has left you with the house and truck of course since they are in your name also. Along with $500,000."
Mom and I looked at each other confused wondering where in the hell her got that kind of money, oh but that wasn't it.
"Kathryn, He left you and Rayne $1M and his 1967 Oldsmobile cutlass."
I spit the drink of water I had just took.
"Excuse me? Did you just say one million dollars?" I asked making sure I heard him right.
"Yes ma'am I did." He said with the biggest smile on his face.
"He also already paid for the lawyer fees so everything is caught up. I'll get you ladies your information for the banking account number and you can be on your way. Oh, and he left you this note Kathryn." Mr. Hall said handing me an envelope sealed with dads signature gold wax crescent moon emblem.
My darling Kathryn,
I couldn't be more proud of the woman you have become. You have gave me two of the biggest blessings of my life. Yourself and our precious little Rayne. Now it's my turn to bless you. You work so hard for that girl that sometimes I think you forget how to stop and enjoy life and watch her grow. I know it's always been your dream to open your own bar and restaurant you've taken that after me. Now you take this money and go and do it. I want you to get you three out of this small little no good town and make something of yourself. I love you three more than you'll ever even know. Take care of your mother and make sure she enjoys life. You best not mourn my death but celebrate my life. Smoke fat dobbies, drink all the liquor and dance until you can't anymore. I'll be there with you so save a dance for me. I'm sorry that I won't be there to walk you down the aisle but know that day will come I feel it in my bones, you'll meet a man that will make sure you have everything you'll ever need in a partner. He'll be as stubborn as you and won't take your shit, so you better be prepared for that but he will love Rayne like his own. Make sure you take care of my baby too. Don't be speeding in her…too much. I love you my darling Kathryn, make sure you tell your mother how much I've loved and appreciated her over the past 40 years. She is and will always be the love of my life.
Love Always,
Pops
After reading that letter I couldn't hold back the tears. I knew what I had to do. I needed to get moms house on the market and look for a new place to live. We was getting out of this town.
"What did the letter say hun?" Mom asked.
"We need to have a talk. Let's go get some lunch and talk." I said grabbing my purse to leave.
We walked down the street from the Lawyers office to a small café.
"How are you ladies doing today?" A young girl asked as we took a seat at a small table by the window.
"Can I start you off with a drink?" She asked.
"Yes, please. I'll have a water with lemon." I said still looking over the small lunch menu.
"And I'll have a sweet tea."
"Okay, do ya'll need a minute to look over the menu more or do you know what you're wanting?"
"I think we're ready. I'll have the avocado bacon toast. Please." I answered.
"And I'll have the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit." Crystal said.
"Okay ladies I'll have it right out!" the chirpy young blonde said turning on her heels and making her way back to the kitchen.
"Mom, I know this is sudden and will come off as a shock but after reading dads letter we need to do this." I said as I played with a packet of sugar.
"And what's that dear?"
"In dads letter he told me to take that money and go follow mine and his dreams and open a bar and restaurant. He said he to get out of this run down town and go out there and do it." "And I really think we should." I told her finally looking up from the packet in my hands.
"You're dad always wanted to get out of here and I'm always up for change you know that." She said as the little waitress came back with our food.
"Here ya go ladies."
"Thank you. Looks delicious!" I said taking a bite out of my toast.
"Okay then we'll get your house on the market and I'll start looking to see what I can find building wise and we'll get this moving along before Rayne starts school in the fall."
"Damn, we're really doing this huh?" I said sitting back in my chair letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"Well, what else do we have keeping us here? We only have each other, Rayne hates the school here, and I don't need that big ass house now." Mom said.
Going home that night I had a lot to get started on. I made Rayne and I dinner and got her put to bed and sat down to start on all the work I had to do.
Get moms house listed online. Check.
Get Rayne unenrolled in school. Check.
Now to look for a building and a new place to call home.
It was close to 1am and I was getting nowhere. I decided to give my best friend Kate a call, she was on the west coast so I knew they was 3 hours behind us.
:Phone Ringing:
"Hello." Kate said answering.
"Hey babe, is now a good time to talk?"
"Rynn, Its always a good time to talk to you hun. What's up" She said as she made her way out of the clubhouse.
"Well, I'm at a crossroad and need your help. I know you've been living on the west coast for a while and was wondering if you knew of any bars for sale out that way?" I asked her while I was scrolling through zillow.
"I may know someone that does. You wanting to move out this way?"
"Really?! Yeah, I need to get out of this place and what better than out there where my best friend is!"
"Oh my God! I'm so excited! So I'm guessing you're finally going to open up that bar that you've always wanted!" She asked lighting what I assumed was a cigarette.
"Yeah, Dad left me a shit ton of money and told me to put it to good use. So where you staying at now? Still in Cali or have ya moved on?" I asked.
"Hell Yeah girl! I'm so excited for you! Right now I'm in Tacoma but will be back around Cali within a week or so. Just up here with Tig he had business to take care of up here so I decided to come with this time." Kate said.
"Oh yeah, how's that going?" I questioned her.
Kate always had a thing for older guys and I knew she had daddy issues but this one I didn't see coming.
She had sent me pictures of her and this 'Tig' on a Harley and I wasn't sure what to think of him, he was a handsome man but had this crazy ' I'll slit your throat and piss down it' look to him. He was a good 20 years older than Kate making him around 50ish. Kate was a gorgeous girl, she was a medium size build with big fake tits and a smile that would get her anything she wanted in a matter of seconds. Her tan skin, long brown hair and big brown doe eyes also helped along with that. She looked so different from him she looked like she belonged with some frat boy at a college party but here she was happy as hell with this older man that looked like he belonged in an asylum. Who was I to judge though I hadn't been with anyone since I got pregnant with Rayne and she did look as happy as she had ever been. The only thing that worried me was that he was in some kind of motorcycle club..and I knew how Kate was with danger, she got off on it any chance she had.
"It's amazing! He's honestly the most amazing man I've ever been with. He treats me like a queen. And it's the best, and freakiest sex I've ever had!" Kate said and you could just tell she had a shitty ass smirk on her face as she said it.
"I think you'll really like him and the guys. We're family here. Like me and you are."
"I cant wait to meet them! When do you get back to Cali?" I asked her.
"We get back day after tomorrow. Why don't you come out and I'll show you around the town and have Juice find a couple places for sale and we'll go look at them. See what ya think." She suggested.
"Juice?" I questioned.
"He's the tech guy he knows how to do all the computer stuff. So he'll find all the good stuff. I'll call him tonight."
"Gotcha! Sounds great! Thank you so much for helping me babe! I really need it."
"You know I'm always here babydoll! I love you and I'll call you tomorrow I gotta get to the ring Tig's about to fight and I can't miss it!"
"Okay babe, I love you Talk to ya tomorrow, go support your man."
After the phone call with Kate I felt a little more at ease. Knowing I had someone to help me and a start to all this was a big help. I closed up the laptop and finally laid down for the night.
The next morning after getting up at 5 and getting dressed for the day I got started on packing our apartment since I knew mom would have way more to pack than us. I was only taking the absolute necessities. No furniture was going, no dishes, nothing like that. Clothes, picture, sentimental stuff was it. I wanted a fresh start with everything and I knew mom felt the same way.
"Rayne, when you get done eating I sat boxes in your room. I want you to pack your clothes in the suitcases that are on the bed and everything else in the boxes."
"Okay mom, I'll get everything started in a second." Rayne answered looking up from her tablet as she ate her cereal.
I honestly was so blessed with Rayne. She was such a good kid.
"Thanks baby, I'm gonna start in my room so just holler if you need me. I'm going to facetime Nanna while I pack."
I grabbed the cup of tea I made and headed to my room to start dialing moms number in the process.
"Well Good morning darling." Mom said greeting me.
"Morning Mom. How did you sleep?" I asked.
"Not as bad as I thought I would. How about you? I know you was probably up late doing your 'homework'." She said knowing how I was.
"That's good. Yeah I made a phone call to Kate. She's gonna help find a place out there. We're gonna fly out Friday. That's what I was calling for. We have to have everything pack by then. I hired a moving company that will drive everything out."
"Kathryn! That leaves us today and tomorrow to get 2 houses packed up!"
"I know. I'm not taking half of my shit. We'll be packed up by this evening then we'll be over to help you. Are you wanting to take any furniture?"
"No, not really. I can do the same here just bring what I really like and have to have." She said relaxing.
"I've got someone coming to take care of selling the house and all that jazz. I'm taking my car to the dealers today to sell. I have the cutlass being brought out to Cali also I didn't know if you wanted the truck out there too or not. All of the furniture and stuff like that I'm just leaving for the next tenant."
"Okay hon that sounds fine. I think we should take the truck out also..if that's okay?" She asked me her voice lowering.
"Of course it is! I figured you'd say that so I sat it up too. Well I'll let you go we both have a shit ton of work to do. I'll call you later. Love you."
"Love you, bye bye." She said hanging up the call.