Something
It is said diamonds are a girl's best friend, but is a friend a diamond?
"That's sad" Mercedes sat on the phone rolling her eyes at the conversation "No one?" she asked as the conversation quickly went south "Me?" she took a sharp breath "Whatever this is I don't have money to bury some old dude I've never met" she told the solicitor over the phone, who then went on to tell her what the connection was between the dead relative and herself "When I was two?" she huffed "I'm thirty-two now, I don't even remember mom or dad talking about a damn relative" she waited to hear more "I'll try" she finally agreed before closing the call
"What was that about?" Sam asked before throwing more food in his mouth
"It's not bad enough that I've just buried my mother, now this solicitor in Kansas reckons I've got some dead relative whose last wish was for me to attend his damn funeral, I hate those things at the best of times"
"Are you going?"
"I don't know" she looked down at her food, which was no longer appetising "Mom rarely talked about the man, I don't know how she'd feel about me going and..."
"We don't actually know what happened between your mom and him do we, so..." he held his hand up "I'm not pushing either way, I just think it wouldn't hurt to go find some answers"
"What if the answers are not the ones I want?"
"We've got each other and that's what counts" he grabbed her hand assuring her
"Will you come with me?"
"Sure, if that's what you want"
"It's what I need"
"When?"
"The funerals on Thursday so I guess we'll need to get there the night before"
"I'll check out hotels, and book the flights" he took his phone out "Two days" he looked at her "I'll have to move some stuff around"
"Sorry"
"Don't be" he smiled before going back to his phone to book their flights and hotel
"This is eating into our house money; I hate having to do this"
"I think knowing the truth is important"
"It is" she smiled at him "But having our own home is important too"
"Granted, but one thing at a time, yeah?"
"Okay"
Wednesday
"Tickets?"
"Checked" he held them up
"Passports?"
"Checked" he tapped his bag
"Nerves?"
"I thought we'd dealt with those" he laughed walking towards her
"We have" she backed away laughing
"Didn't sound like it to me" he backed her up till she was against the wall "Clearly I didn't do my job last night" his breath hitting her face
"We're going to be late" she told him
"But you'll be chilled" he pressed himself up against her their lips met and he set about his task of calming her down. "Hurry up" he shouted "We're going to be late"
"You've got to be kidding me" she frowned, as she stood in the mirror redoing her hair
"I'm not" he laughed "Come on"
They made their eight-hour flight and spent the time eating, talking, and sleeping, waking up only when the voice came over the speaker telling them they were about to land. The plane came to a halt, and they sat looking at each other, waiting for the crowd to move, both unsure if they wanted to get off
"Let's do this" she smiled getting up "Grandpa Joseph here we come"
"Okay" he got up and grabbed their bags from the overhead before grabbing her hand, the ride in their hire car from the airport to Riley took thirty minutes, there was no memories to discuss, nothing to smile about, nothing, Mercedes hadn't even remembered that the place was on the map, it was so insignificant to her upbringing. They finally got to the boulevard and their hotel was in sight, as far as they were aware the church was around four blocks away and that was closer than they'd wanted to be amongst these strangers.
They freshened up, grabbed something to eat and eventually broached the subject of making themselves known to the relative, namely a Mrs Roz Washington, who the solicitor had told her was her grandfather's third wife. The house was off the beaten track, it wasn't just four blocks down, it was about five miles out in the middle of some unkempt fields and nothingness. The two-story building was big but shabby, it could have done with a lick of paint, and maybe some new window dressing, the drive was dust and bush, it was clear the place hadn't had any love for a while. The heavy base music blasting out left little wonder as to why they were stuck in the middle of nowhere with only animals for neighbours
"That must be her" Mercedes looked at Sam, before looking back at the tall woman, draped in designer clothes, with weave longer than she'd be comfortable wearing, but who was she to judge. Her nails done to perfection, heels that had no business being in the wilderness, and a smile that was as false and she'd ever seen. Her look was in total contrast the house she stood in front of "Obviously high maintenance"
"Obviously" Sam smiled "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be" they both grabbed a door handle and stepped out the car
"Can I help you?" the woman stepped forward asking
"I'm Mercedes Evans I was told..."
"The granddaughter" she laughed "I suppose you've come to join the rest of the vultures; he never saw not one of you while he was alive, and now he's dead, you all come flooding back ready to grab what you can get, you should be ashamed"
"We're just here for the funeral tomorrow, and then we're gone" Sam told her "Sam Evans" he held his hand out for shaking trying to get past the rudeness of the woman, they were going to attend a funeral with her in less than twenty-four hours, he didn't want the bitching
"The rest?" Mercedes asked surprised, the solicitor had said she needed to be there, that he had very few relatives and here this woman was telling her there were others.
"I suppose you'd call them your uncles and aunt" her eyes flirted with Sam "Roz by the way"
"Would I?" Mercedes looked at her both pissed and puzzled, she'd hardly known to call the deceased man her grandfather, let alone to be hearing about uncles and aunts, from this jezebel
"Come on in, it's the Joseph family home anyone with royal blood is welcome" Roz's tone became lighter as she moved from in front of the door for them to get in "Hold onto your hats" she commented stepping in behind them, the music went up a notch as the door opened.
There were beer cans all over the place, the TV was on just as loud as the music and a pretty, slender woman, sat on the edge of the couch trying to listen. While another man; stocky built, jumped around to the trap music playing with a spliff in his hand. The third person another man, maybe the most handsome of the two, sat nodding his head to the beat, with a can in his hand, staring at the TV
"Who the fuck are you?" the guy on the couch shouted, the others looked at them as he spoke "Witch, what the fuck?" he looked at Roz
"It's your niece and her husband" Roz told them
"Fucking apple don't fall far from the tree" the girl perched on the couch snapped
"Sorry?" Mercedes asked unsure what she meant by that
"Your grandpa liked white women too"
"I'm black" Mercedes told her shocked, but not surprised
"You, are, not" the girl widened her eyes as she spoke to her, dripping sarcasm, Sam grabbed Mercedes hand knowing she was itching to respond to that "So, I guess you could find your way back out the damn door"
"She means there's nowhere ready for you guys to sleep" the guy that was dancing told them
"It's fine" Sam butted in "We're booked into a hotel down the boulevard"
"The rich relatives?" the woman butted in again
"Take no notice of her, she's just used to being the only female in the family" the dancing guy told them "Matt" he held his hand out to Sam, Sam grabbed it, that was the first olive branch they'd received since their arrival
"Sam" he smiled
"That's Bree" he nodded at the miserable looking woman "And that's Jake, her twin" he flicked his finger at the guy in the couch "We called him dad in a fashion"
"In a fashion?" Mercedes asked
"He was married to our mother, he's not our biological anything, so technically we're not your uncles and aunt, but he treated us right" Matt offered
"Which is more than can be said for you freaking crazy lot" Roz added "Sent their mother into the arms of a white mane they did"
"Shut your fucking mouth" Bree stood up obviously angry at the comment "You don't know shit about us"
"Maybe not, but I know what my husband thought of you trifling bastards"
"I'll kick your fucking ass" Bree moved towards her
"Bree" Jake jumped up and grabbed her, stopping her from doing something, Sam and Mercedes looked at each other wondering what the hell was going on "Apologise" he snapped at Roz
"She was in the wrong" Roz snapped
"So" Sam butted in, unwilling to watch anymore of this behaviour "What are the plans for tomorrow, where do we need to be?"
"Joseph planned it all, we just need to be at the house for nine in the morning, and then there's the will reading at eleven" Matt told him
"You don't need to stay for that" Bree snapped, that girl had a giant chip on her shoulder
"So" Mercedes looked at Sam before she carried on "Your mother, what happened to her?"
"She ran off" Bree snapped again, turning to grin at them "You know they usually say ran off with a black man?"
"Do they?" Mercedes asked offended
"Mom came from England; she had some funny sayings" Matt laughed in agreement with Bree
"She had some funny men" Bree remarked "We're the product of her black phase" she pointed at her brothers "Who knows there might actually be a white one of us out there by now" Mercedes didn't know what to say next for fear of what was going to come out of her mouth
"So" Mercedes looked at Sam trying to work out if the conversation was real "How did Joseph die?"
"He had cancer, refused treatment after the second set of trials, and slipped away quietly in his sleep" Matt told her "So, why are you here?"
"I got a call from his solicitor saying he wanted me at his funeral"
"Do you even remember him?" Bree asked
"Remember?" Mercedes laughed "I don't know him, my mother never talked about him"
"He never talked about your mother either" Roz added
"So, I ask Jake's question again" Bree looked at her brother "Why are you here?"
"I said" Mercedes snapped impatiently "Because Joseph wanted me to be at his funeral" Mercedes replied
"Lucky you" Bree snapped back
"What's your problem?" Mercedes snapped back, sick of the remarks
"You" she looked at Roz "Her" she snarled "Everyone jumping out the woodwork all out for what you can get"
"What we can get" Mercedes laughed looking around the house
The outside was dreary to put a word to it, but the inside felt like it was once somewhere to be proud of, with its large dark mahogany double fronted, stained glass window doors, that colour theme running through the house as far as they could see. The main room with its well-worn leather couches, occasional tables dotted around the room, and heavy well-worn curtains that might have originally been brown. She imagined that at its best; the doors, staircase, and skirting boards, would have been highly polished, the cut carpet pieces might have been grand Persian rugs, and the rubble of coats, shoes, and machinery under the stairs might of housed welcoming seating of some sort, but today, no it wasn't anything she would want to get.
"So" Sam interrupted before things got out of hand "On that note, we'll be off, but we'll be back just before nine tomorrow" he grabbed Mercedes arm, opened the front door, and they left the house "Didn't expect all that"
"I think they're the vultures" Mercedes snapped "But if that's what they're expecting a fight over, they can have it" she looked at the house before getting into the car "Why do you think he wanted me here?"
"Obviously he had his reasons" Sam shut the door and went round the car to get in
"Is there any..." Mercedes pressed some of the buttons on the dashboard
"What do you want?" Sam asked
"Music, something to calm me down"
"If we weren't in such a public place" he smiled starting the ignition and pressing the button to start the music "Sorry" he snapped it off quickly at hearing it was plugged into his phone and 'Key to the World' by Ruddy Thomas blasting out
"No" she smiled turning it back on "It's just what I need right now"
"She's obviously telling you to hang in there"
"I think there'd be more expletives in there for what we've just endured" she laughed
"You might be right" he laughed
"If I had the key to the world, girl I'd give you everything?" she sang
"Hey" he touched her leg with his spare hand
"I'm fine" she smiled at him "I have happy memories of her dancing around the living room to this" she looked at him, they shared the look before he put his foot on the gas and moved off, his mind set on getting them out of the funk he knew they were about to fall into. His parents had passed more than ten years ago, and he was still dealing with the fallout from not having them around anymore, but after nursing Mercedes' mother for nearly two years, planning their lives around her, because she was all they both had left, they'd been exhausted, grudgeful, and somewhat relieved it was over for her when she took her final breath. However; that didn't stop them from being heartbroken, feeling guilty, and being plagued with a plectrum of what ifs, and that trauma had held them back from everything for a few months. They'd just got their foot back in their lives, just started to find a new normal and this had hit, so the danger of them going back to where they'd fought to get away from, was hanging in the balance.
They sat in silence listening to the song, delving into their own memories until it ended "So it seems you're Joseph's only living relative"
"And it seems my mother was forced out of her home by the invasion of their mother and those three children" Mercedes added "No wonder she never spoke about him, he chose someone else and her children over his own daughter"
"You mother was already married, and had you, so maybe she wasn't living there"
"Do you think we'll ever get answers?"
"If it's left to that Bree woman yes, but maybe not in the delivery we'd like" he laughed
"What is wrong with that woman, she's so bitter" she laughed "Let's forget about them until we have to face them again tomorrow" she suggested
"Deal" he nodded "Let's get you back to the hotel, you looked hell of a sexy holding your temper back there" he giggled "Kind of wanted to turn you out right there"
"You're such a freak" she laughed
"I am" he agreed "And you love it"
"I do" she giggled resting her hand teasingly near his crutch "Drive faster" she raised her eyebrows at him
"Done" he laughed putting his foot down
Thursday
The day of the funeral quickly arrived, and although Mercedes didn't know the man, she found herself feeling quite emotional. They sat trying to eat breakfast while navigating their way through their plan for the day, knowing it was more about their earlier loss than today's event.
They arrived at the house to see a different mood to the evening before, there was no loud music, all the beer cans and cigarette stubs were gone, it looked like there'd been an attempt to polish the place "Morning" Sam pushed the door open for Mercedes to walk in
"Morning" Roz appeared from a side room, exquisitely dressed, her black lace dress, matched her black fascinator, black elbow length lace gloves and leather high heel dress shoes, they stood wondering if she was in mourning or celebration.
"Morning" Mercedes smiled at the woman; happy her dress choice hadn't let her down "Bree" she smiled as the miserable one came into view
"Don't start thinking you know me; you'll be gone after today and we'll never have to set eyes on each other again" Bree snapped still in her mood from yesterday
"And that's fine, I came for a funeral, to please an old man" Mercedes told her snapping back, she didn't feel like telling her she was looking great after that, but she was in her black leather trouser suit, heels and white purse, that tied the black and white fascinator into the outfit.
"Take no notice of her" Jake came into the hall looking smart in his black suit and white shirt "As I said it's because suddenly there's another girl in the mix"
"You don't know shit" Bree snapped at him
"I'll give you that one because it's Joe's funeral, but don't mess with me" he hissed at her, Mercedes looked at Sam, that was a definite threat and the way Bree looked at him, she was scared. Sam looked back at her horrified himself, they really didn't know these people.
"Ready" Matt came into the hall asking, "What's she said now?" he looked at Jake asking
"Come on, we better get going" Roz told him, her attempt at avoiding that conversation "You two are in the car with us" she told Sam and Mercedes, they wanted to protest seeing their opportunity to walk away when they needed to, drift away
"Cab" Sam whispered in her ear
"Is that him?" Mercedes pointed to the portrait in Matt's hand
"Yeah" he let her take a closer look
The crematorium was as expected, small, impersonal, and quick, Bree got up, cried for a moment and read out a poem, then they played a song. While the song played the curtains closed, they heard the oven stoke up and the fire roar, there was a whimper from Roz and that was it, he was gone. Matt picked up the picture of Joseph, they'd placed on the floor in front of the coffin, and it was time to leave.
A man's whole life summed up in less than an hour, no friends to talk about his existence, his body sent to a furnace with very little said over it, and his so-called relatives left to fight over what they've never put there or even asked his permission for, and that was it, the man who was supposedly Mercedes' only bloodline relative was gone
"Bye old man" Roz stood sorrowfully looking at the curtain
"I wonder why Mom never talked about him?" Mercedes asked Sam
"It was because she found out that your grandfather was sleeping with their mother while your grandmother was on her death bed" it was obvious her moment of grief was over as she nodded at Matt, Jake and Bree all huddled together
"What?" Mercedes gasped
"She wasn't the cause of the breakup if that's what you're thinking" Roz quickly added
"How could he?" Mercedes asked
"How could he not, you never saw their mother did you" Roz laughed "He done the same exact thing to her with me, only she wasn't sick, she was a hoe" she whispered "But don't tell them I said that"
"Is this a funeral?" Mercedes asked Sam confused
"One more hour" he smiled "We can do this"
"Promise?" she smiled
"Come on" he pulled her with him out the crematorium, they stood for a while watching the smoke disappear in the air, it wasn't long before the next family went in and they were alone outside again "So, didn't Joseph have any friends?"
"They're all gone, he was the last of his generation" Roz told him
"Or they're just too damn old to move" Bree added
"Let's get this will read" Matt suggested calling for the car to come around to pick them up
The drive back to the house was silent, they all got inside the house, watched Bree kick off her shoes, and throw her fascinator on the back of the couch. Roz went to the downstairs bedroom, while the boys grabbed beers and slouched on the couch again, everyone resuming their positions from the night before
"He had a good send-off" Roz came out the bedroom smiling
"He got what he paid for" Bree told her
"I guess he did" Roz shrugged her shoulders
"So" Mercedes sat on the vacant chair and pulled Sam to sit on the arm of it "What do you guys do for a living?"
"Is this where you mention that you've been on the TV once or twice?" Bree snapped
"Have I offended you?" Mercedes replied
"You're here so I guess you have" she replied
"I'm in between jobs" Jake brought the subject back
"I'm doing a bit here and bit there, keeping above water" Matt smiled
"You're moving shit Matt" Bree rolled her eyes at him
"Bitch you better..."
"...Hey" Jake called to them "We just buried Joe" he reminded them
"Let's just get this will read, and part company" Matt hissed side eying his sister, the knocking door bringing them all back to their purpose
"Best behaviour" Roz warned heading towards the door to open it "Mr Ellis" she smiled "Come in, please" she stepped aside to let him in, the man was offered drinks, food and even a seat, none of which had been offered to Sam or Mercedes in the two days they'd visited
"Mrs Evans, I presume from the pictures?" me smiled at Mercedes, she nodded back "Okay" he looked at the table "Could we use the table" he held the folder up showing them the paperwork
"Sure" Bree finally smiled, they all moved to the table in silence
"So" Mr Ellis looked at everyone around the table "Joe left executorship to Lions our firm, before he married Roz" he smiled at the woman "And as his executor, I'm happy to say this is the last duty we'll serve on his behalf"
"Get one with it then" Matt pipped up
"Okay" Mr Ellis smiled "I Joseph Franklyn being of sound mind..." the guy went through all the general jargon "To my wife Roz, I leave all the jewellery and clothes she manged to swindle out of me when I was alive, and that's a lot" he looked up at Roz
"Swindle?" Roz gasped
"Told you he knew" Bree laughed
"To Matt, Jake and Bree" he looked at them "I have your full names here" he smiled "I leave the house they're so willing to sit in twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, I don't suppose you know any other home" he looked up at them smiling as he handed over the deeds
"Yes" Jake clenched his fists and banged them against his calves
"And to Mercedes" Mr Ellis looked at her "I leave everything else, it belonged to your mother and it's only right as my only living relative, that it goes to you"
"Everything else?" Bree asked, while Roz echoed her tone
"Everything" Mr Ellis smiled "I'm aware you're not privy to what your grandfather did, but he was in real estate, and had been for many years, he owns a lot of the properties in the area, admittedly the past maybe eight years he's handed things over to us financially to take care of, but I would say the profits at the moment are in the region of six point five million..."
"...What?" Mercedes gasped just as loud as the others
"You have got to be fucking kidding me" Jake sat forward in shock
"Yep" Mr Ellis smiled "And that, along with the properties, belong to Mercedes, I'd say a net worth of around ten mil, with farms and the like"
"Wow" Mercedes gasped
"She doesn't even know him" Matt snapped "I'll take this to court"
"You can if you want, anyone can contest a will" Mr Ellis told him "But I don't fancy your chances"
"Can you believe this?" Mercedes asked Sam "I didn't even know him"
"Everything is your mother's birthright, her mother's will said the house was your grandfather's, but everything from the business was to go to their daughter and her children, at his passing" Mr Ellis smiled "You could talk to Mercedes, come to some agreement financially, maybe work for her?" the grin on his face telling everyone he knew what had been expected
"We..." Sam looked at Mercedes still shocked
"Is there anything else?" Mercedes asked Mr Ellis
"You should find all the paperwork in order in here" he pushed a file across the table to her "And of course you have my number"
"Thank you, Mr Ellis," Mercedes got up to shake his hand, looking at Bree "So, I guess on that note we should find our way back out that damn door" she smiled at Sam who got up knowing her intention was to leave
"Seriously?" Roz asked "We opened our home to you" Mercedes turned to look at her
"I'm closing it" she snapped making sure the door shut hard behind her