Ava spotted her Uncle Tom, aunt and cousins across the room as she made her way into the cramped space, tailing behind her mum and dad. Cousins, second-cousins, uncles, friends and acquaintances packed into a tiny gathering space of a pub in Ferngrove. Eclectic chairs littered around the room were occupied by mourners clad in black garb.
Extended family sipped their drinks and replied to murmurs of condolences on his recent passing. As Ava passed through the crowd to stand near her uncle's family, she found that a lot of the attendants refused to meet her eye.
Conversations bubbled about Granddad Joe and memories that were forged with others in his lifetime. Being a Stubborn Old Man, Granddad Joe was hard pressed to give up his farm to anyone in the family in his latter years. He spent years toiling the soil, tending the crops and cultivating animals over his lifetime that the thought of handing it over to anyone else in the family would result in Ruined-Christmas-Dinners and Abruptly-Ended-Summer-BBQs. Direct and indirect family alike were all constantly intervening with his life to get him to hand over the farm to someone more "capable" or "youthful", but Granddad Joe was determined to hold on to it for as long as he could.
Abrasively, it was her Uncle Tom that finally felt brave enough to start conversation after he finished his first pint of Stella, "So, Jakey-boy, what are we doing about the old man's farm then? It's been rotting under his charge for years now, it's about time one of us took it". He gruffly ruffled her dad's hair, as he pulled away from his younger brother's grip.
"Honestly, Tom, is this the right place to start that discussion?" he seethed under his breath, his eyes darting around the room at onlookers, "it's bad enough that it happened quite suddenly, but can't we wait until the body is cold?"
Ava's mother gasped, her eyes widening at her husband's statement. "Sorry, dear…" Ava strained to hear what her dad was saying, and she could've sworn it was "he brings out the worst in me, you know this"
Ava turned away from the familial tension, hoping to find something to distract her from the awkwardness of being around her entire family. Her mother also split away from the conversation, putting a hand on Ava's shoulder in comfort, "How are you holding up, sweetheart?" her moss green eyes boring into Ava, "I know you and Granddad were really close"
Analyzing her mum's face - gentle lines framed her puffy eyes - Ava sighed, "As best as you could in a situation like this," feelings of unease shifting on her feet under her mum's knowing stare. "I don't know, if I'm honest. It all happened so suddenly… I was meaning to get out of the city and visit him at one point soon, but it seems that's now been taken away from me"
A sob swelled in her throat and she battled to keep it down in front of a room full of people. Her mum pulled her into a tight embrace - firm, but soft, to chase the sadness away. Sniffling, Ava pulled out of the hug and tucked a wave of her chestnut hair behind her ear. The sob turned into an ache as she fought to keep the tears away and comfort wasn't helping.
"Elodie, Ava, get your coats - we're leaving" her dad announced tersely, as he picked up his jacket off a nearby chair. "It's time we got away from these vultures". He spat each word into the crowd, whilst maintaining an intense gaze on Uncle Tom.
"Oh, come on, Jakey, we have to talk about this! He never told us what he wanted to do with the farm when he wasn't around" Uncle Tom huffed, raking a callused hand through his Strickland curls, "It's not fair to the animals, the farm or the town to leave it in such a state"
Ava's dad stopped in his tracks, and spun to face his egregious older brother, "Not fair?" he spluttered, as Ava shrank away from the conflict in the room building, "You want to know what's not fair, Tom? Trying to pick off what's left of him before he's been in the ground for a day. Bad enough he was murdered in his lounge, but you want to cast what's left of him to the wolves."
A series of gasps rippled through the room, as all eyes were now on the Strickland brothers. Uncle Tom sniffed and thumbed his nose to regain composure from the heinous statement, "We don't explicitly know that, Jakey, the police-"
"The police! Ha, the police! Evidence this, evidence that, no forced entry - bollocks to them!" Ava's eyes widened at the revelation, is that why her parents were so cagey when talking about the cause of death?
Ava's mum put a protective arm around her, "Jacob, this is not the time or the place". Her eyes darted around the room, which had now paused all activity to watch the cataclysmic family event unfold. She turned to Uncle Tom, "Tom, he's grieving. This is a wake," she put emphasis on the last word as she waved her arms around. "It's not the time, or the place, to discuss such matters. If we need to, we'll consult you, but right now, we're all going to take the time to grieve".
The world spun and Ava felt a determined push towards the door. Shy glances cascaded over Ava and her small family as they made their swift exit. She met Uncle Tom's eyes and looked for a hint of remorse in his words and found a steadfast air to him.
Ava pulled away from the assured grip, "So when were you going to tell me what had actually happened?"
"Ava… Not now, please, can we discuss this in the car?" her mother pleaded, worry lines blooming in her brow.
"No, we can't. I want to know why it was in a room full of people where I don't know anyone that I finally have", her heart upped its tempo in response. Her gaze focused intently on her parents - both sporting the same, sorry, pathetic look.
"Ava, we-" her dad started.
"Save it - it was rhetorical," she spat, "I'll make my own way back to the city. I can't bear to spend a minute more with any of you"
Splitting like the red sea, onlookers made way for her departure. The world opened to a dreary afternoon, with the weather sprinkling its sadness on her face. Cool air enveloped her as she turned away from the pub and made way for the train station.
The station peered over the horizon As she made her way up the urban hill. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, undoubtedly her mum's caller ID flashing on and off on her phone. She didn't want to know what protective excuses her parents wanted to throw at her as justification. She was 28 years old, for goodness sake! She didn't need mollycoddling any more. Surely living in the city on her own, with a job (despite being soul-draining and dead-end) was enough to prove that she was an adult, capable of adult conversations?
She stewed in her rage until clarity split across her mind when she needed to figure out what train to get. The 15:10pm was as good as any. The platform featured only a few people - mostly young mums, with their chatty toddlers and shift workers keeping to themselves absorbed on their phones.
Heat on Ava's face ballooned to a point as she turned to look at the other's on the platform - no one was looking her way, yet the hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention. Tutting to herself, she went back to mulling over her phone to ease her racing temper.
A dull ache mounted her temples, as she swayed at the oncoming pain. Pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, she willed the pain away. A migraine in the middle of the platform after today was the last thing Ava needed, but she rummaged in her handbag for painkillers nonetheless.
A shadow built in her peripheral vision and goosebumps rippled down her arm in response. Her breathing shallowed as she willed herself to look in the direction of the person who was coming closer -
Nothing. No one was standing near her. Baffled, Ava surveyed her platform and the one opposite. Small groups had built over the time of waiting for the train, but a respectful circumference swallowed her whole.
The shutter of the post box startled Ava from her daydreaming one dreary afternoon in her tiny flat. The brown, A4 envelope taunted her from the front door as she eyed it down the hall in the kitchen. Curiosity won the battle over her hunger as she padded over to the envelope to inspect its content. Tearing it open haphazardly, half curious, half anxious at what news was awaiting her in this foreboding little packet -
"Dear Miss Ava Strickland,
I am writing to inform you of your share of the inheritance from your grandfather, Joseph John Strickland. In this letter, I will describe what you inherit during the execution of his estate.
Upon his passing, complete ownership of Willow Farm is hereby transferred to you - effective immediately.
Enclosed is the deed illustrating the transference of ownership to yourself and any subsequent documents you may need in your tenure as its Owner.
Please get in touch with any questions you may have on this matter.
Kind regards,
Mr Simmons"
Alongside Mr Simmon's letter was a thick packet of documents that she assumed were the deeds to Willow Farm. She didn't even acknowledge it at this point, as her stomach roiled with the shock. Ava immediately scrambled for the business card attached to get in touch with Mr Simmons, not really sure what her ideal outcome from such a conversation would be.
Punching in the number to her phone, the line trilled on the other side -
"Good afternoon, Peter Simmons speaking" a voice on the end of the line chirped.
"He-hello…" Ava stuttered
"Yes, hello? How may I assist you?" His voice took a slight irk towards the end of his sentence.
Ava took a breath to steady her nerves at the weight of this news, "Yes, hello. My name is Ava Strickland and I've just received some… correspondence from yourself about my grandfather's estate? I just need to verify it and… ask some questions, I suppose". She sighed away from the phone at the disappointment in her fleeting confidence in this conversation.
"Ah, yes! I'm pleased to know that the documents arrived in record time. It seems that Royal Mail is still chugging away beautifully. What is it that I can assist you with, Miss Strickland?" Ava marveled at the ease and speed with which Mr Simmons chattered away.
"I-I'm just trying to understand, um, this letter you sent me? About my grandfather's farm?" Ava tried to keep her tone light, hiding the panic swelling in her throat.
"Is this Willow Farm? Let me just pull up the records, give me one moment" sounds of buttons clicking floated over the phone line, "Brilliant, ok, here they are…"
A pause swelled over the phone line and Ava couldn't help but notice she was holding her breath as Mr Simmons familiarized himself with her case. She wondered how many estates he executed to forget the huge commitment he had bundled into a letter and sent her way.
"So, Willow Farm is effectively yours from the date of Joseph John Strickland, your grandfather's, death. This was obviously a little while ago now, and the wheels of law churn slowly, unfortunately, so apologies for keeping you waiting, ma'am"
Ava blanched at his tone and nonchalance, "Oh, well you're forgiven for that, but being totally honest, I wasn't expecting to get… a whole farm, if anything at all! What exactly does it mean, it's all mine? I haven't been there for years, nor did I have any plans to go there, nor do I understand why it's been given to me, nor do I ha-" Ava's breathing quickened, her tone climbing up the octaves as her worries came tumbling out of her mouth.
Mr Simmons cleared his throat loudly through the phone, interrupting her whirlpool of thoughts, "Well, your grandfather was very explicit in our conversations that all 500 acres must go to you. As a solicitor, I'm not in the business of questioning the motives behind actions, just making sure they get done once my clients leave this earthly plane. Your grandfather explained to me that the farm was categorically yours and if you've been before, you will know where it is. As to the state it's in, I can't be sure myself because I don't really step outside the City's ring road, aside from my 2 week holiday down the coast in summer, you see" A gentle chuckle floated to Ava's ear at the end of his statement.
Ava gave silence as her answer to his words.
The rustling on the other end of the line told her that Mr Simmons wasn't quite sure where to take this conversation, "So unfortunately, I can't give much in the way of WHY your grandfather decided to give it to you, only that he did" he said finally, "Is there anything else I can help with?"
Ava chewed her lip and pinched the bridge of her nose. Finally, she answered with a sigh, "No, I guess not then…"
"Brilliant!" Mr Simmons announced, "If that'll be all, I will leave you to it. I wish you condolences on the death of your grandfather - he was an assured and steadfast man, I'm sure you will miss his presence in your life. I certainly enjoyed working with him in our short time together. Goodbye!"
The phone line clicked immediately after and Ava stared at the dimming screen of her phone.