You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…
For some reason,five hours had passed, and I still didn’t have my inheritance check in my hand.
I wasn’t sure why Mr. Jenkins felt the need to read out every single page of the inheritance terms before making me sign my initials, but at the rate we were going, it’d be well into the new year before anything was finished.
Not only that, but the steady tick of my wall clock filled the every gap of silence, loud enough to feel personal.
“Sign again right there, Mr. Saint,” he said, pointing to another line. “And place your inked thumbprint there.”
I obliged, holding back a deep sigh as he flipped another page.
“Ah!” he exclaimed. “Well, that’s the end of the first phase of verification. Now, all we need is your marriage license so we can make a copy, and then we’ll be on our way to the courthouse.”
“Mywhat?”
“Your marriage license.” He smiled. “You know, for the ‘consummation clause.’”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“The consummation clause, sir.”
Is he saying condensation? “I’m not quite following…”
“It’s on page fifty-three,” Jenna whispered to me, flipping the pages. “Your father’s estate added it two years ago, remember?”
No…“You’ve only been working with me for two years?”
“Three, but it feels like twenty.”
“Fair enough.” I leaned forward as she pointed to the clause. I skimmed it, seeing nothing of importance to me. My jaw tightened as I leaned back in my chair, irritation burning just beneath the surface. “What day can I expect the deposit?”
Mr. Jenkins furrowed his brow. “I can’t move forward with that part until after you prove that you’re married, sir. Otherwise, we’ll just return next year on your birthday to handle this.”
“I need you to start speaking English.”
“Right here, sir.” He pointed to the clause I’d just read. “Do you see that last line?”
“‘The heir will receive the inheritance on his fortieth birthday,’” I said. “That’s all I need to read.”
“Given that all specifications are met and that the consummation clause—i.e., him being married—is verifiably true.”
I glanced down at the sheet again. The words marriage and married weren’t in my vocabulary, so that was probably why I hadn’t noticed them.
The estate never mentioned shit about a new clause directly to me…
“See?” Mr. Jenkins said. “Now, I do see that you’re wearing a ring on your left hand, so I’m assuming you do have a special someone.”
Jenna snorted, but then she picked up my cup and pretended to drink the coffee.
“I don’t like discussing my personal life in front of strangers,” was all I could say. “And I don’t typically carry every license I own around.”
“Well, uh, do you happen to know what county you got married in? I can pull it up that way.”
“My wife probably does.” I refused to let this bullshit get in the way. “She’s, uh… not alive right now, but?—”
“Your wife isdead?”
“That’s not what I said.”
