“I’m Santiago Garcia, your husband’s lawyer.Is there a time we could meet?”
Oh god.What mess has Eddie left me with now?“Mr.Garcia, I don’t have any money.Eddie walked out on me when I was pregnant with his son.I have a newborn, and I can barely keep the roof over my head.I can’t settle his debts.”
“Mrs.Buchannan, you’ve got the wrong idea.I’m contacting you because you’re named as the sole beneficiary in Mr.Buchannan’s will.”
“The beneficiary of what?Eddie had no money.”
“Actually, he had a large sum tied up in his estate.He also named you the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy, payable upon his death.”Life insurance?Eddie refused to pay for proper health insurance.When did he take out a policy?
“What is his estate worth?”
“I’d really prefer to do this in person, Mrs.Buchannan.Are you able to come into the firm?”
“I have a newborn, Mr.Garcia.I can’t drive all the way to Dallas with a newborn.Just tell me what it’s worth, please?”
“I understand.This is not normally the way we do things, but given the circumstances, I don’t mind having this conversation over the phone.Mr.Buchannan’s wealth was tied up in investments and a small property portfolio.There’s the house in Red River Canyon.”
“My house,” I say sharply, my nostrils flaring.How dare he walk out on us, leave me penniless and breaking my back just to hold onto that property, and then list it as one of his “assets”.“Eddie stopped paying the mortgage on our house the day he ran off with his secretary.”
“Forgive me, Mrs.Buchannan.The sum of his estate, as well as the life insurance policy is valued at around four million dollars.”
“Four ...what?”I suddenly feel a little dizzy, and I flop back against the leg of the couch.
“Do you have a lawyer I can send the documents to?”
“No.I ...not yet.I-I think I just imagined you saying that Eddie’s estate is worth—”
“Four million, yes.Obviously, there are some legal fees to take care of and there’s the matter of some small debts, but your husband was determined to provide for you and your son.”
“Do we know the same, Eddie?”
“I suggest you hire a lawyer, Mrs.Buchannan.Eddie stated in his will that all assets should go to you, including the life insurance policy.However, insurance funds can be notoriously problematic when they know a recipient is without proper legal representation.I’ll send a copy of your documents and some recommendations for lawyers more central to your location via your email.”
It takes me a beat to find my voice.All of this has to be some kind of cruel joke, right?“O-okay.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, ma’am.”
“Th-thank you.”I let the phone fall from my hands.It bounces onto the plush rug, and I stare at it as if I just hallucinated that entire conversation.
“Dais,” West says, cradling my sleeping newborn son.Eddie’s son.“Everything okay?”
I shake my head and burst into tears.“No.I’m not ...I’m really not okay.”
