Chapter 24: Things Get Crazy

Monday, September 24, 2012 6:25pm

“Jesse, there’s a message on the machine from your sister,” Eve announced as he arrived home from work.

“Oh, okay, I’ll check it out after dinner. I’m starved,” he groaned as he shucked off his jacket and headed for the bathroom.

“Dinner will be a few minutes late. Kent is coming as soon as he’s finished at the airport.”

“Oh, okay then. I’ll grab some cheese and crackers to tide me over,” he said.

That gave him the opportunity to check Roberta’s message. He was surprised. She was coming to Vancouver on Friday and wanted to talk to him. She would be staying at the Grandville Island Hotel for the one night before heading back to Scottsdale. That seemed odd to Jesse, but he would call her later and talk to her in person.

Kent arrived just before seven and greeted Eve with a kiss and a hug before acknowledging Jesse. The two men had made an easy accommodation with each other. Jesse could see the attraction Eve felt toward him, and he was pleased she had found someone to relieve the loneliness he believed she had been suffering. Mica thought it was nothing short of wonderful, since Kent had promised him a ride in a helicopter the first time he had a chance. It wouldn’t be an ambulance unit, but a private “bird” that Kent would take out for a check ride. He immediately assumed superstar status with the boy.

Later, Jesse phoned Roberta.

“Hi Roberta, I got your message. Are you only here for one day?”

“Yes, Jesse. I’m sorry, but I do need to see you in person, but I have to be back in Phoenix for Saturday evening. Sometime in the future we should find some time to be together. I’ll explain when I see you on Friday.”

“Okay. It’ll be good to see you again. Can I pick you up at the airport?”

“You’ve got work that afternoon as I recall. Don’t worry about it. I’ll get a cab to the hotel and I’ll meet you at the hotel that evening. I need the meeting to be private. Otherwise, I’d like to see Eve again on Saturday if that’s possible. My return flight is Saturday afternoon.”

“Can we get together for dinner?” he asked. “I can come to the hotel from work.”

“I’d like that. They have a nice dining room at the hotel I’m told, so we can eat there, and meet in my room afterwards.”

“Great. I should be there shortly after six o’clock.”

“I will be good to see you again, Brother,” she said.

“Yeah ... it will be good to see you again too, Sister,” he agreed, smiling at their new compatibility with each other.

Friday, September 28, 2012 6:25pm

Jesse was met in the lobby by Roberta. She greeted him warmly with a hug and a kiss.

“Boy, things have really changed since the last time I saw you,” Jesse kidded.

“Well, it has been a few years, you know,” Roberta smiled.

“Don’t remind me. I’m dealing with that every day,” Jesse said, but not without a smile.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

“You know me,” he laughed. “I’m always hungry.”

She led him toward the dining room and within a few moments, they were seated. Roberta had reserved a table and it was a good thing. The dining room appeared to be full. They exchanged small talk for a few moments, ordering a glass of wine for Roberta and a beer for Jesse. As usual, he was carded.

They enjoyed their meal and each other’s company.

Finally, Jesse couldn’t resist the main question on his mind.

“You didn’t fly all the way up here just to have dinner with me, Roberta. You must have something on your mind.”

“Let’s go up to my room where we won’t be interrupted or overheard,” she suggested.

They rose after Roberta signed the dinner bill and moved to the elevator. When they arrived in her room, Jesse was shown to a small round table with two chairs. On top of the table was an envelope.

“You asked why I came to Vancouver for just a day to see you. There is a reason,” she smiled. “This isn’t easy to explain, but I’ll do my best. When you... ‘died’ ... I became the sole heir to our parents’ estate. As you know, Dad was senior management at Weyburn Electric. He was very well paid, as well as receiving stock options. After you died, the company was sold to an American corporation. They paid a hefty price for the company and that put a lot of cash in Dad’s retirement fund. On top of that, he was promoted to be in charge of the local operation. That made Mom and Dad very secure, confirming they would be well off for the rest of their lives.

“I had no idea of how well off they were until they died and I assumed my duties as executor of the estate. I nearly fainted when I saw the total assets. They had accumulated almost three million dollars in assets and cash, counting their home, and I was the sole beneficiary.

“The thing was, Jesse, I really didn’t need the money. My first husband, Jerome, was a very brilliant doctor and was well off in his own right. When he died, I inherited about a third of his estate, the rest going to his children from a previous marriage. So, all told, I had a lot of money. When I remarried and moved to Scottsdale, I kept all my assets separate, as did my husband, Roger. He is well off as well, so there was no need to merge our funds.”

“So ... the long and the short of it is this. You are entitled to half of our parents’ assets,” she said, leaning back in her chair.

Jesse was stunned. “How? I don’t understand,” he managed.

“Jesse, if you had lived to see the estate turned over, you would have received half of it. I can’t allow you to be cheated out of what is rightfully yours. I have more than I’ll ever need to live comfortably for the rest of my life. You, by some strange occurrence, are just beginning your life. You can use this money anyway you want. Get an education, buy a home, travel to exotic places, whatever,” she smiled again.

“This is unbelievable. Are you sure about this, Roberta?”

“Jesse, the only part of this I regret is that Mom and Dad aren’t alive to see you again. It broke their hearts when you died. Dad lost his best friend and Mom went into depression for a couple of years. I know none of this is your fault. I’ll never understand what happened to you to be reborn this late in my life, but I am grateful that you are back and that I have you back in my life. That means a great deal to me, Jesse.”

Jesse saw the tears running down his sister’s cheeks and went to her and held her to him. “I’m glad you’re back in my life too, Sis.”

When the two broke and Roberta dried her tears, she smiled at him.

“You’d better look at this,” she said, picking up the envelope and taking out several sheets of paper.

“This is a statement drawn up by my financial advisor of the assets that are rightfully yours. It is current as of the first of this month. It shows the cash, stocks and bonds that you will have when they are transferred to you.”

She passed the papers over to her brother and watched silently as he gazed at them. The letterhead was from a Phoenix-based investment firm that Jesse had never heard of. He tried to examine the document, but it was too complicated for him to interpret. What wasn’t too complicated was the bottom of the page where the current total assets were listed. The amount shocked Jesse to his core.

“Is this right? It’s over one-point-six million dollars,” he exclaimed.

Roberta smiled once more. “Yes, I can assure you it’s correct. That is the current value of your share of our parents’ estate, shown in U.S. dollars.”

Jesse sat locked in place, his head full of confusion. Could this be true? Could he be a millionaire?

“Do you have a bank account?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he answered when he realized she had asked him a question. “I’ve been putting some money away each week from my pay check.”

“Here’s a card from my banker. I’m going to arrange to have the cash portion of your funds transferred to your account and he will contact you to set it up. My financial advisor will work with whomever you choose to transfer the stocks and bonds to. I advise you to get a financial advisor for yourself. You’re going to be a very wealthy young man and you need to invest your money wisely. Just let me know whom you will be dealing with.”

“This is too weird to be real, Roberta. I know Eve has an advisor, so maybe I’ll talk to her and see if she thinks her guy can help me. I don’t know the first thing about handling large sums of money.”

“That’s a good attitude to have, trust me. Just make sure you get a reputable person to handle your affairs. Done right, this can make you very comfortable for a long time to come,” she smiled.

“I’m just stunned, Roberta. I never expected this. This is right out of the blue. Thank you for being so generous. If you’d never said anything about this, it never would have occurred to me. After all, I wasn’t alive when all this estate stuff happened.”

“Jesse, you’re my brother. I couldn’t cheat you out of what’s rightfully yours. Remember, this is only half of what our parents left us, and doesn’t include what my first husband contributed to our wealth. I’m still trying to come up with a logical explanation for what happened to you.”

“Don’t waste your time, Roberta. No one can explain it. I should tell you that there are a couple more people who know about my circumstances since we first talked. Kirsten ... the girl that lives across the hall from us, and my boss Grant, and an old school mate of mine who recognized me. The circle is getting larger and I don’t know what might happen in future. If one person can recognize me, I’m sure others might as well.”

“I hope you live a good life, Jesse,” she said sincerely. “You deserve it. I also hope you’ll keep in touch with me ... visit me in Arizona. We’ll just tell everyone you’re a grandson and leave it at that.”

He nodded. “I do want to see you again,” he said with a wrinkled smile. “Amazing, isn’t it? You and I couldn’t get along when I was a kid. I was the millstone around your neck when you wanted to go out and have fun with your friends. Who would ever have thought we would end up like this?”

“We all get older and wiser, Jesse. Your memories are much fresher than mine. When you died I had deep regret that we hadn’t been closer. It all seemed so petty on my part. I promised myself that when I had children I wouldn’t let that happen to them. Unfortunately, I was unable to conceive, so I have no heirs to play grandmother to. You’ll have to do as a substitute,” she smiled genuinely.

Jesse laughed. “I guess we all get a little wiser as we get older.”

They spent the next two hours reminiscing about their former lives. It was a pleasant time, with both of them laughing often enough at the things they did together and the friends they had during their youth. Jesse’s only regret was that with the exception of Norm Carson, he couldn’t go back and find his old buddies today.

Jesse phoned Grant and asked him if he could come in late on Saturday. He wanted to have breakfast with Roberta and take her to the airport. She had to be there before noon, so he would be at the bookstore shortly after noon. Grant immediately agreed.

“I’ll invite Eve, Roberta. I’m sure she’d like to see you again. She has a gentleman friend now. I may be looking for another place to live if they are going to be a permanent couple. This inheritance is going to take any future financial problem away. I’ll be able to afford my own apartment.”

“I’d like to see Eve again,” Roberta assured him. “She’s been very important to you and I’d like to thank her for taking such good care of my brother.”

Saturday, September 29, 2012 12:12pm

“Hi, Grant. Everything okay here?” Jesse asked as he entered the store.

“Everything’s fine, Jesse. Did you have a good visit with your sister?”

“I had an amazing visit with my sister,” Jesse smiled. “I’ll tell you about it when we get a chance. I wish she could have stayed longer, but she had to get back to Scottsdale this evening. She and her husband are going to an anniversary party for friends.”

“It’s a long trip for just one day,” Grant remarked.

“She had a reason,” Jesse replied. “It almost knocked me over when she told me. She has given me half my parents’ estate that was left to her. She said if I had been around when they passed, I would have been entitled to half, so she was just making up for what I missed when I was ‘dead.’”