Chapter 7: More Changes and Challenges

Mom and Dad came home on Saturday afternoon, a week after they had left. They didn't arrive together, though. Dad arrived first and Mom was a few minutes later. When I looked out into the driveway, I saw a late model Honda Accord. Then it registered on me. It was my Grandad's car. Nana didn't drive and so Mom had brought it back here with them.

"Hi Dad, how's Nana."

"She's pretty upset, Steve, but better now than earlier in the week. I don't think she's going to be able to make it on her own, though. She doesn't drive and that house of theirs is not close to any stores or services. I've been talking to your mother about it and I wanted to talk to you and Pam as well. We'll discuss it later when your mother and I get unpacked."

"Sure. I'll be here," I said, wondering what my parents had in mind for Nana.

When things settled down and Mom had loaded the washing machine with their laundry, we all gathered in the dining room. Dad had offered me a beer and I accepted. Mom was drinking tea and Pam had a Coke.

"Well, a lot of things have happened in the last week, that's for sure," my dad began. "I've already told you that I don't think Nana can live on her own ... at least not in that house. So, we have some decisions to make. I thought about bringing her back here with us, but she didn't want to. At least, not now. She has a lot of friends around her right now and they are all volunteering to help her. Drive her where she needs to go, take her shopping, all that sort of thing.

"That will work for a while, but sooner or later it will be a burden for them and I know Nana wouldn't want that. We could put her in an assisted living home where she's surrounded by help and can still live by herself. It's like a little community all on its own. I don't know if she would go for that, but it's a possibility. We could make room for her here, if she'd come. Right now she says no, but she may change her mind in a few weeks when losing Grandad really sinks in.

"So, it's a tricky situation that we don't have a solution to yet. I can't go back and stay with her. I've got a job and even if I take some leave or vacation, that won't last very long. Besides, I don't want your mother or you guys left on your own. That's not fair to you. So, we've got a lot to think about. If either of you have any ideas, don't be afraid to tell us. We don't have all the answers. In fact, right now, we don't have any answers at all."

"Dad," I spoke up, "I think the best thing for Nana would be to come here and live with us. We love her and she loves us. It would be a happy home and help her get over losing Grandad."

"Yeah. Steve's right," Pam said immediately.

"Thank you. Your mother and I think it's the best thing too, but now we have to hope we can convince Nana. You may be able to help us there. If she thought you guys were all for it, I think that would help convince her. We should think about how we want to make that happen."

My mother hadn't said a word, but I watched her and saw the occasional tear trickle down as we talked. She was very upset at Grandad's passing and this talk of what to do about Nana wasn't making it easier for her.

"There's a couple of other things you need to know," Dad said. "Grandad left his car to you, Steve, with the condition that you passed your first year of university. Can I assume that you did?" he smiled.

"Yes, sir, I'm sure I've passed. But ... he left me his car? That's amazing. It's almost new."

"Well, not quite, but it makes sense for you. It's economical to run and reliable, so it will last you quite a while if you take care of it."

"Oh, well, you can count on that. I was hoping I could afford a beater at the end of this summer. You've been great letting me use your car, Mom, but sooner or later I had to get my own. This solves a huge problem."

"Good, glad to hear it. The other things are about his estate. Your grandfather made sure your grandmother was well provided for. Your grandmother, Nana, doesn't want us to wait until she passes before we inherit the estate. We will make provision for her living expenses and a healthy cushion. She wants us to have the balance now, not later. Sooner or later she'll be selling their house and it will be worth a great deal of money. There's no mortgage on it, and it's on a very valuable piece of land in a very desirable location. Some of that money will go into your education funds. The cost of university is going up every year, so we want to make sure you don't end up with a lot of debt when you're finished."

"That's great Dad. Thank you very much. I know Pam will thank you too when she gets there."

"Yeah ... thanks, Mom and Dad," Pam offered, having listened very carefully to everything.

Dad continued, "I went through the safe deposit box and found some things Nana didn't know were there. There were some old stock certificates and I called our broker to get an evaluation on them. They are worth a great deal of money today. They've probably been handed down from my grandfather, or maybe even before him. I'm getting an accurate estimate, but it looks like they are worth over a million dollars."

"Wow!" Pam and I said in unison. "You guys are rich," Pam shouted.

"Calm down, Pam," Mom spoke for the first time.

"How come you're telling us all this?" I asked.

"You're almost twenty years old, Steve, and Pam is almost sixteen," my father said. "I was thinking on the way home that you and Pam need to know what this family has in the way of assets. You see, my parents came from an era when you didn't discuss money with your children. I never knew how much my dad made and I never knew if they had enough money to live on except that they always said they did. Now I know that was true.

"Well, I don't want that to happen in this family. I know you won't go and tell all your friends what you've learned here today, but you do need to know just in case something happens to us. You have to know you are looked after and you won't be in any financial hardship. I hope you can see where I'm coming from."

"What are you going to do with all that money?" Pam asked.

"The very first thing is that we're going to pay off the mortgage on this house," Mom said emphatically. "Just like Nana, I don't want to owe anything to anybody if we can help it."

"Makes sense," I said in agreement.

"Then, I'm getting a new kitchen," she said, looking right at Dad, who looked at me and shrugged.

"What about you, Dad?"

"I think I'll just take it easy and see what comes up. Your mother and I might take a nice vacation somewhere sunny. Maybe a cruise."

"Jeez, Mom," I chuckled, "you're doing all right out of this. A new kitchen, a fancy vacation, no mortgage. Pretty nice, huh?"

"I know one thing, Stephen," Mom said in more serious tone. "We are not going to blow all this money away on frivolous things. A new kitchen will add value to the house. Retiring the mortgage means more money for our savings account. So ... I won't feel guilty about taking a nice vacation once in my life."

"Just once," I kidded. "Don't you think that one might lead to another ... and then ... another."

"You leave that to me," Dad interrupted. "Your mother and I will decide what our priorities are. Anyway, that's in the future and right now we have the challenge of helping Nana decide how she wants to live the rest of her life. It's going to be tough on her when she finally accepts that Grandad is gone."

On that sombre note we broke up the family meeting. I went away with mixed emotions. I was excited that I now had my own car ... and a really nice one too. I was happy that Mom and Dad would have enough money that they didn't have to worry about anything for a long time. I was glad Pam's and my college fund was topped up and wouldn't run short, even if the fees did go up every year. I was sad, though, that my Grandad has passed away and left my Nana on her own when she couldn't cope by herself. For all their money, he hadn't made any plans for this to happen. It was something for me to remember in the future. I knew my Dad would too.

There was no funeral. We all went to the island and held a memorial service at a nearby church in Colwood the following weekend. Grandad's ashes were scattered on the Pacific, just as he had asked them to be. He was an old Navy man and had always lived by the water. None of us witnessed it. I was just as happy. I don't think I could have handled it.

A week later, the transfer documents were all done, the insurance renewed, and I was the proud owner of a two-year-old Honda. It had less than eight thousand kilometres on the clock and it was spotless. It was like being handed twenty-five-thousand dollars, no strings. The money I had saved was more than enough for the insurance and license cost. For whatever reason, Grandad had bought the deluxe version. It had everything on it you could ask for in a car. I took Dory out for a ride.

"This is really nice, Stevie. You take good care of it now, you hear. This is a gift from heaven ... and I mean that literally."

"I know what you mean, Dory, and don't worry, I really do appreciate it. It's fantastic. I even like the colour, metallic forest green."

"Not enough room in the back seat, though," she said with a grin.

"Just one of those things we'll have to learn to deal with," I said. "Do you want to drive my car?" I asked, casting a quick side glance at her.

"You'd let me drive this car?" She seemed amazed by the idea.

"Are you a good, safe driver?" I asked.

"Of course I am. I've been driving you to school at least once a week. You had to ask?"

"Just checking, Dear. Don't go off the deep end."

"So ... you're saying you'd let me drive your car?"