The Will
It was a hot summer afternoon in the city of Bristol and I had just arrived from Leeds to visit Barrister Oxlade, my late Fathers Lawyer. It was time for the official will of my father to be read and appropriated among me and eighteen years old sister, Cathedral. It had been three months since I saw her last at our fathers funeral in the city of Leeds. I had been hiding in my shell, from the shame of getting evicted from the college of priesthood, due to the demons that kept hunting me in my sleep. They had been birthed from horrors of my past laced with the blood of those who stepped in my way.
Cathedral was now the only family I had left. She was the carbon copy of my mother who had died many years ago after giving birth to Cathedral. It created an emotional gap between the poor child and her father. Well, perhaps and me as well. We could never tell it to her face, but deep down, we always resisted the urge to dislike he knowing well that she was innocent and had no control over life or death. I had grown to overcome the hate for her, substituting it with a rare form of mercy that made me overprotective over her wellbeing. It had been the sad reality of having to watch her fare through life without the love of a mother that made me love her even more.
My obsession towards her grew over the years and soon I couldn't watch a fly lay it's disgusting legs on her. I had to hunt it down and kill it. Whenever I failed to do so, I found it difficult to sleep that night.
Once, a boy in my class had harassed her by grabbing her bums in the cafeteria. She was just eight years old and it made her cry, knowing he had compromised her innocence by touching her on a region which was vital to her dignity. She ran crying to me and I remember asking her what had cause her to cry so much. She wasn't even done narrating the ugly incident to me when I headed to the tech lab and pick a small hammer which I always kept in sight for days like that. I headed straight to him where he sat among his friends saying vile things that were related to the texture of my sisters skin.
" Oh look guys. Cinderella has called her prince charming to slay me. It's the looser himself Willy Wonka. I'm so…"
He could hardly finish his last sentence when I dived at him, sending him crashing to the floor and running my hammer over his head a dozen times before his friends could manage to pull me up from him. They could hardly recognize his bloodied face as he gasped for air, not knowing what had hit him. Poor boy had to undergo two surgeries on his skull to correct his disgruntled face. My father paid the bills.
" Welcome once again MR Capone I'm glad you could find time out of your busy schedule to honor my invitation. I'm afraid we have tried everything humanly possible to help your son overcome his anger management issues. He only seems to be getting worse by the days." Mrs. Wallace had said in a calm tone, that hit the nail on the head.
" But I paid for the young mans surgery. Please don't tell me you are sending Williams out of your school. This is his best chance of getting a good life." My Father had sad, throwing his palms wide open in plea. While I watched the drama unfold without a iota of emotion.
" It's not about paying bills and money. I'm very afraid that there are some bills money can't pay. That young pupil almost lost his life. His parents could sue us for damages running into millions of pounds. This isn't the first time we have covered your son's violent tantrum. If we keep covering his violent act, then one day he would commit murder and we all would suffer for it. I'm sorry MR. Capone, this is the end of the road for Williams in this school. However we have enjoyed a good deal of charity from you. We would continue to give our best, to make sure that your daughter is well taken care of. We shall as well give you the grace of this hour to kindly withdraw your son from the school so that we don't hamper his academic record any further than it already is." Said Mrs. Wallace, who found it hard to look at my father in the face.
" Oh well then. You seem to forget that, the boy in question, was the first to lay his disgusting hands on my daughters body. It's so inappropriate. You want me to withdraw my son? Fine. Give me a pen and paper." Said My father and smiled deeply. It was too deep for either me or Mrs. Wallace to fathom what he was cooking behind it. But as much as it looked friendly. I knew the poor woman was totally fried.
" Williams let's be on our way. I believe the king's college in London are still recruiting. That would be your next school." My father had said before standing up.
" Wait Mister Capone. Your letter here states that both Cathedral and Williams have been withdrawn. Why sir? The pupil has picked up very fast and her improvement has been very significant. Taking her from this school would only do more harm to her progress than good." Said Mrs. Wallace in a worried tone.
" Yes that's my decision. I believe we don't owe any outstanding fee. Do we?" He asked, slightly bending his head forward.
" No. None that I know of sir." She muttered.
" Great. Then have a great day." My father said and smiled again. I reached for his hands, spread out to me and we left the office, leaving Mrs. Wallace to count her loses. Three months later when the storm had calmed, the meaning of my father's smile became clearer to the authorities of the school of Noble heights. They were fined with a million pound law suit for causing trauma to my eight years old sister by admitting students who abused her sexually. Mrs. Wallace called my dad and begged him to drop the Charges against the school. He refused and asked for a compensation instead. Sexual abuse was not a topic which an elite school like Noble height, would want to get their reputation tangled with. They paid a hundred thousand pounds to my dad, which he collected and smiled happily to the bank with. It thought me a valuable lesson. Strike while you.
" Williams. How have you been. Oh come her you cowboy." I could here my sister's voice as she eloped me in her hug from behind. The smell of her expensive perfumes were quick to take over Barrister Oxlade's Office.
" Sweetheart. I'm glad you could make it. How was your trip?" I asked her, while turning to see what three months of grieving had done to her. Not much I found out.
" My trip was good. The slot for first class cabin was all taken, I had to fly business class. That's so lousy isn't it." She said as she sat on the seat just next to me. Her flamboyant outfit was topnotch, even though she wore an all black outfit to signify her mourning.
" Are you still in mourning my dear?" I asked, shoving aside her choice of tickets, which I saw as extravagant.
" Just for today. It all ends today. Where is the lawyer." She said, looking from side to side to see if she could spot him.
" Okay that's thoughtful of you. Barrister Oxlade would be here soon. How is Oxford?" I asked her as she took out her iPhone and began to take a selfie. At that moment, barrister Oxlade, who had been in his library, sorting out my father's will, walked into the office. He was the lawyer to many of the top shots in England and the fact that he had delayed us a little was totally pardonable for a man of his status.
" Cathedral. You are finally here. Welcome my dear. How is oxford." He said upon sighting my sister, who had been too engulfed in her photo taking spree to have noticed his coming. She quickly dropped her phone and replied his greetings.
" Oxford is good Uncle Oxlade. How is the family sir." She said and smiled innocently. She was a crazy girl, who knew her limits and held her upbringing in high esteem.
" All good. Let's spring to business. Well, here is your fathers will. He has no siblings but the two of you. Since he grew up in the orphanage. Oh dear how the mighty had fallen." Barrister Oxlade said and waved his head in a wistful manner. We both held our calm, waiting for him to get done with the whole process.
" I'm afraid there exist a twist to this will. His properties are not just going to the two of you alone like I had earlier thought. Your father has done something quite shocking here. Even I, his very good friend would never have seen this coming." Said Barrister Oxlade in a manner that made me sit up on my seat. Seventy percent of our fortune was already gone with the winds. We couldn't afford to loose another penny. I and Cathedral starred wildly at him. Waiting to hear the shocking revelation in our fathers will.