“Janice,” I asked one morning, “Where’s the clock from the living room?”
I loved that clock. It used to terrify me when I was younger, but my father told me that it had been passed down for generations. “When it chimes,” he said, “You must remember your family.”
But then, one day, it was just gone.
“I sold it,” Janice said, sipping on a smoothie. “It didn’t match the rest of the decor. Now, go.
Isn’t it the last day of school?”
When I got to school, I felt that a part of me was missing. I had felt the same way when my parents died, but I didn’t expect to feel the same way over a clock. I’m thinking of you, I texted Aunt Jody.
Janice has taken over everything. I’m going to have to find a job soon. I didn’t expect her to reply, given the time difference.
But just as the bell rang for the end of the day, Aunt Jody called me. “Are you alone?” she asked before greeting me. “Yes, I’m still at school,” I said.
“I read your text. You need to leave before they realize that you know the truth,” she said. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“They’ve been hiding it from you.
But your father left everything to you, Elle. I’m shocked. The inheritance, it’s rightfully yours.
Janice has been keeping this from you because she wants to have the upper hand.”
The revelation hit me like a freight train. All these years, under the same roof as Janice and her sons, I was the rightful heir to my father’s estate, oblivious and wronged. “How could she do that?” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Don’t worry,” Aunt Jody said. “I’m going to speak to our lawyer. I’ll get the ball going and tie up the estate, so only you have access.”
I nodded, knowing full well that she couldn’t see me.
“Leave the house tonight,” she said. “My lawyer will work quickly, and Janice will know about it soon. I need to know that you’re safely out of the house.
I’ll book you a ticket to me as soon as I can.”
I promised that I would be. I planned on going home, packing my things, and leaving for my friend Mariah’s house as soon as I could. Just before I left my childhood home, I went into the kitchen and wrote a note to my stepmother and stepbrothers, not out of spite, but as a declaration of strength — especially for what was to come.
The inheritance that you’ve hidden from me, that you’ve used to hold power over me, is rightfully mine. Consider this my final goodbye. I’m leaving to claim what’s mine, with or without your consent.
I left the note on the kitchen table, a symbol of my departure and my first step toward reclaiming the life that my father wanted for me. I don’t know what’s going to happen to Janice, but if Aunt Jody has her way, I’m sure that Janice will be out of my home soon. For now, I’m going to stay with Mariah and wait to make my next move.
What would you do in my shoes?
