Journals of the Secret Keeper (20 page)

"I wanted everyone to act normal," Willetta
said by way of explanation, when Mr. Ricky asked
her why she hadn't let everyone know what she was
up to.
"Well, I must say it worked out in
everyone's favor," Vivica said quietly. She, Chance
and Martha occupied the middle seat of the
suburban. Chance leaned heavily against her side.
He'd been clutching her hand ever since seeing his
father face-to-face and witnessing his deplorable
lack of character. Vivica was relieved that her
grandson would grow into a young man without
blinders on concerning his father, but she was sad
that a child of hers could be so degenerate.
"Yes it did," Samuel said enthusiastically.
"Now I can finalize my business here and take my
wife and go home. Not that I haven't enjoyed
myself, but I'm missing my own bed."
"What's left to do," Martha asked. She sat
on the other side of Chance and patted his knee
every once in a while in an effort to soothe him.
Everyone knew he had been traumatized. His little
leg trembled against her thigh.
"I have to read Mama Jean's will," he said.
"Well this should be very interesting to say
the least," Gwenneth said. "I've been wondering
what's in that will. I read the journals, but Sam said
it was unethical for me to read the will. So, I need
someone to tell me word for word what's in it after
Sam finishes reading it," she said unashamedly.
Everyone in the suburban laughed, but all of
them were just as curious, as Gwenneth, about the
contents of Mama Jean's will.
#
Andrik sat quietly in the back seat of the
suburban. All of his senses were tuned into
Willetta. She sat in between him and Mr. Ricky.
The bravado that she sported was not quite in
harmony with the tremors he felt as he held her
hand. She'd been brave, but at a cost. She was far
from okay and he couldn't wait to get her home so
they could talk about it.
The past few weeks had been a virtual
conundrum. Mama Jean's death had sparked an
unraveling of events that made no sense
whatsoever. Even now on the precipice of a
conclusion, Andrik had no idea why all the secrecy
over the years had been necessary or even supported
by so many people. At any time, any of them could
have asked questions or given answers that would
have shed light on the reasons for the majority, if
not all, of the seemingly unnatural choices they had
made.
Andrik squeezed Willetta's trembling hand
and was silently glad that she'd been the one to go
through all of this with him.
She was strong and
she had the character and wherewithal to bring
people together.
On his own, he would have
instigated a family war and a campaign of revenge
and hate.
#
Willetta shifted and leaned into Andrik. She
was tired and very upset. Orlando was worse than
she'd expected him to be. Her head hurt where he
had yanked on her hair. Being brutalized by two
different men in such a short time frame kind of
wilted a girl. She had not forgotten how Damion
Racy had slammed his fist into the side of her head.
She was in desperate need of some kindness. She
was afraid to look into Andrik's face, because she
knew what she would see and his gentleness would
make her cry.
So, she satisfied herself with holding
his hand and with the knowledge that he cared.
She watched the back of Chance's head and
thought about how he must feel. Orlando had been
ugly and overtly simple. It was as if he was another
species from them entirely. He was like the
gangsters in the R-rated movies. The kind of people
she didn't even want to see on T.V. and least of all
in real life. He must have been a horribly
nightmarish disappointment to Chance. Willetta
was glad Vivica had not shrank from telling him the
truth. Chance knew what sort of man his father was
by simply understanding what it meant to rape
someone. So, though he may have been shaken up
a little bit, he surely didn't have any expectations of
his father.
Willetta closed her eyes and leaned even
more into Andrik. Mr. Ricky's halting snore
resonated throughout the van. Everyone was too
mentally preoccupied to care. She found herself
dwelling on how hard Andrik's chest felt pressed
against her breast. The muscular curve of his thigh
pressed into her leg. She wiggled a little to get
closer. When that didn't satisfy her, she pulled her
hand out of his and slid her arm behind the arch of
his back wrapping both arms around his waist. Her
head lay in the curve of his shoulder and she felt
safe and warm. Taking a deep sigh, she closed her
eyes in utter contentment.
#
It felt good to have Willetta in his arms.
Andrik rested one long arm along her back and
pulled her closer. He tried to ignore the baser
reactions of his body and focus on providing her the
comfort she obviously needed.
But he could feel
every breath she took in far too many ways. The
subtle movement of her soft breasts as she inhaled
and exhaled; the tantalizing heat of her breath
against his neck; and the soft sighs from deep
within her throat were arousing to him.
He sat very
still and hoped her arm didn't drop into his lap. He
was embarrassingly erect and there was nothing he
could do about it save push her off of him and jump
out of the suburban. So, he muffled a groan, closed
his eyes, and prayed that the trip would end sooner
than later.
#
The first thing Samuel did when they
reached Thompson Estates was to announce a
family meeting.
"I want everyone in the living room except
for Martha, Ricky and Gwenneth," he said.
"Don't you guys want to eat first," Gwenneth
asked.
Everyone looked at her like she had two
heads and Chance was the first to answer, "No
ma'am! I want to know what the will says right
now."
Gwenneth laughed. The tension in the room
spoke for itself. Nobody was interested in
prolonging the mystery of the will. So, she
volunteered to take Martha and Ricky home to
allow more privacy for the meeting.
#
Andrik had climbed out of the suburban and
painfully made his way into the house. He'd
excused himself and went to the bathroom.
When
he came out he was determined to keep some
distance between himself and Willetta until they
could talk privately and come to some kind of
arrangement.
The meeting was being held in the living
room. Andrik walked in and headed to the fireplace
where Samuel was standing. Samuel cleared his
throat and prepared to speak.
"I know that in the truck I said I had to read
Mama Jean's will, but in truth I have four wills to
read. Mama Jean was entrusted with three other
wills. This meeting will probably cause some
strong emotions to erupt. I ask that you please be
patient until we are completely finished with all of
the wills. If you need me to stop, if you need to
take a break, or if you need to confer with someone
in this room at any point, do not hesitate to let me
know. Mama Jean was complicated and thorough
in her wishes. In the end she was responsible for
more futures than I feel are normal, but she did a
good job, as you will see for yourself."
Samuel looked around at the faces in the
room and smiled. All was well. Mama Jean had
taken a gamble and won.
CHAPTER 51
"I am to begin with Orlando Townsend's
will," Samuel said.
Vivica's mouth fell open at his words. She
was sitting on the couch next to Willetta who
reached out, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it. If
anyone thought it odd that Orlando would have the
reading of his will delayed until Mama Jean had
passed, they didn't say so. No one wanted to slow
down the process of the reading.
"He has left a trust fund of five-hundred
thousand dollars for his only grandchild, Chance,
provided the initiative is taken to have him named
Chance Townsend instead of Chance Jones."
Samuel stopped and looked around. No one seemed
disturbed by the stipulation. So, he continued.
"The funds will be available to him upon his
eighteenth birthday."
"He has also left to his ex-wife, Vivica
Townsend, two of his properties; the one in
Batesville, Mississippi where they lived as a
married couple and Mama Jean's land, which he
purchased for the sole purpose of putting Vivica
closer to her grandchild, should he be placed into
his mother's custody.
Along with the land comes
two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a new
home. If for some reason Chance remains in
Vivica's custody the two-hundred and fifty thousand
dollars goes to Willetta Jones for pain and suffering
inflicted by Vivica and Orlando's offspring.
He
also has bequeathed another freestanding twohundred and fifty-thousand dollars to Willetta
Jones. Are there any questions?"
Willetta's breath hitched. She didn't know if
she was alone in her thinking, but Samuel was
talking about an astronomical amount of money.
She felt a mixed sense of relief and validation that
Orlando acknowledged what his son had done to
her. It was humbling and she knew after today she
could move on and not look back. But she was
worried about what the arrangements for Vivica
meant. Had someone assumed she would own
Thompson Estates and Andrik would not?
She sat
on the couch with Vivica's hand squeezed in her
own and wondered, if Mama Jean had assumed she
would take Andrik's house away from him once she
found out Stanley was her father. She would never
be that cruel. She chewed her bottom lip and
speculated how everything would play out. She
couldn't deny a sense of excitement at having twohundred and fifty thousand dollars. She needed it
badly.
"There are letters to be released to Orlando
Jr. and Olivia Townsend, which will remain a
private affair between father and children and that is
the end of the reading of Orlando Townsend Sr.'s
will."
Samuel excused himself to go get a drink of
water and to let everyone talk a few minutes before
he began again. When he left the room, Willetta
looked at Andrik. He stared back, but his face gave
nothing away. She decided it was best to be quiet
and wait. Chance and Vivica were talking quietly
to one another. It sounded as if Vivica was trying to
explain everything to him. He was just as disturbed
as the adults in the room. One couldn't help but feel
that something huge hung in the balance. The
whole situation was odd in the extreme.
Samuel reentered the room with his papers
under his arm. He took his place once again in front
of the fireplace.
"The second will is that of Maureen Jones',"
he said.
Samuel couldn't resist letting his eyes take
a turn around the room. He was particularly
interested in Willetta's reaction.
Her eyes were
wide with wonder and she beseeched him silently to
hurry with the reading. So, he did.
"I, Maureen Jones, being of sound mind am
entrusting Jean Myers with the care of my most
valuable possession, my daughter, Willetta Jones.
Should Jean Myers fail me and allow any untoward
thing to happen to my child while in her custody,
Stanley Thompson, the biological father of Willetta,
should be entrusted with the execution of my estate
and all funds should go into his estate to be
distributed accordingly."
Andrik frowned and pushed himself off the
wall.
"What the hell does that mean," he asked.
"It means that whatever Maureen left
Willetta is now part of Stanley's estate. There was
no explanation of what she considered untoward
and if she meant death, she should have said death.
Willetta was savagely victimized at age fifteen and
in my view that is an untoward thing to happen to a
child. The dictionary defines untoward as improper
or unfortunate and rape definitely fits in that
category. So, every bit of the eight-hundred
thousand dollar trust, which has tripled over the past
years, is now part and parcel of Stanley's estate and
whoever holds it."
Willetta's eyes narrowed and she refused to
say a word. Andrik looked uncomfortable and
would not make eye contact with her. Vivica swore
underneath her breath and wished she could leave.
"Please get on with it," Andrik said irritably.
He pinched the bridge of his nose between his
thumb and forefinger and backed up against the
wall of the fireplace again.
"I will read Mama Jean's will now," Samuel
said theatrically. This was the part he had been
waiting for. The truth about all the adults in the
room would come out at this point and he couldn't
wait to see what that truth was.
"Mama Jean was of sound mind and body
when this will was written. There will need to be
some clarification up front on a few matters before
we begin. When I mention the estate of Mama
Jean, I am referring to that of Thompson Estate and
all monies attached. Everything that belonged to
Stanley Thompson was bequeathed to Mama Jean
upon his death. His will is here and will be read as
well. It is very simple. 'I, Stanley Thompson, am
of sound mind and body. I hereby entrust Jean
Myers with all my earthly possessions. My heirs,
an Andrik Thompson and a Willetta Jones, are
hereby entrusted in her care and shall receive their
inheritance at her discretion.' "
"Oh lord," Vivica murmured. "You should
have warned us that we needed pencil and paper.
No one can keep up with all these twists and turns,"
she said indignantly. She was outraged on Willetta
and Andrik's behalf. In her viewpoint they had both
gone through enough.
"Did you verify the signatures on all those
documents," Andrik asked.
Samuel turned toward him and didn't try to
hide his feelings about the question. "I did better
than that. I have made countless trips down here. I
was here for each signing as I should have been.
I've been on this case ever since Willetta was
fifteen."
"So, Stanley knew I was his daughter before
he died," Willetta asked.
"Yes, he did," Samuel said. "Time was not
on his side, Willetta. He wanted to tell you and
planned to do so, but he had a heart attack shortly
after he found out."
"Well what does Mama Jean's will say,"
Willetta asked anxiously.
"Now that you've asked, I will be glad to
read it."