Leah's Choice

THE CHOICE Leah Loven bit her lip as she stood in the elevator next to her grandmother on the ride up to the lawyer's office. She'd dressed casually, grabbing a blue blazer on her way out the door before getting in the car and heading to the office. She'd been staying with her grandmother ever since her grandfather's death and longed to be home in her own bed. Next week when her grandmother took off on her trip, she would finally get to go home, to her apartment and work at Pioneer Candle, and continue with her normal life. Her grandfather had always been a bit of a loose cannon, so she really did not know what to expect from his will. Her grandmother's insinuation that Grandpa Morty had had interesting ideas for her future after his death led her to believe that things today might change her normal, usual, and comfortable life. She didn't want that to happen. When she walked in the door, she immediately noticed her mother and step-father, Vinnie, and the ever-present figure of Ben Stratton as he rose to greet the two of them. He was sharply dressed, and his hair was perfectly in place. Did he know that he looked like something that should be on the cover of a men's magazine? Her breath hitched a bit as she first laid eyes on him, that brilliant smile of his aimed in her direction. And why was he always smiling? She attempted a smile in return and looked him in the eye. He was so handsome, she'd almost call him dazzling. She sat, uncomfortably, next to her mother, in the lobby area until the receptionist led them back to a dark secluded office. There was an awkward silence among the six of them. After a few moments, her grandfather's long-time lawyer, Saul Goldstein, entered the room and sat down behind the large oak desk. He was a short man with a balding head, a kind face, and wire-rimmed glasses. He opened several file folders and a manila envelope and sat them on his desktop then leaned back in his chair and brought his eyes up to address the five of them sitting before him. "Well, we all know why we are here today." He looked directly at Leah's grandmother. "First, let me say how sorry I am at the loss of Morty. Our firm wishes to express our condolences to you and your family during this difficult time. Morty has come to mean a great deal to me both personally and professionally. His absence is most acutely felt." Saul cleared his throat, then swept his eyes across the rest of the people in attendance. "You have all been asked to attend the reading of Morty's will here today because Morty wished to make a statement to you after his passing." He lifted a blue piece of paper into his hands and once again, cleared his throat. "So let us begin. Are there any objections?" A short period of silence followed. Saul began reading the will: "I, Mordechai Hiram Loven, being of sound mind and body, do hereby, declare this to be my will and revoke any and all wills and codicils previously made. I direct my executor to pay my enforceable unsecured debts and funeral expenses, expenses of my last illness, and expenses of administering my estate." "I give all my tangible personal property, and all policies and proceeds of insurance covering said property, to my loving wife, Risa, with the exception of the following:" "Twenty-five thousand dollars shall be given to Vinnie Bartelucci, for the care and consideration he has given my granddaughter, Leah, in his relationship with my business and my daughter-in-law." "The deed and title to my home on the Jersey shore shall be transferred to Sarah Loven Bartelucci, free and clear of all debts and liens. She has been a splendid mother and caretaker for my granddaughter following my son's passing. No man could be more proud of a daughter-in-law." Following the reading of this paragraph, Leah looked over at her mother, to see her eyes filled with tears, sniffling and blowing her nose into a tissue. Who knew? Her grandfather had learned to love her mother after her father died and appreciated all she had done to raise Leah to adulthood. Saul continued with the reading of the will. "My business, Loven's Bakeries, shall be dealt with in a separate document, to be disclosed only to my granddaughter, Leah Loven, upon my passing, if she survives me. If she does not survive me, Saul Goldstein shall dispose of my business according to my wishes." "If my wife does not survive me, I give all property to my granddaughter, Leah, who survives me, or if she does not survive me, in equal shares, to be divided among any and all children of my granddaughter divided equally by my executor in his absolute discretion after consultation with my lawyer, Saul Goldstein. My executor may pay out of my estate the expenses of delivering tangible personal property to my beneficiaries." "I hereby name, constitute and appoint Benjamin Stratton as my executor and direct that my executor shall serve without bond. Should my executor be unable or unwilling to serve or continue to serve, then I hereby name, constitute and appoint Saul Goldstein as my executor." What did all this mean? Leah was very confused. There was some secret document that Leah had to read by herself? "Leah, I can see from the look on your face that you have many questions," Saul said. "If everyone else would please give me a moment alone to show Leah the rest of Morty's documents, I can clarify and answer her questions in short order." Leah looked over, and Ben's brow was furrowed. Her grandmother's face was sad, yet she didn't seem distressed in any way. Everyone else stood and filtered out of the room, Ben hesitating as he looked back at Leah before closing the door behind him. "Very well, then," said Saul. "I don't underst--" Leah started to say before Saul held up one hand and presented the manila envelope with the other. "Your grandfather explains all in this video," Saul said, pointing to a television in the far corner. Leah rose, opened the manila envelope and dropped a CD into her hand, then punched the eject button on the disc player and popped it into the machine. The TV came on when the disc had been inserted, and soon her grandfather's face was on the screen. "Hello my darling, Leah. Since you're watching this, well, I know that I'm gone now. Please do not mourn me, dear. I have had a wonderful and full life and do not want you or your grandmother to fill your life with sorrow on my behalf. Life is for the grabbing, my darling." Leah's hand went to her mouth as the tears began to flow anew. She had tried hard throughout the shul and shiva to not cry, but now she could not hold back. "Yes, yes, I know I probably made you cry just now just by saying that, so buck up, my dear. You have a terribly difficult decision to make now, one that will influence the rest of your life." Her grandfather looked away and coughed into his fist, then returned his gaze to the camera. "You and I have discussed this many times, my desire for you to live a traditional Jewish lifestyle and embrace the family heritage that is rightfully yours. I know that is not your preferred way of living, but I feel you are too young to make that type of decision on your own. Sometimes you have to work for the things you want in life before you realize just exactly what it is that you do want. That is what I am going to make you do if you wish to inherit the family fortune." Leah stopped the CD before continuing and looked over to Saul. "What?" "He makes it abundantly clear in the next bit, Leah. Please just continue to listen. It is much easier than if I were to explain it to you with words and papers, my dear," Saul said. "All right," she said, then punched the play button again. "You have a choice of two options for inheritance, Leah. You can choose option one, which is a one-time lump sum payment of one hundred fifty thousand dollars and that is all. That sum is enough to pay off your education, purchase a safe and reliable automobile and give you a down payment on a home of your own, but the rest of your life is yours to build alone without my assistance. With this option, the business will be closed, its assets sold off to the highest bidder. The proceeds will go entirely to several Jewish foundations, the Jewish Community Center, the Anti-Defamation League, et cetera, at Saul and Ben's discretion. Everyone employed at the bakery will lose their jobs. Your grandmother will get nothing from the proceeds of the business, and the Loven name will die forever." Her grandfather was reading from a paper he was holding off to the side that was just outside of camera shot, and he referred to it often as he read the conditions of the option. "Your second option is for you to take on the role of CEO of Loven Bakeries, with Ben Stratton continuing on in his current role, as your advisor and the executor of my will. He will report directly to you, but I would prefer for you to work in concert at the operations of the daily business. No outside entity may ever have ownership or control of the enterprise, and a Loven or spouse of a Loven must maintain executive control of the business in perpetuity. You notice that I expect you to marry with this option. In fact, I hope you will marry Ben, my darling. He is a good man with an excellent reputation, a head for common sense and I believe the two of you are well-suited to one another. With this second option, two things will be required of you. You must achieve a profit and be happily wed within twelve months of my death." Leah's grandfather let out a long breath after such a long talk and a brilliant smile crossed his face as he, again, looked at the camera. "Well, there you have it, my dear. You have five minutes with Saul in which to make this decision. Use him as your sounding board as you think this over. One last stipulation is that, during this twelve-month period, all details of this decision-making process, including the two options, must remain confidential between yourself and me. I don't think I'm going to be telling anyone anything at this point and Saul is responsible for making sure that all paperwork and this recording are kept private and within his control. If Saul finds out that you have told anyone, including your grandmother or Ben the details of this agreement between us, the first option will immediately be put into place. Now decide whether you want the traditional life I would like for you and all the pros and cons that go along with that choice or throwing away your heritage, and all that entails. Remember that people's lives depend on your decision. I trust you, my dear, and that your mother and Risa and I have raised you to make the right decision." He kissed his hand and threw a kiss at the camera, the same way he always had whenever she had left their home, as she'd walk out the door. He mouthed the words, "I love you," and then the recording ended. The emotions that flowed through Leah overwhelmed her. First and foremost, she was heartbroken that these would be the last words she'd ever hear from her grandfather. At least he'd ended with the most important and the thought, again, brought tears to her eyes. He'd loved her. That was something she'd always known, but what kind of a loving grandfather gave her such a tremendous decision to make, and so quickly. How could she make such an important decision? She was thrilled that he'd had confidence in her, but could she do it? Could she work so closely with Ben and not lose her mind? Could she keep things professional between them? With almost no warning, a sick feeling took over her stomach and she looked over at Saul. "Now what?" she asked. "Well, now you have four minutes and fifty-five seconds to make the decision of your life," he said.