Chasing Georgia

Chapter 3

Chapter 3Three days later …

“What's she doing here?” Alice demanded.

Ignoring her, Georgia stared straight ahead and followed Derek Connor's secretary into the conference room to join the rest of Colin's family, law partners and a few of his closest friends.

“She's named in the will, Mrs. Charles. She has the right to be present,” Derek said, motioning Georgia to a chair. “As you all know, we're here for the reading of Colin's will. Let's begin.”

“I, Colin Walter Charles, of the city of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, do make and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. I hereby revoke all Wills and Codicils heretofore made by me.”

The lawyer shuffled the papers, cleared his throat and began again. “The foregoing instrument, consisting of six typewritten pages, this included, was at Vancouver, British Columbia, signed sealed and declared by the testatrix—that's Colin—to be his Last Will and Testament, in our presence, and we, at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other, have hereunto subscribed our names as attesting witnesses.” Derek Connors looked up at the people sitting before him. “Colin has appointed me as his personal representative and estate trustee. That gives me the power to execute his testament and control over all trust accounts. All debts, expenses, encumbrances, and taxes are to be paid from his residuary estate.”

Georgia narrowed her eyes and tried to focus her attention on Derek, listening as he dealt with each item one by one. Being enclosed with these people in such a small room made her squirm and her stomach rolled over, leaving her nauseous. She glanced sideways. None of them meant anything to her anymore. Nevertheless, here she was, sharing the intimacy of their grief. She assumed of course, that Colin's Will had nothing to do with her, but everything to do with their daughter. Derek dealt with the legacies to friends and colleagues first.

“Well, that covers it except for the immediate family and Georgia,” Derek stated, “The rest of you are free to leave. Once we're through with probate, you'll be contacted. Thank you for coming in.”

Derek rose to stand by the door, shaking hands with all who left. Resuming his position at the table he continued with the reading.

“To his sister, Mary, and brother-in-law, Steve, he leaves his BMW and his boat. Should his parents survive him—and with this being the case—he leaves them the house he inherited from his grandmother in Maui…”

Finally, Derek mentioned Kaela's name.

“Colin set up a trust fund for each of his two daughters, Shelby & Kaela. When they are nineteen, they can draw from the trust to continue their education and will be given living expenses. The terms of the trust are clear. They must be working and self-sufficient by their twenty-fifth birthdays. At that time, the remainder of each of the trusts will be transferred in a lump sum to each of them. If the trustees deem either one unable to manage money prudently or in the case of mental incapacity, the monies will remain in trust with the issuance of a monthly stipend.

As for Georgia, Colin has increased your child support to fifteen hundred dollars a month to more than cover Kaela's care. Should the occasion arise where there are unusual expenses, for example medical or dental bills, you can apply to the trustees and they will be covered by the child's trust." Georgia heard a gasp, no doubt from Alice.

“The rest—company shares, bonds, personal belongings, cash, jewellery and the residual home—go to Julie. That about covers it. Any questions?”

The first one to speak was Alice.

“I'm assuming Colin has a clause in the will, where a blood test is required to prove paternity for the child, Kaela?”

Georgia stiffened. Here we go.

Complete silence filled the room. She glanced around and wasn't surprised to see the dropped eyes of all present. No one looked at anyone else, least of all her. Their embarrassment was obvious.

“Alice…you only have to look at the child,” Frank chided.

“There's no such clause. Nor is one required,” Derek counselled, “If Colin chose to recognize Kaela as his daughter and include her in his will, that's his right.”

“We can contest…” Alice began.

“Alice, shut up,” Frank boomed.

The air hung heavy, as silence once again prevailed.

“No one will be contesting Colin's will,” a small voice challenged, “These are the final wishes of my husband and they will be respected by all of us in this room.”

Georgia looked at Julie in surprise. Julie gave her a thin smile; an unspoken bond of motherhood passed between them.

“Alice, our son is dead. I agree with Julie. We must respect his wishes,” Frank said, firmly. It was as much a plea as it was a declaration and Alice fell silent.

“As for the trust funds,” Derek began, clearing his throat uncomfortably, “I'm accountable to both Julie and Georgia until the girls are of legal age. The court does not supervise these funds and I was required to take out a bond to protect you both from wrong doing. You'll both receive an annual accounting. My fee is 5% and I will be handling the investment personally. I'm available to you at any time to discuss our investment policies.”

Derek stood up for a second time and addressed Georgia directly.

“Georgia, trust funds are exempt from probate. You can expect to receive your increased support cheque the first of the month. If you have any questions at all, please contact me at any time. Good luck to you and your daughter.”

Georgia rose and shook hands with Derek. “Thank you, Derek.” She nodded to Julie and Frank. Ignoring the others, she held her head high and strode out of the conference room. As she waited for the elevator, someone called her name. To her surprise, Julie approached her.

“I was hoping you and I could meet soon and talk. There are things that should have been said years ago and things that should never have been said. I understand if you say no. I only ask you to consider the girls…” Julie paused.

“The girls?”

“They both lost their father and … I think it might help them both if they spent some time together.”

Georgia was taken aback by her suggestion. The only one in the Charles family that accepted Kaela was Colin.

Julie continued. “They're children, free from the mind restrictions we grown-ups place on ourselves…and they're sisters. They should be allowed to know each other.”

“Even if I agreed, there's Alice to consider. She knows Kaela is Colin's daughter, but she won't acknowledge it. I don't need or want her wrath.”

“This is my decision as Shelby's mother. Alice has no say in it. Please think about it?” Julie implored.

“Alright, I'll consider it.”

Julie started back to the office, when Georgia stopped her.

“I'm sorry about Colin, Julie. I know how hard this must be for you.”

“Yes, you do,” she responded, softly, “Thank you.”

Georgia drove to her parent's home in North Vancouver, relieved she could put the events of the past few days behind her. Seeing Colin's family took more of a toll on her than she realized. Julie's words echoed over and over in her mind.

They are children … they are sisters; they should be together… they need each other.

It gave her lots to think about. Georgia felt happy that Colin gave Kaela what was rightly hers.

Too bad he had to die before he fully accepted that responsibility … and it's only money. Kaela needed him in her life more than the couple of times a year he gave her. Still, he'd been more than generous with the child support and the trust fund. Reflecting back, Georgia thought that Julie's acceptance had come too late. How sad that it always seemed to take something tragic to show us the errors of our ways. Still, maybe Julie's right that the girls should meet.

On the other hand, sometimes when the grieving ends, some people selectively forget their new-found vision. They return to their old way of thinking in self-defence to hide their guilt. First Frank expressed an interest in Kaela, now Julie. Can I trust them? Should I trust them? I sure as hell don't want Alice in my daughter's life.

Georgia vowed to protect her from any outfall that might occur from that kind of situation.

By the time she reached her parent's home, her head pounded. She sat in the driveway with the engine running, staring at nothing. She had mixed feelings where Julie was concerned. She leaned back against the headrest and scrutinized her belief that she'd dealt with all the negatives in her life the past five years. She'd learned a lot about herself the winter she was lost and about her marriage. It occurred to her that perhaps she'd never examined her feelings towards Julie because the woman had never been in her face. She couldn't blame the woman for her marriage break-up from Colin. Their affair had merely been the straw that broke the camel's back. Georgia knew that. Still, she resented her and the whole Charles family. Showing up alive the following spring with my baby, had thrown Alice into a tailspin.

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Time, that's what I need. It's not crucial to make a decision so soon. Kaela's needs are foremost and dealing with the loss of her father paramount. With a sigh, she turned the motor off and stepped out of the car.

That night replicated the previous one. Sleep came sporadically, full of dreams and restlessness. Georgia gave in and went into the kitchen for a hot cup of tea. She sat on the love seat in the picture window of her childhood home and stared at the city lights across Burrard Inlet far below. Over the years much thought had been given to the rudeness of her ex-mother-in-law. Deep down Alice Charles knows Kaela's her granddaughter. Why has she rejected her?

The only conclusion Georgia reached was the fact that Alice was a complex and private woman: the matriarch who controlled her family. Georgia hadn't allowed her to control her life or Kaela's and all the publicity surrounding her disappearance and her heroic survival seemed to embarrass Alice. Position, wealth and privacy were foremost for Colin's mother.

Somehow she blamed it all on Georgia. Alice probably blames me for his death too. She finished her tea and padded back to bed.