Page 14 of Home Is Where the Bodies Are

I readjust myself in my seat. My fingers make their way to my teeth. I bite one nail before realizing that I’m biting it and quickly pull it away, folding my hands in my lap.

“What do you mean bymost everything?” Nicole asks.

Craig scans the paper laid out in front of him. “The house and furniture go to Elizabeth, and so does this.” He retrieves a small silver key and a Post-it Note. “The information for the lockbox is written down on the paper.”

“What’s in the box?” Michael asks. His eyes follow the key as it slides across the table toward me.

“Laura didn’t say, so your guess is as good as mine,” Craig explains.

I flip the key over and over in my hand. It’s shiny and appears brand new. Is the lockbox also new? And what did Mom stow away? She’s never had much, so I assume it contains little mementos that have no financial value but were treasures to her.

Craig drags his finger down the piece of paper. “Her car and journals go to Nicole,” he says, flipping another page before continuing. “Your mother also kept most of your father’s belongings. In here, she stipulates that Nicole and Elizabeth will have their choice of two of his items and the rest will go to Michael.”

“Only two things?” Nicole groans.

“You can have whatever you want,” Michael says with a shrug. I assume his generosity is because he has far more in life than me and Nicole will ever have.

“As far as your mother’s personal belongings, they are to be divided between the three of you. Any questions?”

“How did you know my mother passed?” I ask.

Craig clears his throat. “I was alerted by her hospice nurse.”

He rotates the paper toward us, clicks a pen, and places it on the table. “I’ll need each of you to sign at the bottom. This just states that I went over everything.”

Michael flicks his signature across it and slides it to me. I hesitate, the tip of the pen hovering an inch above the paper. It feels so uneventful.Your mom’s dead. Divide up all of her possessions. Sign here. Now, go about your own life.

I force the pen to touch the paper and skid across it, leaving behind a blotchy signature that barely looks like mine. I pass it to Nicole, and she signs it without a thought.

The lawyer collects the paper, closes the folder, and opens another. “Your mother requests to be cremated, and she would like her ashes spread around the property.” Craig looks to each of us to confirm our mom’s wish will be honored.

Michael leans forward, tightening his eyes. “Seems a little disrespectful. This used to be farmland.”

“It’s not disrespectful. She wants to stay in the place she loved most,” Nicole says.

The lawyer’s gaze darts to me, “Is this going to be a problem?”

“No. That’s what Mom wanted, so we’ll carry out her wishes,” I say with a nod. I’m relieved to know we’re doing exactly what she asked for. Mom didn’t get what she wanted in life, so the least I can do is give her what she wanted in death.

“Funerals aren’t for the dead. They’re for the living,” Michael says. “Mom should be buried in a cemetery, so there’s a place we can visit her.”

“You didn’t visit her when she was alive,” I scoff.

“Beth!” Nicole scolds.

“What? I could say the same for you.” I narrow my eyes at her.

“Just because you were here doesn’t mean we didn’t lose her too,” Nicole argues. “She was just as much our mom as she was yours.”

“Yeah, sure.” I cock my head. “But I was the one that took care of her up until the moment she died. Where were you two?”

Michael shifts toward me. “Get off your high horse, Beth. You may have been here, but I was the one footing the bill for everything.”

The lawyer quietly organizes his papers, trying to ignore the fight that’s unfolding, but it’s clear he’s uncomfortable from the way his shoulders are pinned to his ears.

“No, you weren’t,” I practically yell. The rise in my own voice startles me.

“Oh great. So, we have Mr. Money Bags and Ms. I’m a Better Daughter Because I Watched Mom Die,” Nicole says, rolling her eyes.

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