Inheritance (3/30)
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The phone was ringing as Scotty walked into his apartment. He rushed through the room, grabbing it from the charger and answering breathlessly.
“Hello?”
“Um, hi. Is this Scott Wandell?”
“Yes, this is.”
“I’m - my name is Sarah Walker. I’m calling from Ojai Foods.”
“I’m sorry; I don’t have time for a sales call.”
The woman laughed nervously. “No, this isn’t - I actually have some information for you regarding an inheritance.”
Scotty furrowed his brow. “An inheritance?”
“Yes, one of our executives recently - ”
“I’m sorry,” Scotty interrupted. “Where did you say you were calling from?”
“Ojai Foods.”
“Never heard of it. I think you have the wrong person.”
“No, I don’t, Scott.” The woman paused. “It’s about your biological father.”
Scotty felt his blood rush through him, and he started breathing shallowly. “Excuse me?”
“I think you should come into the office. Any time.”
“Where are you?” he asked, dazed.
***
Scotty felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest as he opened the door to Ojai Foods the following morning. He walked up to a reception desk, trying not to reveal his nerves as he smiled at the woman. He glanced at the name plate on the desk - Gladys.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Hi Gladys,” Scotty said, assuming his most charming Southern attitude. It was still the easiest way for him to appear in control. “I have an appointment with Sarah Walker. My name is Scotty Wandell.”
Gladys responded to his politeness immediately. Rather than merely pointing him in the direction of the office, she escorted Scotty there personally. Scotty stared through the window of the office. For a moment, before Gladys announced his presence, he watched the woman working inside. He wondered - and worried about - what she was going to tell him.
She glanced up when Gladys spoke, immediately looking past the other woman to focus on Scotty. If Scotty didn’t know better, he would have thought she’d seen a ghost. Gladys walked away, and Scotty spared her a smile before turning back to this Sarah Walker. He stepped into the office as she stood and walked around the desk to greet him.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Scotty Wandell.”
She nodded, shaking his hand in apparent surprise. “You kind of look like him,” she observed quietly.
“Excuse me?”
She shook her head. “Sorry. Sorry, please have a seat.”
Scotty sat down, taking a breath in an effort to calm his nerves.
“It’s Scotty?”
“Yes.”
Sarah nodded, inhaling deeply as she sat in the seat next to him. She began speaking quickly.
“Scotty, the owner and CEO of this company passed away recently. As we went through his files, we discovered he had reason to believe he was your biological father. He left you a portion of his estate, which I’d like to sign over to you now.”
Scotty nodded in understanding, but then he changed the subject. “Can you tell me - what was he like?”
Sarah laughed, somewhat bitterly. “Well, it turns out I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did. He - he could be very driven, and strict, and - and selfish. And at the same time, very loving, very funny. Everyone at the company adored him.”
“What was his name?”
“William…William Walker.”
Scotty looked up at her, surprised. “Are you related?”
“Yes,” Sarah said, swallowing. “He was my father.”
Scotty’s eyes widened. “Oh! So…you and I, we’re brother and sister?”
“Half, yes.”
Scotty stared at her for a while, before laughing in surprise. “Well, nice to meet you.”
Sarah began laughing as well, even as she blinked back tears. They simply looked at each other for a while. Then Sarah remembered herself, reaching out to the desk for the certified checks.
“So,” she began again, clearing her throat. “He set up a trust when you were a baby; that’s now worth about $35,000. We also sold some land, which you get a share of, amounting to two million dollars.”
Scotty scoffed incredulously. “I’m sorry, how much?”
“I know it seems like a lot, but the land was very valuable, and -”
“Are you telling me some man I’ve never met left me two million and 35,000 dollars? Just because he knocked someone up a couple decades ago?”
“Yes.”
Scotty twisted around in his chair. “Where’s the hidden camera?”
Sarah laughed. “I’m being serious.”
Scotty turned back to her. He took several deep breaths, trying to wrap his mind around what she was telling him. Finally, he shook his head as he stood up.
“Well, thank you, but I can’t accept that.”
Sarah stood up as well. “Scotty.”
“No, I can’t. Look, I’m sorry for your loss, and I mean no disrespect when I say this. But this man meant nothing to me. I don’t know if this is supposed to be guilt money or - or some kind of buy-off or something. But I have a father. I grew up happy and loved, and I don’t have any desire to - goodbye. Sorry.”
And with that, Scotty quickly turned away. He ignored Sarah calling out for him to wait as he walked out of the office, angling past an older blonde woman about to knock on Sarah’s door. He didn’t even notice as she stared after him curiously.
***
Saul sighed as he listened to Nora talk about Holly. She announced her resolve to move on and put the past behind them, to accept that Holly was a part of their life now and that there may be something decent about her. He knew the children didn’t want to tell her, that they believed it was better that she didn’t know. But she was his sister, and Saul was sick and tired of keeping hurtful secrets from her. He stared sadly at her, battling with himself over whether he should say anything.
“Saul? Saul, what is it? You have to tell me.”
He leaned forward in his chair, talking quietly. “The past is not behind us. William and Holly had a child together. A son named Scott. Scotty. He was given up for adoption, but Sarah found him. She met him last week. I’m so sorry, Nora.”
Nora blinked once. “Who else knows?” she asked, her voice slightly shaking.
“Tommy and Kevin.”
“What about Justin and Kitty?”
“No.”
Nora stood, depositing her napkin on her half-eaten dinner.
“Where are you going?” Saul asked, worried.
“I have to find them.”
“Nora - ”
“No. No more lies, Saul. I won’t stand for it.”
***
Justin sat still for a moment after he parked. He still wasn’t sure this was the best idea, but he wasn’t sure about most of the decisions he was making tonight. He managed to avoid getting high, thanks to his sponsor, but he and Tyler broke up. And now he was sitting outside an apartment building. He got the address from a reluctant Sarah, but he didn’t know if he could bring himself to go any further. At the same time, he wanted to. He wanted to make this real, and he was tired of running away from things.
Justin unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out of the Jeep. He walked up the stairs of the building, searching the buzzers for the correct apartment. He pressed the button and waited. Finally the intercom crackled.
“Hello?”
“Scotty Wandell?”
“Yeah?”
“This is…this is Justin Walker.”
There was an unnervingly long pause, and then another buzzing sound as the door unlocked. Justin reached out and pulled it open.
By the time he made it up the stairs, Scotty had opened his apartment door. He was leaning against the frame, somewhat defensively.
“Hey,” Justin said.
“How many of you are there?” the other man asked by way of greeting.
Justin grinned. “Five.”
Scotty raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Look, I’m not sure what you’re doing here, but I…I don’t want the money. I don’t want anything from your family. I was perfectly happy not knowing about my birth parents, you know?”
“I get that,” Justin responded. “I just wanted to meet you. It wouldn’t hurt to at least try to get to know each other.”
“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”
“It’s the Walker way.”
Scotty sighed. He pulled the door shut behind him and stepped further into the hall. “Let’s go get something to eat.”
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The phone was ringing as Scotty walked into his apartment. He rushed through the room, grabbing it from the charger and answering breathlessly.
“Hello?”
“Um, hi. Is this Scott Wandell?”
“Yes, this is.”
“I’m - my name is Sarah Walker. I’m calling from Ojai Foods.”
“I’m sorry; I don’t have time for a sales call.”
The woman laughed nervously. “No, this isn’t - I actually have some information for you regarding an inheritance.”
Scotty furrowed his brow. “An inheritance?”
“Yes, one of our executives recently - ”
“I’m sorry,” Scotty interrupted. “Where did you say you were calling from?”
“Ojai Foods.”
“Never heard of it. I think you have the wrong person.”
“No, I don’t, Scott.” The woman paused. “It’s about your biological father.”
Scotty felt his blood rush through him, and he started breathing shallowly. “Excuse me?”
“I think you should come into the office. Any time.”
“Where are you?” he asked, dazed.
***
Scotty felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest as he opened the door to Ojai Foods the following morning. He walked up to a reception desk, trying not to reveal his nerves as he smiled at the woman. He glanced at the name plate on the desk - Gladys.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Hi Gladys,” Scotty said, assuming his most charming Southern attitude. It was still the easiest way for him to appear in control. “I have an appointment with Sarah Walker. My name is Scotty Wandell.”
Gladys responded to his politeness immediately. Rather than merely pointing him in the direction of the office, she escorted Scotty there personally. Scotty stared through the window of the office. For a moment, before Gladys announced his presence, he watched the woman working inside. He wondered - and worried about - what she was going to tell him.
She glanced up when Gladys spoke, immediately looking past the other woman to focus on Scotty. If Scotty didn’t know better, he would have thought she’d seen a ghost. Gladys walked away, and Scotty spared her a smile before turning back to this Sarah Walker. He stepped into the office as she stood and walked around the desk to greet him.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Scotty Wandell.”
She nodded, shaking his hand in apparent surprise. “You kind of look like him,” she observed quietly.
“Excuse me?”
She shook her head. “Sorry. Sorry, please have a seat.”
Scotty sat down, taking a breath in an effort to calm his nerves.
“It’s Scotty?”
“Yes.”
Sarah nodded, inhaling deeply as she sat in the seat next to him. She began speaking quickly.
“Scotty, the owner and CEO of this company passed away recently. As we went through his files, we discovered he had reason to believe he was your biological father. He left you a portion of his estate, which I’d like to sign over to you now.”
Scotty nodded in understanding, but then he changed the subject. “Can you tell me - what was he like?”
Sarah laughed, somewhat bitterly. “Well, it turns out I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did. He - he could be very driven, and strict, and - and selfish. And at the same time, very loving, very funny. Everyone at the company adored him.”
“What was his name?”
“William…William Walker.”
Scotty looked up at her, surprised. “Are you related?”
“Yes,” Sarah said, swallowing. “He was my father.”
Scotty’s eyes widened. “Oh! So…you and I, we’re brother and sister?”
“Half, yes.”
Scotty stared at her for a while, before laughing in surprise. “Well, nice to meet you.”
Sarah began laughing as well, even as she blinked back tears. They simply looked at each other for a while. Then Sarah remembered herself, reaching out to the desk for the certified checks.
“So,” she began again, clearing her throat. “He set up a trust when you were a baby; that’s now worth about $35,000. We also sold some land, which you get a share of, amounting to two million dollars.”
Scotty scoffed incredulously. “I’m sorry, how much?”
“I know it seems like a lot, but the land was very valuable, and -”
“Are you telling me some man I’ve never met left me two million and 35,000 dollars? Just because he knocked someone up a couple decades ago?”
“Yes.”
Scotty twisted around in his chair. “Where’s the hidden camera?”
Sarah laughed. “I’m being serious.”
Scotty turned back to her. He took several deep breaths, trying to wrap his mind around what she was telling him. Finally, he shook his head as he stood up.
“Well, thank you, but I can’t accept that.”
Sarah stood up as well. “Scotty.”
“No, I can’t. Look, I’m sorry for your loss, and I mean no disrespect when I say this. But this man meant nothing to me. I don’t know if this is supposed to be guilt money or - or some kind of buy-off or something. But I have a father. I grew up happy and loved, and I don’t have any desire to - goodbye. Sorry.”
And with that, Scotty quickly turned away. He ignored Sarah calling out for him to wait as he walked out of the office, angling past an older blonde woman about to knock on Sarah’s door. He didn’t even notice as she stared after him curiously.
***
Saul sighed as he listened to Nora talk about Holly. She announced her resolve to move on and put the past behind them, to accept that Holly was a part of their life now and that there may be something decent about her. He knew the children didn’t want to tell her, that they believed it was better that she didn’t know. But she was his sister, and Saul was sick and tired of keeping hurtful secrets from her. He stared sadly at her, battling with himself over whether he should say anything.
“Saul? Saul, what is it? You have to tell me.”
He leaned forward in his chair, talking quietly. “The past is not behind us. William and Holly had a child together. A son named Scott. Scotty. He was given up for adoption, but Sarah found him. She met him last week. I’m so sorry, Nora.”
Nora blinked once. “Who else knows?” she asked, her voice slightly shaking.
“Tommy and Kevin.”
“What about Justin and Kitty?”
“No.”
Nora stood, depositing her napkin on her half-eaten dinner.
“Where are you going?” Saul asked, worried.
“I have to find them.”
“Nora - ”
“No. No more lies, Saul. I won’t stand for it.”
***
Justin sat still for a moment after he parked. He still wasn’t sure this was the best idea, but he wasn’t sure about most of the decisions he was making tonight. He managed to avoid getting high, thanks to his sponsor, but he and Tyler broke up. And now he was sitting outside an apartment building. He got the address from a reluctant Sarah, but he didn’t know if he could bring himself to go any further. At the same time, he wanted to. He wanted to make this real, and he was tired of running away from things.
Justin unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out of the Jeep. He walked up the stairs of the building, searching the buzzers for the correct apartment. He pressed the button and waited. Finally the intercom crackled.
“Hello?”
“Scotty Wandell?”
“Yeah?”
“This is…this is Justin Walker.”
There was an unnervingly long pause, and then another buzzing sound as the door unlocked. Justin reached out and pulled it open.
By the time he made it up the stairs, Scotty had opened his apartment door. He was leaning against the frame, somewhat defensively.
“Hey,” Justin said.
“How many of you are there?” the other man asked by way of greeting.
Justin grinned. “Five.”
Scotty raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Look, I’m not sure what you’re doing here, but I…I don’t want the money. I don’t want anything from your family. I was perfectly happy not knowing about my birth parents, you know?”
“I get that,” Justin responded. “I just wanted to meet you. It wouldn’t hurt to at least try to get to know each other.”
“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”
“It’s the Walker way.”
Scotty sighed. He pulled the door shut behind him and stepped further into the hall. “Let’s go get something to eat.”
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