Love And Inheritance

"Well, pop, I really don't think its any business of yours why I was given that money. When Gramps died he set out the criteria necessary to qualify for the additional funds. The reason I qualified for those funds is between the administrator of the trust in which they are held and me. The trustee determined I met the requirements for receipt of those funds and he disbursed them to me. Now, if you don't mind, I have some studying to do and my wife and I need to get to work."

"Your wife and you? I didn't know you were married. How did you have time to get married between the time you got home and now? I haven't seen any announcements or heard talk about you getting married."

Jason walked over to a shaking Sue. He wasn't sure if she was shaking from anger or fear but he wanted to support her and calm her down. When his father saw him put his arm around her waist he went ballistic. He shouted, "You mean you married a foreigner? You went out and married some bar tramp instead of one of the nice girls I kept trying to set you up with? You're disgusting and no son of mine."

Sue broke down in tears when she heard his father say that. Jason felt his jaws clinch and his face reddened as he removed his arm from around Sue's waist and started for his father. As he moved, he said, "You fucking asshole. I didn't marry some bar tramp and you never tried to set me up with any nice girls. You tried to push me into marrying the daughter of someone you felt would better your financial situation. If you want to see a tramp, you should look into the background of most of the bitches you tried to pawn me off on. Hell, most of them were the school bike. Anyone who was in sports or anyone they felt had some money could have a ride on them. Sue's better than all those bitches put together. Her father just recently retired from the Navy as an E9 Master Chief Engineman after 26 years of service. Now, it's time for you all to get the hell off our land. I've heard enough."

"You ungrateful son of a bitch. When your house of cards falls down around you don't come crawling to me for anything. You're just as ungrateful and unappreciative now as you were before you ran away from home. I don't know why you couldn't be more like your sisters."

Jason snorted and started to turn away. His father smiled and said, "That's it. Run away again when you're faced with the fact I knew what was best for you kids. Both your sisters married men I picked out for them and are in a position of respect in the community. All you are is an unemployed delinquent."

Jason stopped and turned back to face his family. He was almost shaking with anger. He said, "Well, neither of their husbands got much of a prize did they? How did you manage to hide the way they were slutting around long enough to get them married? How about Tiffany's abortion? What about Chastity's venereal disease? Do you really think a man who stole several thousand dollars from his father's business is a good husband for Tiffany? How do you keep him from embezzling from the bank? Or do you just ignore it? And what about Chastity's husband? Why is he too disabled to work but he manages to hunt and fish all the time? Oh, wait, none of that matters does it? After all, they come from the right families and their fathers keep a lot of money in your banks and use you for their sometimes shady loans."

While he was ranting on, Jason's mother began crying. She put her hand over her mouth and the sobs shook her whole body. His father stood in shock. He looked at his daughters, then at Jason. Chastity hissed at Jason, "You asshole! How could you say those things?"

His mother moaned to Tiffany, "Oh, my God Tiff. You didn't? How could you kill my grandchild? Who authorized your abortion? You really didn't have an abortion did you? Why didn't I know any of this?"

Jason looked at his upset family and said, "Well mother. Would you prefer to have a half black grandbaby? Rumor had it that one of the basketball team was the one who got Tiff preggers and gave Chas the disease. We all know 90% of the team is black. They took care of each other and the team took up a collection to help with the treatment. I expect they got the rest of the money they needed from you and dad. You both gave them money, large amounts of money, whenever they came to you for it. Most of the time they didn't even have a good reason, they just asked for money to go shopping with or to buy something they wanted. You really don't remember when Tiff was sick with cramps for an entire week? God.

"Just go. Get the hell off my land and leave us alone."

His father gently pushed the crying women toward their car. Just before she got in the back seat beside Tiffany Chastity glared at Jason and gave him the finger. By then, he was once again hugging Sue trying to calm her down. He tilted her head up and gave her a gentle kiss then let her snuggle and nestle her head under his chin. He felt the sobs gently shaking her body.

Finally, she pushed away from him, stood on her tiptoes and gave him a gentle kiss. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. How can any family be like that? I know you told me about them but I was positive your memories had exaggerated themselves over time about how they were. I can't believe how you minimized their personalities and morals. Honey, I'm so sorry you had to grow up in a family like that. How did you ever manage to become the wonderful man you are after growing up in a dysfunctional family like yours?"

"I can answer that with one word; Gramps. No, make that three words. Gramps and Granny. I spent every spare moment I could with them and they kept me grounded. After the girls came, mom and dad really didn't have much time for me. After all, they had two princesses to care for. I didn't become important to them until they decided they could marry me off to a rich bitch and reel her father's money and position into their camp or bank. I left home just before I graduated high school and lived out here in the boathouse for the last two weeks of high school and the five weeks before I went into the Navy. Gramps and I spent every minute we could out here together. I learned to fish, repair things, and how to treat people from him. He started the banks. Well, not really, he inherited the bank here in town from his father but he started the other two. Until he retired, the business grew constantly. All dad does is put on airs and throw his weight around. I would bet the banks are worth a lot less now than when he took over.

"Now, come on. Let's jump in the truck and go to town for supper. You don't need to cook tonight after facing my family like you did. We can just try and relax tonight. Maybe we can forget all this."

"Humph. I'm not sure I can ever forget that. When they got here, they tried to just walk into the house. When they found the doors locked, they came around back. I came outside to meet them and they tried to ignore me. They asked where you were. Your father actually ordered me to let them wait for you inside. He informed me he was your father and he was going to wait for you inside. He even turned to your mother and said, "After we get things straightened out you need to talk to him and give him some pointers on hiring help. This chink bitch is way too uppity for her position." I was just about to tell him I wasn't some chink bitch, that I was your wife, when you drove up."

Jason hugged her once again and gave her another kiss. He said, "I'm sorry honey. I did warn you how bad they were, but even I was surprised by this visit. I wonder if they are having some cash flow problems or how they found out about the disbursements from the trusts. Oh, well, I don't suppose it matters."

Things settled down into a comfortable life for Jason and Sue after the confrontation with his family. During the colder months of winter they worked on the interior of the old house. By spring, they had the entire downstairs completed. The rooms were a strange blend of modern and original. The whole effect was absolutely beautiful. The house was old enough that it had natural, 100% wood trim and accents. They stripped and refinished all the old wood. They repaired and painted or papered all the walls after insulating them well and installing new plumbing and wiring.

The master suite was completed and they moved their bedding into it. The dining room was once again a dining room with the original solid walnut dining table, china cabinet and accessories. The living room was restored and filled with appropriate furniture. The library was turned into a library once again with two desks and their computers installed. It would serve as an office and, until his degree was completed, a study room. As each room was renovated, new triple pane windows were installed.

Finally spring came. Jason was down at the lake working on his grandfather's old boat. He wanted to get it running and do some fishing. During the winter he made contact with a couple of his old friends from school. They were all outdoors type and had enjoyed fishing and hunting when they were younger. Jason never cared for hunting but he was always there for the fishing.

Jason had the old outboard motor torn down and was rebuilding it when one of his friends stopped by. Since he was at the boathouse and dock Sue sent him down there to see Jason. When Ronnie came into the shop he stopped and looked around in awe. "Whoa," he said. "This is awesome. I never saw a garage or shop this neat and bright. Whatcha workin' on there, slick?"

"Huh? Oh, thanks. I picked this up from the Navy I guess. We always had to keep our workspace 'ship shape' as they said and I got to like it. Hell, you always know where something is because there is a place for everything and we kept everything in its place. I'm working on one of gramps old Johnson motors. Damn thing is an antique but I wanted to get it running I suppose. It was either that or spend money for a cheap-assed new one. The Navy taught me about engines and so forth, so what the hell."

Ronnie stood watching Jason work for several minutes and asked, "You think you can fix these engines ok? I know a couple guys that have old engines that don't run or that run poorly. Most of the mechanics around here don't want to mess with them. If they can't hook a computer to them to find out what's wrong, they're lost."

"Sure. Have them bring them down and I'll look at them at least. I enjoy working on these engines and the boats." Jason replaced his tools, cleaned his hands, and grabbed two beers from the refrigerator in the shop. He handed Ronnie one and they walked outside. Jason locked the door then the two friends moved to a shady spot and sat drinking their beer and talking as they watched the few boats out on the lake.

The next day Ronnie returned with two of his friends and three older engines. Jason showed them where to put them in the shop and gave them a quick once over. He said, "I don't know if I can repair them or not until I tear into them. Some of these engines are so old you can't get parts any longer."

Paul snorted and said, "Yeah. I've heard that before on a different engine. I hate to buy a new one if I don't have to. At least look at it for me."

"Hey, no promises, but I'll give it my best shot. Some of the parts I might be able to manufacture. Hell, I might even be able to find an old engine for the parts. I'll let you know."

"Great. What will you charge?"

"Hadn't given it much thought. I've never done repair work and got paid for it before. I guess whatever the other shops charge."

"Well most of them are $75.00 to $110 per hour. They use book hours if they have a book for the engine and boat they're working on."

"Damn, that's kind of steep isn't it? I'll check around but I guess I could do it for $75.00 an hour."

Jason was able to repair all three of the engines. One of them, he found an old engine and used it for parts. One, he manufactured a shaft for and repaired it. The third one was new enough he could find parts for it. He made $1475 repairing the three engines and only worked about 20 hours. All three of the men were very happy with the work. One of them even said the engine now ran better than it ever had. Slowly, word of Jason's work, his 'magic fingers' if you will, made the rounds of the boaters on the lake. He began to get phone calls and visits from people who wanted him to work on their boats and motors. Jason seemingly stumbled into a very lucrative job, one he really liked and was good at.

One of the men whose engine he repaired asked if he would rent him a slip for his boat. Jason had several spots open and decided he would do that. He quoted a price and the man jumped at it. Soon, all the slips Jason had available were rented to local boat owners. One day, Sue brought Jason's lunch to him and was eating with him when a man came to pick up his motor. He apologized for interrupting lunch, but asked if they planned on selling bait, fishing gear, and snacks.

Jason said, "Not really. We haven't even given it any thought. Why?"

"Well, Maude's is the only marina on this side of the lake that sells those items and she told us this is going to be the last year she operates. She's 76 now and says she's getting too old to mess with the work any longer. She's only a mile or so from here and a bunch of us buy our fuel and supplies from her. She's trying to sell her dock but isn't having much luck. Her lease for the shoreline the dock is on is up for renewal and the land owners want so much for a new lease that someone buying the dock would have trouble making a decent profit."

"I don't know. Sounds like it might be a good deal, but I'm not sure I want to be tied down like that."

"Well, I just wondered. Sure would be nice if you did. You have a better place here than she does. I think she made pretty good money there until she got so old she had to hire so much help."

After the man left, Jason and Sue talked about the dock. She said, "I'm not doing much now Jason. It would be a way for me to put my degree to work and we could be here together. We almost have the house restored and then I was going to try and find some outside work. This would be better if we could do it. We already have a good road down here to our dock and there is a small parking area. We could put in some more piers and slips and do fine I bet. I think she has a floating dock too. We might be able to buy it and tow it down here instead of building something here."

"We're about out of money you know. I'm making enough to live on here but remember the winters are really slow. We can't be taking on much debt. I really hate to be in debt. We'll just have enough cash from what we got out of the estate to finish everything from the way it looks. I don't have a problem with you looking into it though if you want to. Just don't promise her anything."

"Great. I'll go see her tomorrow. We can look at her books and see how profitable she is."

Sue made several trips to Maude's dock over the next two weeks. She was convinced it was a viable business. Maude made an average of $2,000 a month profit on her facility after paying salary for two full time and three part time helpers. She only wanted $24,000 for the business. They agreed to pay an additional fee for the wholesale cost of her remaining fuel and inventory.

Three nights later the phone rang and Sue answered it. She squealed and came running into the library carrying the phone. She was talking a mile a minute and had the phone on speaker. The first thing Jason heard was, "Yes Dad. That'll be great. Yeah, we have plenty of room. You can stay as long as you want. I'm sitting with Jason now and have you on speaker."

Hank bellowed out, "Hey there, boy. I finally did it. Made it to retirement and they've cut me loose. Suzie pie says ya got some room there for an old sailor without a billet. Mind if we come stay a spell before we find a spot to drop anchor?"

"Hell, no, Master Chief. You know you're always welcome. We have plenty of room here. I have 8 empty bedrooms right now. How many ya need?"

Hank just laughed and said, "Well, we don't need that many, fer sure. If its all the same to you, though, we'd like to come stay a spell, see Sue again before we find a place of our own."

Just before the in-laws arrived Jason received another phone call from his grandfather's attorney. This time, he asked if he could come out to the house and discuss the will and a bequest. Jason told him he was pretty busy but agreed to give him some time in the afternoon.

The attorney arrived at the agreed on time and greeted Jason. After they shook hands, the attorney remarked on how nice the old place looked. He was impressed with the restoration job. The old house was restored to as near original on the outside as it could be and was painted a glistening white. It stood out proudly nestled in its grove of trees. The attorney was so complementary of the house, Jason and Sue offered him a tour which he accepted with alacrity.

After they had been through the entire house the attorney asked if he could discuss the bequest with them. Jason agreed he had time and led the attorney into the library where they all sat in the very comfortable easy chairs. The attorney leaned back and said, "You have passed another milestone and fulfilled a requirement set out by your grandfather for a disbursement from the trust. This time the disbursement will probably be very substantial and is dependent on several factors.

"You qualify for this disbursement because you not only have chosen to live here in your grandfather's old home but you have restored it to its former glory. This bequest was made payable to you or any family member who may have purchased this house from you had you decided to sell it. As you remember, the will stated if you chose not to remain here after you inherited, you were required to offer the remaining family members right of first refusal before you sold the property to an outsider. You chose to keep the house, live in it, and restore it, therefore the bequest is payable to you.

"The bequest is for the cost of restoring the house. I have some discretion on how to structure the payment. For example, if the house is restored to near original condition, you get the full amount of the restoration costs. If, in my opinion, the restoration is less than original I must determine the percentage of the original structure that has been restored and pay that amount. To make a long story shorter, in my opinion, you qualify for the 100% reimbursement. I hope you kept receipts for the materials and labor involved because you will be reimbursed 100% for that. I understand you did almost all the labor yourself, therefore, you qualify for an additional amount to pay for your labor. The items you hired done such as the HVAC will be excluded from computation for your labor reimbursement because we will reimburse you for the help hired. You will be reimbursed double on the materials used for the work you did personally as payment for your labor on the restoration.

"As soon as you can present me receipts for the materials and work done I will authorize you a check for the restoration work."

Jason and Sue were once again shocked. He rocked back in his chair and looked at the attorney. He said, "Right now, I don't know the exact amount we spent but I've kept all the receipts and invoices for tax purposes. Our accountant says I'll need those to document the cost basis we have in the house should we ever decide to sell. I can get a printout right now of the amount spent because we keep it on our computer. Right off the top of my head, I think we have about $127,000 invested in the repairs and restoration."

Jason stood and went to the desk. He started his computer and selected the file report he wanted then routed it to the printer. While it was printing, he opened a file cabinet and pulled a folder out that was stuffed with invoices and receipts. He carried the documents to the attorney and set them on the table beside his chair.