Bellissimo Angelo - Book Three

Chapter 39 - The Last Will and Testament

Monday morning comes around, and I call Stacy's office and book an appointment with her that afternoon. Brie works in the morning to help Momma out at the shop, and Mariah fills for me in the shop in the afternoon. That way I can keep up with the demands daily and try to get done what I need to get done. 

As the afternoon rolls around, I walk inside the building and greet the receptionist. She escorts me down the hall to Stacy's office. She smiles warmly at me as I enter, "Hey Maggie. Have a seat darlin." She says. 

"Hey Stacy."

 She reaches behind her and grabs a file, and places it on the desk in front of her, "So, we are going to talk about Dom's assets. Of course, you know the house, the bank accounts, the car and his motorcycle is yours." She says. 

"Of course." 

"Well, he had a grandfather who recently passed that has left him a good chunk of money from his estate in his will."

My eyes grow wide, "How much?" I ask. 

"Well, it is roughly in the neighborhood of $500,000." She says.

I slam my hand on the desk, "What?" You are kidding?"

 She smirks, "No, ma'am. I don't joke about that."

 I pinch the bridge of my nose, "Well okay. What needs to be done?" 

"I can take care of it for you. Generally when you inherit money, it takes nine to twelve months to get it." 

I look at her in disbelief, "Wow. I wonder why he didn't tell me?"

"Well, he left me a recording that he asked me not to watch. He wanted you to watch it when you came in. Maybe he explains his reasons in that."

I pause for a moment to contemplate what she just said, "Oh Jesus! Are you serious?" I ask tearfully. 

"Yes, I am serious." She says. 

I grab a tissue from her desk,  "Okay, I'm ready." 

She places the whole box of tissues in front of me,  "Okay, I'll put it in and leave you to watch it in private." She says. 

"Okay," I respond. 

She sticks the tape into the VCR and presses play before scurrying out into the hallway. I sit still and watch as it begins playing.  It's Dom, and he's in our house. He is fiddling with the camera, "Hello, check one, check two..." he says. 

I begin to chuckle as he sits down in front of the camera. He clears his throat, "Hello, bella. If you are watching this, that means I didn't make it."

I begin to sob uncontrollably, "Don't cry... please don't cry. I know you are crying. I am watching you now and I have my arms wrapped around you so tight. I hope you feel me; I am always with you darling. You know the first moment I met you, I knew you were my soul mate. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you." He says. 

I wrap my arms around my shoulders and squeeze tightly, "I love you Dom." I whisper.

He continues,  "You have made me the happiest man alive. I have left you some money to help you and my children get set up financially. My Nonni left it when he died. I understand it will take some time to get it to you. I am so sorry about that. You are in good hands with Stacy. I hope this helps you to pay off everything. That way, you can be free to travel occassionally or do whatever you choose." He says.

I take the tissue and pat my cheeks as the tears pour down, " I hope you choose to live the fullest life you can. I just want you to promise me something. I want you to promise me that you will never allow anyone to take advantage of your kindness and generosity ever again. You deserve better than that. I never want you to allow anyone to do that to you again, I don't care who they are to you." He says pointing his finger at me. 

I nod in agreement as if he's telling me this in person, "I hope you sing for everyone any chance you get. You have a natural God-given talent that you must share with the world. I beg you to sing your heart out darling. Your are like an angel sent from the heavens."

I lean forward and reach out to touch the screen, "I hope you expand your business, and I hope you fall head over heels in love again." 

 "No, Dom!" I cry out tearfully.

I can hear someone sniffling in the hallway; I turn to find Stacy standing there, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." She says as she wipes the tears away. 

"Il Mio Bellissimo Angelo (My beautiful angel), this is goodbye for now but not forever. Give my little darlings a kiss for me and tell them their Papa loves them so much." He chokes out. 

Stacy places her hand on my shoulder to comfort me. I reach out and grab her hand, "I am sorry I can't be there for their first steps, their first words. I'm sorry I can't be there for their first day of school and all the firsts thereafter. I will always be with you all. Please don't ever forget that. I love you so much. Thank you for being there with me until the end my darling. Fino a quando ci incontriamo di nuovo (until we meet again.)" he says tearfully as he blows me a kiss. 

Then he turns and messes with a boombox behind him. The song begins to play, and I immediately know which one it is... Don't You (Forget About Me) By Simple Minds. It's from his favorite movie, The Breakfast Club.  Music meant a lot to us, and I should have known that he would end with a bang like this. 

Stacy and I listen as he sings along to the song for the remainder of the video when he finally reaches over and turns the camera off. I look up at her, "May I have this video?" I ask her. 

She walks over to the television and pulls it out, "Yes of course." She says. 

I grab the tape from her hands and pull it close to me, "I will cherish this forever. Now my girls will know how wonderful he was."

She takes a tissue from her desk and wipes her nose, "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asks.

 "No, I don't think so." I respond, still clutching the video. I then gather my purse and walk out the front door. 

Instead of getting into my car, I decided to take a walk, and I end up walking all the way to my shop. It's pouring down rain, but I didn't care. I walked into the shop soaked head to toe. Momma sees me from inside the kitchen and rushes out. I meet her in the middle, "Darling why are you so wet?" she asks. 

I walk past her to the back, "I walked here."

"Where is your car?" she asks. 

"It's at Stacy's office," I respond. 

She chuckles, "You walked two miles here in the rain?" Mariah asks. 

I nod and raise the tape so they can see it.  They both look at me curiously,  "What is this?" Momma asks. 

I motion for them to follow me to my office. I pop the tape in and press play without saying a word.  As we begin to watch it, the three of us are inconsolable. Momma looks over at me, eyes wet with tears, "That was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard." She chokes out. 

Mariah chimes in, "Oh my God. My heart is just broken." 

"I know... How will I ever carry on without him?" I ask tearfully.

 They both sandwich me in for a hug, "He left you money?" Momma asks. 

"Yes, $500,000. It's an inheritance from his dead grandfather that he willed to myself and the kids." 

Momma plops down on the stool and places her hand to her heart, "Oh my heart. That dear sweet man."

Mariah chimes in, "You can be debt free." 

I look up at her, "Yes, but I'd trade it all to have him back."

She pats my shoulder, "I completely understand. We are all here for you whatever you need baby girl."

Once the three of us have our crying spell, we pull it together to finish up the rest of the day. Mariah leaves first, then Momma and I lock up. She drops me off at my car in the parking lot at Stacy's office, "Okay darling, meet me at the house." She says. 

I agree and follow her back to her house. She makes dinner, but I really don't have much of an appetite; I just push the food around on the plate. I do try to force myself to eat some of it. I end up turning in early, snuggled up next to Chloe.