The Trust

Chapter 20: The Curtain

I need a good, long walk to clear my head.

It's been two weeks since we heard from Kat and Rob. The mix up with the money hasn't been resolved yet, and my fingernails are bitten down to the quick thinking about what happens if it doesn't materialize. I let myself believe the fairy tale and now every day the twist of anxiety in my belly grows.

I slide into my comfortable new shoes from Mega Mart and remember how guilty I felt at spending the few dollars on them weeks ago. How innocent I was then. Since that time, I've spent thousands on myself and Audrey. I took out a new credit card and racked it up to the limit. The credit line is maxed out. Clive has been spending money on God-knows-what, it's been running through his hands like water, and like me, he has nothing to show for it.

At least the hefty, new car payment is delayed for a few months, but Christmas is coming, and I have nothing saved. Looks like it'll be a Christmas on credit, putting us deeper in the hole.

Last night, I called Uncle Jack and he reassured me again that the money will come. He saw it, after all. The numbers don't lie. I let him talk me into feeling better. But deep down, I'm troubled. There's a lot of stuff that doesn't add up.

The phone rings and I race to it, hoping for good news. I see it's Aunt Eva calling, and my heart skips a beat.

"I've heard from them," she says breathlessly, and I feel relief wash over me. It's happening.

"The news isn't good," she continues, and my hope deflates like a popped balloon.

"What's going on? Why haven't we heard from them?"

"Kat called. Rob's had a heart attack. He's in the hospital in New York City and he needs emergency surgery."

"Oh my God. When?" The news slams into me like a Mack truck.

I suddenly feel sorry for Rob and ashamed of myself for thinking about bothering them for money at a time like this.

"Friday," she says, hesitating. "Darcey, they need our help. They need money."

"Wait, hold up." I sit down in a chair by the kitchen window before I fall down. "They need money? How is that possible? They're rich!"

"Their money is tied up in real estate investments and crypto currency. The big legal settlement is there, it's all settled. They're getting millions, if not billions. But Rob needs to have this operation before he can pay the last of the lawyer fees and sign the final documents."

"Oh, Lord." This was a mess. I feel the last, final bits of hope evaporate and I know now that the money will never come. And that I'm in deep shit.

There's silence on the phone. Eva's clears her throat. "Kat says that all they need is just ten thousand from each of us in the trust. That's what they need to pay the hospital fees for Rob's operation and pay the last of the lawyer's fees. When Rob gets out, he can finalize everything, and the funds will be released. I mean, it's only a drop in the bucket, given we'll be getting hundreds of thousands of dollars every year!"

Oh no.

"I thought everything was finalized with the lawyers and Rob and Kat already had the money? Uncle Jack saw the bank accounts and ATM slips! Why don't they pay their hospital fees out of that money?"

"Uncle Jack saw the pending transactions. That's the amount they're going to get once the final legal documents are signed and the final fees are paid. The funds haven't been deposited yet because there are still some outstanding legal fees. That's why there was a holdup with us getting our money, it wasn't a bank mix up."

"Then why did they say that?" My breathing is coming quick and shallow, and I slow myself down, so I don't hyperventilate.

"I know, that's the part I can't figure out either," she says. "But I'm going to break into my pension fund and pay the ten grand. It's a short-term investment, we'll get it back soon. Plus, my brother needs his operation."