Watch What You Wish For

Introduction

Olivia sat looking out of the window as the rain poured down outside, she was in her Aunt's Lawyers office waiting to be seen.  Sighing deeply she re-read the letter that had arrived for her unexpectedly three days before.  As if the last month hadn't been stressful enough with her Aunt's hospitalisation and finally her death, she still had the funeral and wake to get through tomorrow and then out of the blue this letter had arrived.  Olivia didn't even know that her Aunt had a Lawyer let alone that she had made a new will other than the one at home that she knew about.  After all other than the house what else did her Aunt have to bequeath to anyone.

The intercom on the Secretary's desk buzzed causing Olivia to look up as she answered it and turned to her "Mr Stephens will see you now."

Slowly Olivia got up and as the Secretary opened the door she walked in to the office and Mr Stephens stood up from his chair to greet her "Miss Walker it's so good of you to come."

"Thank you Mr Stephens but I have to say I was most surprised to receive your letter.  I thought that if a person had made a will and then made another one, then that new will superseded the previous one.  So as you can see, your letter has me more than a little confused, how can there be two wills?"

"That is normally the case but this is not a normal situation" he pauses "may I ask did you Aunt ever talk to you about your parents?"

"No not really, she took me in when I was abut 6 years old and said very little about either of them. I have no real memory of them and I only have one picture of my mom there are none of my dad.  Every time I asked about them she would change the subject I never understood why but I always presumed it was because she was so close to her twin sister that it hurt to think about her.  After all, from what I do know the accident they died in was pretty horrific."

"I have known your Aunt since we were at school" he nods at her expression "so yes I knew your mother too. The will you have at home is your Aunt's and it states that as you are her sole living relative all her possessions transfer to you.  You know when I started my own practice your Aunt became one of my first customers" he smiles "that was some 20 years ago.  After the accident and you came to live with her she entrusted me with an envelope and a box of items belonging to you.   The envelope contains your mothers will and the items that she left for you are in the box."

"Why am I only just now finding out about this?" She said her annoyance apparent in her voice as she stares at him wide eyed.

"It was not my choice but your Aunt's" he sighs "although your mother had left the things for you, she left them with her sister and in her will she stipulated that her sister was to have control over when you would receive them.  I have over the years asked your Aunt on several occasions to be allowed to give you these items.  At first she argued that you were still too young but when you got to 18 and I questioned her again about the box she insisted that I add a codicil to her own will which stated that you were only to be given the items upon her death."

"But why would she do that when my mom wanted me to have them?"

He looked down at his desk shaking his head "to be honest I'm not 100% sure because as per her instructions the box has never been opened.  The only thing I can tell you is that I have always got the impression that for some reason she was, dare I say it, afraid of what is in there.  Every time I brought it up she would immediately shoot me down and change the subject, it was as if she wanted it kept hidden for as long as possible."  He sighs before getting up from his chair at his desk and walking over to the large safe on the opposite wall.  Then he opens the door and takes out a black box, before he then returns to his desk moving to stand beside Olivia and hands the things to her.  "The choice is yours now, the envelope on the top is from your Aunt. She intended for you to read it first before you open the box.  I'm presuming that the letter explains why she made the decision she did, but again I've not read it so have no idea of the actual contents. She gave it to me last year when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer requesting that I place it with the box until her death."

She takes the box with trembling hands "thank you."

"I just hope that you are finally able to enjoy the things your mother wanted you to have all those years ago." As Olivia stands they shake hands "I'll she you at the funeral tomorrow then Miss Walker."

"Yes and thank you once again I appreciate you taking care of these for so long." She leaves his office and the building stopping on the sidewalk to look at again at the envelope and box. She can feel a headache coming on as she walks back to her car, carefully placing the box on the passenger seat before driving home. 

Author's note

I'm sorry this chapter is quite short compared to my normal ones but I felt like this story needed a small introduction before I plough full steam ahead with the rest of the story. Thank you for taking the time to read my stories.