LEGALLY YOURS

The ferry ride

   "Hello!. Excuse me!"
    I pop out of my thoughts as I hear a voice next to me.
   'Can you hold my baby?,' says a woman as she thrusts a baby towards me and hastily rushes towards two little boys who look like they are going to rip off each other's throats.
    My body's reflex actions luckily work to balance my oblivious mind as I catch the baby on time.
    The baby is looking at me now and I feel like she is staring deep into my soul.
    Two months ago, I was about to open my own practice in Manhattan, soon to be married to a famous celebrity photographer and now suddenly I'm on a ferry to Martha's Vineyard.
    I see the mother coming towards me to take her baby. I smile politely as she thanks me and walk towards the ferry railing.
    The ferry stops, the  view gets clearer while my heart beats faster and my future seems hazy.

As I walk away from the harbour carrying my luggage, I see a balding, middle aged man, about my height holding a sign with my name on it.
   'Hi! I'm Alex Davies,' I say walking towards him stretching my arm out.
   'Oh Alex! Look at you,' he exclaims, ignoring my handshake and pulls me into a tight hug.
   'All grown up! I've seen you last as a toddler,' he says and pats me on my back. I wondered how he knew me but I managed to paste a smile across my face.
   'You don't recognise me? I'm Pete Murphy, I'm your neighbour. Maria, your attorney called me and asked me to pick you up.'
   'That's  very kind of you Mr. Murphy'
   'Oh call me Pete, dear,' he says and helps me with my luggage.
    We walk towards the car as the cold wind blows in my face and disturbs my hair that my stylist Ray, spent hours on.
    Pete continues his conversation as we get into his car, 'Do you remember the fishing trips we went on with Matthew?'
    Matthew Davies is my father's name, or rather, was. He died two months ago. I learnt of his death when my current attorney Maria, called me out of nowhere telling me about the inheritance he left.
   'No,' I smile.
    Pete continues to blabber about the time when I was two and ate a worm ( yew!) on a fishing trip and was rushed into the hospital.
He goes on and on about things I obviously don't remember and I gaze out of the window.
    I see the luxurious homes pass by us. I wondered if my father's house looked anything like this. Pete slowed down in a neighbourhood surrounded by well kept houses with neatly moved lawns and stops near an okay looking house surrounded by trees that probably bloomed once in a while or may be never.
    It looked like an old house probably built in the 80's with gothic architecture, a little less modern from the houses we saw earlier.
    As we get down from the car, the sound of dry leaves cracking under my feet greets us.
    Pete then hands me the keys to the house and tells me that the basic supplies have been stocked enough to last me a week and invites me for dinner at his house tonight.
    I thank him again and he leaves towards the house across the street.
    I walk into the house, head straight for the couch and fall backward.
    How in the world did I end up here?!?!