Gift: A Son's Story (extract) - Settling Up (i)

Following the final day with the clearance at the bungalow, it's time to pay some bills. (continued from 'Final Day')

The next day, I went into Walsh's to settle the account for the funeral, as arranged. I also had my own separate amount to pay for that last night.  Len raised his eyebrows.

            "Ah... well, Russell asked for the invoice to be sent to him after all.  Didn't he tell you?"

            That was odd.  "No.  I told him I'd do it.  He was going on holiday and I live right next door to you.  It makes sense.  When did he do this?"

            "Just before the funeral.  He came in one day and asked for us to send it to him instead, so that he could then bring it over to give to you.  In fact, I was going to type it up and send it this afternoon."

            I was dumbfounded for a moment.  Why would he do that without telling me?  And for what purpose?  I wanted to get things settled as soon as possible - not wait until he came home from holiday.  And I was right there.  I had the money in my account, too - ready and waiting.  Why send it to him so that he could bring it to me?  It seemed stupid.

            "Maybe he just wanted to spare you the bother of having to deal with it," said Len.  "In consideration of everything else you were dealing with."

            "Maybe.  But we'd agreed it, and for the opposite reason.  He was away and I was here, getting things done."

            Two thoughts then occurred to me simultaneously - one charitable, the other far less so.  Perhaps he was thinking to settle the whole thing himself as a gesture to me.  Not that I'd ever accept such a thing, and I'd insist on paying my fair share if it came to it.  It didn't seem feasible really, anyway.  I knew they were better placed financially than I was, but I was sure they would realise it would be inappropriate. 

            The other thought was... maybe they wanted to check to make sure I had paid for that separate thing after all.  Could this really be the case?  What other reason could there possibly be?  Surely, he trusted me... didn't he?  Didn't they?  I began to wonder.  A solution occurred to me then.

            "Okay," I said.  "But would you mind doing it as two separate invoices, please.  One for the funeral, then one for the extra cost for that last night.  They can both go to him."

            "Sure.  Not a problem at all."

            "Thanks.  And could you also mark on my one 'Paid in full', please.  I'll settle that now, if you can tell me the total."

            He went off to check, then came back with the figure.  I made the payment with my card.

            "Okay... I'll get them both done right now and sent off," Len said.  "I'll stamp your one as paid."

            I had a feeling he may have been thinking the same as I was.

            "Thanks, Len," I said.  "As soon as I have the other one from him, I'll be in to settle up."

            "There's honestly no hurry with it," he said.  "We know you're right next door.  Any time that suits."

            "As soon as I have it," I said.

 

            Russell came over to see me the day after they returned from Greece.  After a few stilted pleasantries, I told him everything was finished now at the bungalow.  I told him how helpful Joanne had been and how I probably wouldn't have managed it all without her.  He didn't comment on that.  I told him about my sighting of mum's ghost a couple of days after the funeral.  He didn't seem particularly interested in that, either.  He mentioned about the scattering of mum's ashes on the downs, as she'd wanted, and suggested we think about her birthday in November as an appropriate occasion.  I said that seemed like a good idea.  We spoke about a few other general things.

            I then brought up the subject of the invoice.  I said I'd been in to pay it, but Len had informed me of the change of plan.  Russell seemed disconcerted all of a sudden.

            "That's right, yeah," he said - not looking at me.  "I just thought it seemed right to do it that way, considering I was listed as the Applicant.  I've got it at home now.  I meant to bring it with me."

            I couldn't believe that he'd forgotten it.

            "I just thought it was a little odd, that was all," I said.  "I said I was happy to deal with it while you were away.  I could have paid it all by now, and not kept Walsh's waiting."

            He shrugged.  "I thought perhaps we could do it all together.  That, plus the other bills.  Sort it all in one go."

            "I see," I said.  Though I wasn't convinced. 

            He still seemed very uncomfortable.  I was going to leave it there, but it was niggling me.

            "Forgive me for saying so, but it bothered me after what we'd agreed.  It made me wonder, with regard to the separate issue I said I'd settle, whether there was any question of trust about it."

            I would have expected him to be affronted by this, and I was briefly worried that I might have over-spoken.  But his reaction made me even more certain about things.  He looked away from me again, embarrassed, shaking his head.

            "Absolutely not.  Far from it.  There was no question about that.  Trust never came into it at all."

            I knew what I needed to know.  It was time to leave it.

            "Okay," I said.  "I'm sorry I mentioned it.  At times like this, with emotions all over the place, I didn't know what to think.  I just wanted to be certain about things.  That's all."

            "No question of it," he said again. 

            He looked like a fish that had just been pulled from the water and was floundering around on the river bank - confused, and out of his element.

            "Alright.  I've settled the other thing anyway, as you've seen."

            "Yeah.  That's fine.  Thanks for doing that."      

            Finally, I told him about Lottie, and what Nicole had said.  I wasn't really sure how he'd react to that, either - but now he listened with palpably growing outrage.

            "So... that's why she didn't come to the funeral, I suppose," he said.

            "That's what she said.  She said she would have felt embarrassed and unwelcome."

            He hit the roof.

            "Christ!  Right... she's really over-stepped the mark this time.  I can't believe this.  She's going to hear about this."

            I hadn't ever seen him this angry.  Not even on that night, years ago, when I went over there and gave Lynn a lengthy piece of my mind.  I looked across at him now, sitting on the sofa banging his fists against his knees.  And it was funny, but for a moment - just a very brief moment - I saw something there.  I saw the brother I once used to know, decades back, before things changed.  I wondered then if this might be some sort of catalyst.  If it might be partly what was needed to enable him to see the light.  I doubted it, somehow, knowing how things were.  But maybe a major emotional upheaval could serve some further purpose.  It would be interesting to see.

            He left shortly afterwards, still muttering under his breath as I saw him down to the door.  As he went out, he paused briefly and turned.

            "I'll sort this out, don't worry.  She's gone too far this time.  She needs taking down a peg or two."

            "Okay.  I'll leave it to you."

            He stumped off up the road towards the car.  I hoped he could keep that rage going.  He'd need it to have a face-off with her.  With them.

(continued)  https://www.abctales.com/story/harryc/gift-sons-story-extract-settling-ii