Trying to get back to their new normal was hard for the family. So much time had been spent with the mother the last year, everyone's lives had pretty much been put on hold to help out the mother and the last few weeks were spent at the hospital morning noon and night. Nobody really knew what to do with themselves and all their free time anymore.

Everyone had their own ways of dealing with the new emptiness they all had inside. Trying to stay a close family they all made plans to go see the mother in her new resting place. Her kids and husband sat around and talked and reminisced on all the wonderful memories they shared with their mom. Many tears were shed as they still could not believe she was gone. It hadn't been long at all so everything was still fresh and hurt more than anything. Plans were made to get together and go see their mom as a family at least once a month. No one knew at the time, but that promise would be one of many that would be broken.

After about a month and a half the woman's children got together with the husband and decided to talk about what the mother had talked to her daughters about. The money. This was a conversation no one was ready to have with the husband. They were all prepared for the husband to fight them on their mother's last wish. No one wanted to be the one to bring it up so the youngest daughter decided to muster up the courage and just blurted it out.

The look on the stepdad's face was first surprise and then anger. The first words out of his mouth were that she never said that to him. He said that they had talked about lots of stuff but that splitting her money was not one of them. It was as if he wanted everyone to believe that their mother didn’t arrange for anything to be left to her children. This was a woman that was always all about her kids, but according to him their mom left nothing to her kids and left everything her owned to him. There was no way that was to be true. She herself told them otherwise.

After both daughters explained to him the whole conversation they had with their mother he asked why they hadn't talked to him about it when she was alive. He was basically telling them he thought they were lying. Both daughters went on to explain that they didn't want to fight with him over money and that they were honestly afraid that he was going to get angry and that they didn't want there to be any fighting during the funeral service. It was true, that was the reason nothing was said earlier. They knew this man and knew how he was with money. That was also the reason why they waited 2 months to bring up the money issue with the husband. The mom's kids had never been greedy people so waiting a couple months to even talk about their moms money was fine with them. They were in no rush to get the money.

The brother chimed in that he wasn't there for that conversation with his mom, but he had a conversation of his own with her one day right before she'd been put back into the hospital when he took her to an appointment and lunch after and she'd let him know about the money. He told everyone that she specifically mentioned her money in the bank and what she wanted done with it. It was the same as she'd told her daughters.

Everyone there knew what was being said was the truth. And to be honest no matter what the outcome was with the husband the money from their mom's account was going to be split the 4 ways she wanted. The youngest daughter was the one that had the money in her account and was going to do what was asked. Even if the husband disagreed with their mom's final wish it was going to happen. They did though want it to be okay with the husband, they didn't want there to be any more tension with the family.

After what seemed like forever the husband finally said okay, that if that was what the mother wanted he would honor her wish. To say that the children were surprised at his change of heart would be an understatement. Maybe just maybe things would be okay with their family after all.

That couldn't be further from the truth. The next couple of weeks would end up being exactly how they all knew things would turn out. What was left of their family would disintegrate completely.

Continue to Chapter 17 - The Call