2

You would think that, being out of work, I would change my routine. But no…I forgot to turn off the alarm clock and it woke me up at six o’clock in the fricking morning. I figured I should go for my morning run. It was the best time to run, I was less likely to run into someone. I avoid people when I'm not at work. I guess now that I’m unemployed I’m going to become a hermit, or the neighborhood crazy cat lady, but I think I need more than one cat for that title.

There was a nip in the air, so great for jogging in, but my heart was not in it today. So once around the park and over the bridge to the lake, then home. Time to figure out what I'm going to do for the next six months while I live off my severance.

I could write another book. I've published three books that bring in no income. Leslie was my biggest fan, she loved books, especially ones written by new authors. If she liked the first book, she would get every book the person wrote. I remember she had this huge room in her home with wall-to-wall books - her library - and my books sat alone on their very own shelf. She was waiting for me to publish more books and fill the shelf. I'm going to miss her.

I took my time getting ready, wanting to wear something nice to the lawyers. My normal attire was jeans and a hoodie with leather gloves, but today called for dress pants and a nice, long-sleeved sweater with lace gloves. No matter the style, no skin showing means no accidentally touching anyone.

Not all visions I see are bad, but they're annoying. When I first started seeing the visions, I tried to warn people. If I saw that they were going to have an accident on their way home from work, I told them to take a different route. But people never listened. Maybe it was the way I told them, more with hints instead of just coming straight out and saying, “Hey, you’re going to wreck your car today on Miller Street.” Instead, I just told them that I heard there was construction along their route and it would be better if they took another way home. It never worked.

I don’t want people to know I can see the future. I'll be hounded by them if they do. I loved my Aunt Leslie for keeping my secret, and for not judging me for doing so, I thought as I arrived at the offices of Michaels, Smith and Burke.

I sat in the lawyer’s office checking messages on my phone and scanning through the junk mail to see if there was an actual message worth reading. I was there for twenty minutes before a gentleman in a suit walked out of an office and greeted me with a handshake.

“Hello Ms. Stevens, thank you for coming, I’m John Burke,” he said with a smile. He extended his hand and added, “Please come in and we can get down to business.” I walked in and sat in the seat in front of the large desk and he sat behind it and opened up a file.

“I was surprised to hear about my aunt, the last time I talked with her was two months ago before she went on a cruise of the Greek islands.” For some reason I was nervous. “Shouldn’t there be other people here for a reading of a will?”

He smiled, replying, “The reading of the will was done last week. I was instructed to read this part to you in private. Other family members have already received the items that were left to them.”

“Oh okay,” now I was really nervous. What did she leave me that she didn’t want anyone else to know about?

“Well Ms. Stevens, your aunt has left you her home, the land that it sits on, and her financial wealth,” he said with a smile.

“What?” I said, stunned by what I heard. “Exactly what are we talking about? How much land and money?”

“Have you been to the house?” he asked, and I nodded. Everyone in the family has been there at one time or another. It was huge. “Then you know it has 5 bedrooms, a library, and a three-car garage. There are 680 acres of wooded land with a lake in the middle of it. As for her wealth, you now own $18.6 million,” he finished. I just sat there and stared at him with my mouth open. He continued, “Now, there have been two offers made to buy the property if you decide not to keep it, however, there is a stipulation in the will which states that if you sell the land, you lose the $18 million.”

I chuckled then replied, “Yesterday I lost my job and now, today, I can’t believe what you’re telling me. I can’t believe that the lake is part of the property!”

“These are the offers that are being made. Both of them are way above what the property is worth,” he said as he slid over a piece of paper with two numbers on it.

“Wow, that is a lot of money they’re offering, but so is the $18 million, plus I get to live in my aunt’s house. I’m not interested in selling.” I stood up and smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Burke. I need to go home and pack my things so I can move into the house.” He had me sign some papers, then handed me the keys to the house and provided me with access codes to my aunt’s accounts, which were now in my name. I didn’t stop smiling all the way home.