Minerva's Ghost (2 page)

Her business was based on her flower child sensibility, a savvy decision at the time she had made it, but no less heartfelt for its perspicacity. Her products had pictures of her in her tie dyed dresses and big garden hats, walking through fields of flowers, still beautiful and slim at fifty. Her clear white skin was smooth. Her hair still long and curly, the color softened by time to more strawberry blond than dark red, thanks to the regular application of henna. The farm she bought with Amanda’s uncle grew many of the flowers and herbs she used in her manufacturing processes.

Amanda walked across the room, tolerating…barely her ‘cousins’ hugs and kisses. Their ‘affection’, even Heather’s, felt too enthusiastic, too sexual, a little too warm for family. She patted Harold’s forearm in a futile attempt to comfort and calm him. He gripped her hand too hard and said aloud to the whole gathering, “Let’s get this show on the road”.

Her ‘cousins’ filed into Tom’s conference room behind their parents. Heather led her brothers in an unusual show of courtesy from her family.

Heather was a cool blue-eyed blond like her father, Aaron, not Moon who had dark red hair and brown eyes. She worked endlessly on a degree in interior design and had a part time job organizing events at the country club. It facilitated her hunt for a wealthy husband, or so she believed. Minnie said the entire net worth of the country club membership would not go far in funding her business for even a year.

The mystery with Heather was her pathological disregard for the circumstances of her parentage and her belief that the first families of a small Alabama town would ignore them. She was only 15 years younger than her mother, but a total opposite of either of her parents’ dispositions. Her obsessive ambition for acceptance in a society that would never forget her origins would have been pitiful if it had not been so weird.

Poor Rory was another matter entirely. Where both Gena and Aaron had been exquisitely beautiful young people, their first-born son’s eyes looked in different directions. He was blind in one eye and extremely nearsighted in the other. Minnie had paid for lots of medical care to correct the problems, but medicine could only do so much. Rory was nearly legally blind and his physical limitations resulted in a weight problem. His theatrically romantic name was tragically inappropriate.

Additionally he was not a nice person, being like his mother in character, but without her beauty to ease his way in the world. The result was that he was mean to the bone with no redeeming qualities. Amanda managed to avoid any of his painful pinches through long experience and desperate agility.

Michael, the one offspring of the marriage that had blood ties to Amanda, was a sullen, uncommunicative version of Moon without the addictions. He had never been friendly to her. Although she felt the kinship between them, he did not reciprocate. She saw in him lots of emotion with confusion evident in his eyes, but she had no clue what made him tick. Minnie had liked him, but the nature of her relationship to her nephew was a mystery to Amanda. There had been some power struggle between Minnie and Gena over Michael that remained a puzzle to all but the principals.

Michael was not a talker but he was good looking in a way that was as striking as Amanda’s looks and more exotic than Aaron or young Pete. He worked for Minnie as the farm manager. The only time Amanda saw him remotely content was at work there, but he was entirely closed emotionally to most everyone except a woman who worked for him at the farm. Michael was fond of Allison Ryan who worked with him there. Amanda and Allison were firm friends and coworkers. Allison was Michael’s link to the world, but sadly she was not at this meeting. Amanda wished that her friend were in the group. At least she would have had an ally.

Pete, only two years older than Amanda, was his father all over again. He was all blonde good looks and no responsibility like Aaron. He was totally dependent on his income from Minnie and had never had gainful employment. But where Aaron a party guy, all charm and sex obsessed, Pete just seemed ineffectual. She didn’t know how to confront the real issue she had with him. She knew that he was basically a leech who lacked competence and a purpose in life. He was constant in his pursuit of Amanda, even though she never gave him any encouragement. He was just a blond, good looking, boring guy who depended on his appearance to ease his way in life. She found it impossible to have a conversation with him. They shared no interests. He could talk about the weather, but more intellectual conversation was beyond him. At least he was capable of social platitudes. He was the only one of the group who returned her verbal greeting.

Tom escorted her into the conference room behind the others, hanging onto her as if he needed the support. He seemed diminished in a way, older, more fragile and shaky than she had ever seen him. He was already a widower when he started the relationship with Minnie. He had been alone nearly 30 years, since the woman of his choice had refused to marry him. His own son was living in the metropolitan New York area, too far away for companionship. Amanda realized he had to be over sixty and finally in his grief starting to look it.

She allowed him to seat her and gripped her hands in her lap under the cover of the table.

“You all know why you’re here.” he began bluntly and without his usual grace.

“Minnie made provisions for you all ” he continued. He flipped over some pages impatiently and began to read.

“For Moon Godwin, Minnie provided income, property in the form of a house, house keeping provided by his current arrangement with a cleaning service and cook, and financial support administered by trustees who will be mentioned later.

For Michael Godwin, he is to continue in his current position as farm and horticultural manager of Au Naturel, Inc. and subsidiaries for as long as he wishes to be involved in the business. Minnie considered his contributions invaluable and has left him a sum of money and another farm to manage as he elects either for his own projects or for ANI.  His home where he is currently living is his, along with five acres of land free and clear from the original farm which is adjacent to the newly purchased land.

Mrs. Gena Wadkins Godwin is to receive the title to the house where she resides with Rory and Pete along with financial support to be administered by trustees who will be mentioned later. She may distribute funds to her sons according to her discretion. Some limitations defined by the estate trustees will protect the principle from premature liquidation or unwise investment.

Gena spoke up, tears in her eyes. She was a world champion cryer, able to turn them on at a moment’s notice. She was good at manipulating people, especially men, but as her beauty faded she became less and less effective. “I know Minnie would have provided a stock position for us in the family company. We’ll need more than mere support. We also need management positions for Rory and Pete. She knew I always wanted that for my boys,” she said, conspicuously excluding Michael from the magic circle.

Amanda felt sorry for him as she had many times. Gena never changed. Michael just looked down at his hands and ignored his mother.

“Minnie made no such provisions.” Tom told her bluntly.

“My boys are ready for this challenge. I’ll help them along. Minnie understood that they could contribute.” She sobbed theatrically into her handkerchief and looked at Amanda. “Don’t you agree that you’ll need he help and advice from us now, dear?”

Tom stepped into the conversation before Amanda could frame a reply. “Minnie made provisions for company management that specifically exclude all of you except Michael, Gena.”

Gena started to speak up again and Tom interrupted her. “If you will let me continue…Heather Ann Godwin shall receive a cash settlement and a condo adjacent to the club where she is employed. She may administer the money herself. “

“Any contest of the will by this branch, which is not related by blood, but only by marriage will result in the designated funds being returned to the estate.”

Tom said, “You know what that means, Gena? You accept what she’s offered or you get nothing.”

Gena sputtered, “This is ill considered. I know Minnie could not have meant this!”

Tom ignored her and forged on. “Amanda Ray Godwin will administer and inherit the control and assets of Au Naturel Products, Inc. in their entirety except for stock owned by Michael Godwin.

Minnie said since she is under thirty she will be assisted in managing the business by Gabriel Hall, a consultant who has been helpful to her in recent years as the business has grown. Minnie felt Gabe could help Amanda get up to speed on the things she doesn’t know if Minnie was not there to finish her education.”

Amanda watched helplessly as Tom struggled with his emotions momentarily and then went on, ”He’s already here, Amanda. Minnie had him here doing some stuff before the accident.”

“I have met him,” she said. She couldn’t think of anything else to say. Tom was obviously upset and it made Amanda wish her aunt was still around to control him and keep him on track like she used to do. She had a sense, a whisper of Minnie’s voice that told her he was leaving stuff out. It made her reach out with her own instincts and look for Minnie on some unearthly level.

She wanted to tell Tom to hush so she could hear but he continued obliviously, sensing nothing except the temporal plane and so self centered, even it barely. “If it’s O.K. with you, Amanda, I’ll pick you up on Friday at 10:00 A.M. Gabe will meet us at my office. He and I can go over some points with you about the business and then lunch at the Beehive Café.”

Tom ate at the Beehive every day and had done so for all the years he’d been widowed. It was named for the sixties style hairdo, not bees. It was unlikely he would change his habit for anyone, much less her.

Amanda nodded, “O.K.” There was a lot of tension in the room. She looked around. Gena was furious. Pete smiled flirtatiously. She supposed he meant it to be his interpretation of a sensual look. He was successful only in annoying her…again… and her eyes traveled past him quickly. Rory snorted and wiggled in his chair. Heather ignored them all. Tom and Gena were both sweating visibly.

“I think I should be at that meeting, too,” Gena said. “Anything that has to do with the business should not exclude us.”

“Well Minnie said different, so you’d better get used to it. ” Tom said, his voice shaking with emotion. “She left a few minor bequests to some others, and me but that covers the lion’s share of the estate. She has appointed an out of town group as trustees for Gena and you boys. This envelope has the particulars and how to reach them.” He shoved the envelope in Gena’s direction. She grabbed it before the boys could. Her tears were no longer in evidence.

“This is the same deal for you, Moon. This is your information.” He shoved another envelope in Moon’s direction.

Tom levered himself out of his chair with some difficulty. Amanda jumped up to help him too late. “Meeting adjourned,” he said.

Everyone was up and chasing him, but he was too quick for them. He was through a door and gone before anyone realized what he was doing.

“I don’t think he felt like taking questions.” Amanda said. She was angry with him. He had let her and Minnie both down by being insensitive and wanting to be a dominant male. She felt like punching something. Pete wrapped an arm around her at just the wrong moment. His hand cupped the top curve of her hip and strayed downward. It was not appropriate for a familial touch, and openly sexual. She took his hand and shoved it back to him.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, squeezing his hand hard and letting go quickly.

“Don’t you fret about a thing, Honey? We’ll take care of you.”  He said. His hand came her way again and she nimbly stepped away bumping into Michael who startled up as much as she had when Pete grabbed her.

“I’m sorry, Michael,” she apologized. “I’m feeling so out of sorts I can’t even walk straight.”

Michael looked at her, really seeing her for a change, not distant as he usually was. He ran his eyes over her and then his family. He held his hand out to her palm up and said, “Easy, Amanda. Come, I’ll escort you to your car.”

She scanned the faces around her, seeing the predatory looks and not for the first time. They were annoying her more than usual, starting to creep her out, for sure. Deciding she needed to get away while she was still in control of her impulse to scream at them, she slapped her palm into Michael’s and allowed his escort.