Chapter 6 - Why Should I Make Time for You?
Rachel opened the front door only far enough for the security chain to hold.
Her father stood closest.
Her mother looked pale.
Daniel stood behind them with his arms crossed.
Her father spoke first.
“What have you done?”
Rachel looked at him.
“To what?”
“The lake house.”
“I donated it.”
“You gave away a three-million-dollar property.”
“Three-point-four.”
“Rachel!”
Her mother stepped forward.
“Please. Just open the door.”
“No.”
Daniel shook his head.
“This is insane.”
Rachel looked at him.
“What is?”
“You knew we were contesting the will.”
“And you lost.”
“That doesn’t mean you get to destroy everything.”
“It was mine.”
“It belonged to our family.”
“No.”
Rachel’s voice remained calm.
“It belonged to Grandpa. Then it belonged to me.”
Her mother’s eyes filled with tears.
“That house contains our history.”
Rachel stared at her.
“Sophie’s history too.”
“Of course.”
“Really?”
Her mother hesitated.
Rachel shifted the folder beneath her arm.
“What dress was Sophie buried in?”
Her mother froze.
Daniel looked away.
Rachel waited.
“Mom?”
“I…”
“What color?”
“I don’t know.”
“Purple.”
Her mother lowered her eyes.
“What song played during the service?”
No answer.
“What did Sophie’s teacher read?”
Silence.
“What did Emma put on her coffin?”
Her mother whispered, “Rachel, stop.”
“A friendship bracelet.”
“Please.”
“You couldn’t know those things.”
Tears slid down her mother’s face.
“I know.”
Rachel nodded.
“Because you weren’t there.”
Her father stepped forward.
“We made a mistake.”
Rachel looked at him.
“No.”
“What?”
“You made a choice.”
“It was complicated.”
“It was a bridal shower.”
“Daniel is our son.”
Rachel’s expression did not change.
“And Sophie was my daughter.”
Silence.
Daniel finally spoke.
“You’re destroying Grandpa’s legacy because you’re angry about one afternoon?”
Mark took one step toward the door.
Rachel touched his arm.
“I’ve got it.”
Then she looked at Daniel.
“I didn't destroy anything.”
“You gave it away.”
“I turned it into something useful.”
“To strangers.”
“To families who need it.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“So what do we get?”
Rachel stared at him.
There it was.
Not Sophie.
Not Grandpa.
Not reconciliation.
Property.
Money.
Inheritance.
“What do you get?”
“Yes.”
Rachel almost smiled.
“Nothing.”
Daniel’s face changed.
Her father stepped closer.
“You can’t mean that.”
“I do.”
Rachel opened the folder.
Her mother looked down.
“What is that?”
“My updated estate plan.”
Rachel removed several pages.
“Neither of you is listed as an emergency contact.”
Her father frowned.
“What?”
“Daniel isn’t either.”
Her mother stared at her.
“I removed all three of you from my medical power of attorney.”
“Rachel…”
“My will has been updated.”
Her father’s face hardened.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted the paperwork to match reality.”
Her mother whispered, “We’re your family.”
Rachel looked at her for several seconds.
“You were.”
Her mother covered her mouth.
Her father struck the doorframe with his palm.
“Enough. Open this door and let's discuss this like adults.”
Rachel looked at him.
For an instant, she was back in the hospital parking garage.
Sophie’s pink backpack beside her.
Her mother saying the invitations had already gone out.
Her father choosing Daniel.
Five empty chairs.
Rachel’s voice became very quiet.
“Why should I change my plans for you?”
Her father froze.
Daniel looked confused.
But her mother understood immediately.
Her face collapsed.
“Rachel…”
Rachel looked at her father.
He remembered too.
She saw it.
The anger disappeared from his eyes.
Then the color left his face.
Rachel continued.
“I had one day when I needed my parents more than I ever had before.”
Her mother cried silently.
“And you were forty minutes away.”
Her father whispered, “We were wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Can we fix it?”
Rachel looked at him.
“Not tonight.”
“Then when?”
She thought about that.
“I don’t know.”
Daniel scoffed.
“This is ridiculous.”
Rachel turned toward him.
“You should go.”
“Rachel—”
“You asked what you get.”
She closed the folder.
May you like
“This.”
She gently shut the door.
