The elderly neighbor appeared to have died intestate, which under California would have meant that several of her collateral descendants, including a couple of carrion-adjacent grandnephews, would have enjoyed shares of the spoils once the considerable expenses of probate had been subtracted.
The adjacent property having changed hands shortly before the old woman’s death, the former downstairs tenants are moving out this week. One of the movers found a bundle of papers in an unused utility room. Among them was a photocopy of a 1996 will, the original being on file with a local attorney still in business, under the terms of which the entire estate goes to Dora’s surviving brother, now eighty-nine, who—unless he squanders the $500K on hookers and blow—will presumably leave it to his daughter, who has been the only relative from that tier who appeared to care about her aunt from other than mercenary motives.
The brother and his daughter, and her son, have all expressed appreciation to Lina for having looked out for Dora since 2013, but—and nothing against them—I suspect that the fungible expression of such appreciation will require another five bucks before it translates to a grande cappuccino. In her waning months, Dora had spoken of leaving my wife half her estate. Lina shrugs: “Her relatives would think that I’d taken advantage of her trust.” Observes that a gift from the bequeathed would be a nice gesture, but adds that she never contemplated material gain when she took on Project Dora. Me, I’m just grateful that it’s off her plate,
cordially,
The adjacent property having changed hands shortly before the old woman’s death, the former downstairs tenants are moving out this week. One of the movers found a bundle of papers in an unused utility room. Among them was a photocopy of a 1996 will, the original being on file with a local attorney still in business, under the terms of which the entire estate goes to Dora’s surviving brother, now eighty-nine, who—unless he squanders the $500K on hookers and blow—will presumably leave it to his daughter, who has been the only relative from that tier who appeared to care about her aunt from other than mercenary motives.
The brother and his daughter, and her son, have all expressed appreciation to Lina for having looked out for Dora since 2013, but—and nothing against them—I suspect that the fungible expression of such appreciation will require another five bucks before it translates to a grande cappuccino. In her waning months, Dora had spoken of leaving my wife half her estate. Lina shrugs: “Her relatives would think that I’d taken advantage of her trust.” Observes that a gift from the bequeathed would be a nice gesture, but adds that she never contemplated material gain when she took on Project Dora. Me, I’m just grateful that it’s off her plate,
cordially,