Off The Record
My Sister Threw Me Out After Our Dad Died—But He Knew It Would Happen
Dawn loses her home, her family, and the sister who never really cared for her after her father passes away. She believes it’s over after being evicted with only her possessions and an old watch. Her father, however, saw it coming. Additionally, his last gift contains a secret that will alter everything, including the ultimate winner.
I’ve always known that Charlotte, my sister, didn’t give a damn about me. However, I never imagined that two weeks after our father’s funeral, she would cast me out onto the streets.
Dad, Charlotte, and I had been the only three of us for as long as I could remember.
Mostly just Dad and myself, anyway.
At thirty-five, Charlotte had never really been a member of this family. Although she lived with our father, it was never her home. She was out all the time. Occasionally, it involved attending parties, hanging out with friends, or simply pursuing the next “big thing,” as she would always say.
“I’m going to be great, Dawn,” she expressed. “A larger life is what I was destined for. Not a small life in which no one recognises me. One day, you might comprehend it.”
She only came when she needed something, especially when she was broke, and treated our house like a crash pad.
At the age of 17, however, I had never experienced anything outside of these boundaries. As I followed Dad around the house, assisted him with repairs, and prepared dinner for us after he got home from work, I had been his shadow.
“Homecooked meals are the way to go, Dawn,” he would add. “It doesn’t matter how tired you are, you should always make something for yourself.”
“Do noodles from the packet count?” I enquired.
My father’s laughter and the way he looked at me were all I could recall from that talk.
I often wondered as a child if Charlotte was angry with me. When I was born, she was already eighteen. With her entire life ahead of her, she is a legal adult. I, on the other hand, was merely the subsequent baby.
My mother didn’t even bother to stay around for me because I was the surprise. But my father? He loved me.
“Dawn, you were the dawn of a new beginning, my love,” he’d add. “You were the biggest surprise of my life, and I welcomed you with everything I had.”
That might have played a role. Perhaps that was the cause of Charlotte’s actions.
Charlotte was already drifting away by the time I was old enough to get to know her well. She didn’t truly think of me as a sister. More akin to a nuisance in her life. Where I wasn’t welcomed, a child was following.
She never played games with me or read me stories before bed. She hardly looked up from her phone when Dad took us out for ice cream.
Still, I believed that she was concerned in some way.
that when it counted, she would be present.
However, I was completely mistaken.
Then Dad passed away. And my entire existence collapsed.
We sat in the attorney’s office two weeks following the funeral. Charlotte sat there appearing hardly depressed, despite the fact that she was dressed up. She appeared bored instead. She appeared to be wasting her time, if anything. While we awaited the reading of Dad’s will, she examined her fingernails.
And me?
I clinched my fists in my lap and sat rigidly next to her. Other than the fact that I was drowning in grief, I had no idea how to feel or what to think.
The attorney cleared his throat.
He apologised, “Sorry about that, ladies,” “I had to answer that phone. Let’s return to business now.”
At last, Charlotte acknowledged his presence and glanced up.
When he said, “The house goes to Charlotte,”
My stomach twisted. I didn’t intend to dispute it, but why?
Why would my dad treat me like this?
The attorney said, “And to you,” turning to face me, “your father left you this.”
He gave me a little box. I opened it, but I knew what was inside.
Dad owned the watch.
It was scratched, ancient, and hardly functional. However, I had seen it resting on my dad’s wrist for as long as I could remember.
The lump in my throat was swallowed.
Charlotte snorted out loud.
“Really? His watch?” she chuckled. “God, even when dead, Dad’s still playing favourites.”
I paid her no attention. I ran my fingertips over the old leather band of the watch. It had his scent to it. The house didn’t matter to me. I didn’t give a damn about possessions. All I wanted was my father to return.
Without him, how was I going to make it to college?
We continued to share a roof for the next three days. We seldom exchanged words. I attended school. After school, I went to work at the coffee shop. I returned home.
I appreciated that it was a routine. I adhered to it as if it were my life.
Because without it? The anguish would drown me.
Then one night, after working at the coffee shop, I came home to find my guitar and all of my belongings packed by the front door.
Charlotte crossed her arms as she stood in the corridor. Her face was plastered with a smug smirk.
“This is it!” she exclaimed with delight. “Dawn, this is where our paths diverged. I need you to go.”
“What?” I blinked slowly, like I was trying to wake up from a dream.
Saying, “You heard me, little sister,” she pointed to my bags. “I own this house. You heard the lawyer tell it to you. Additionally, I no longer feel the need to be your babysitter.”
I was having trouble breathing. Every organ in my body seemed to be gradually shutting down.
With a “Charlotte,” I spoke. “I have nowhere else to go.”
“And that’s not my problem!” she exclaimed as she was enjoying herself. “You have to figure it out for yourself.”
Even though my eyes were burning, I resisted crying in front of her.
“Are you serious about this? To me?” I tried not to cry as I whispered.
She grinned.
“You should have been nicer to me growing up, sis,” she replied. “Maybe then, I’d feel bad.”
With trembling hands, I reached for my phone and dialled our attorney. I blurted everything out when he replied.
“Dawn!” he exclaimed, in a startled tone. “How can I help?”
“Charlotte kicked me out of the house!” I said. “What do I do?”
A pause occurred. Then he… chuckled.
An actual, sincere laugh.
He exclaimed, “I can’t believe this!” “Everything is going according to your father’s predictions. Tomorrow, stop by my workplace. I’ve got something for you.”
How could he possibly have anything for me?
“I’ll book you a motel for the night,” he replied. A bed and breakfast, perhaps. I will provide you with a car and the address in ten minutes.
Saying “thank you,”
I waited for his text while sitting on the porch.
I got into the car when it came and watched the driver take me to a charming little bed and breakfast.
He said, “Here you go, ma’am,” and removed my bags.
How did I end up here? So far? How had it all come crashing down so fast?
Just as I was unpacking my pyjamas, the proprietor arrived at the door.
“Dawn?” she enquired. “I’ve been requested to bring you dinner by Matthew. I’m eating a salad and mac and cheese.”
I was amazed at how fortunate I was to have found the lawyer. Even though I didn’t know him well, he was at least looking after me.
That night, I hardly slept at all.
Tired and numb, I dragged myself to Matthew’s office the following morning. His smile was warm as he greeted me.
Saying, “Sit down, kid,” “You’re going to want to be sitting for this.”
I lowered myself in the chair.
“What’s going on?”
A folder he slid across the desk.
“Your father was a smart man, Dawn,” remarked the man. “He knew Charlotte would most likely throw you out the moment she got control of the house.”
“He knew?” I swallowed.
“That’s why he made me draw this up,” he replied.
There was a pile of documents inside the folder when Matthew opened it.
“Your father inherited a substantial amount of money seven years ago. Nearly two million dollars was involved. It came from a faraway relative who was childless, but your father looked after her when she needed assistance.”
“What?” I let out a gasp.
Yes, he didn’t tell you two in the end. He had his reasons, though, I’m sure. Dawn, this is the catch. Your father divided the funds between Charlotte and you.
“She gets a share too?” With a sinking heart, I said slowly.
“Yes, Dawn. However, there is a requirement. You and Charlotte must split the house evenly.”
I straightened my posture. All of a sudden, a path out of this problem appeared.
“If your sister refuses, she gets absolutely nothing.”
He must have laughed since he could see the horror written all over my face.
He went on, “There’s more,” “Your father left you this.”
He handed me a note that he had slid across the table. I opened it, my hands trembling.
It was written by my father.
Dear Dawn,
Charlotte is someone I know, my dear. I am aware of her actions. You’re smarter than her, though. You were and always were. The funds are kept in a secure deposit box. Make good use of it, my girl.
More than anything, I adore you.
—Dad
I froze as I gazed at the bank account details.
I said, “I don’t know the code to the safe deposit box,”
The attorney grinned.
“The watch,” was all he said.
I turned Dad’s watch over after removing it from my wrist. There were small scratches on the back. Four digits, visible but dim.
A code!
Matthew smiled.
“Your dad was a genius, Dawn.”
I was unable to resist. For the first time since his death, I laughed—truly, really laughed.
All of the debt was owed to Charlotte, but she also owned the house. And the only person who could keep her from losing everything had just been thrown out.
A few days later, Charlotte called while I was still staying at the bed and breakfast. As I went to fetch a drink of water for myself, I let it ring.
I picked it up after that.
I said gently, “Hello?”
She spat, “You knew, didn’t you?”
I said, “Knew what?”
Her words, “The house,” were abrupt. “I just got the call from the lawyer. Debt exists. Lots of stuff. similar to thousands of dollars. Dawn, the house is taken if they are not paid. And you…” she exhaled nervously. “You have the money, don’t you?”
I twirled my dad’s watch around my wrist while leaning back in an armchair.
“I might have the money…” I said. “However, we don’t exactly have a stellar past, do we? I was kicked out by you.”
She said nothing.
She eventually exclaimed, “You have to help me!”
I grinned.
“I would have helped you, Charlotte,” I replied. “Sis, I wish you had treated me better when I was a child. I could feel bad then.”
I hung up after that.
I intended to stay in the bed and breakfast for a little while longer. I was looking for a furnished flat with Matthew’s help.
“Something small will be perfect,” he stated. “Daisy, you have a few months until you leave for college. You don’t have to live in a large house. The best option is an apartment. You can do everything you want after you turn eighteen, which is coming up shortly. You must prioritise your studies for the time being.”
I said, “Thank you for helping me,” “I would have been lost without you.”
“Your father told me everything about you, Dawn, including how hard your sister made your life. particularly after your mother moved out. I would help you get back on your feet, like I promised your father.”
I was in my tiny studio flat in a creative area of town a few weeks later. I loved that it was close to the coffee shop and my school.
I’m not sure what happened to Charlotte, but one evening I noticed a SOLD sign in front of our house. Perhaps I ought to have felt guilty, but I didn’t. Without my father, it wasn’t my home.
Even if it was through Matthew, at least he was still watching out for me.
How would you have responded?
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