Chapter 21 - Nathan’s failure
The trust surcharge hearing forced me onto the stand.
Not against Victoria’s criminal conduct.
About money.
Her attorney asked:
“Mr. Bennett, did you approve Lang Family Care?”
“Yes.”
“Did you approve additional night coordination?”
“Yes.”
“Did you approve Victoria’s access to medical records?”
“Yes.”
“Did you sign confidentiality agreement?”
“Yes.”
“Did you repeatedly tell Commonwealth Ms. Lang was indispensable?”
I looked down.
“Yes.”
“Did you personally request some of the distributions you now call excessive?”
“Yes.”
There.
Then:
“Isn’t it true that Mr. Bennett’s own decisions caused the trust to pay these amounts?”
My lawyer objected to argumentative phrasing.
Judge allowed a narrower question.
I answered:
“I approved payments based on information Victoria provided and services I believed Lily needed.”
Still.
I approved.
Then Victoria’s attorney produced a text from me:
If trust pays for overnight coverage, take it. I can’t keep missing work.
True.
Another:
Whatever Victoria recommends is fine.
That sentence looked monstrous now.
But at the time it meant:
Scheduling.
Not injections.
Then judge asked:
“Did Commonwealth independently approve?”
“Yes.”
“Was Ms. Lang trustee?”
“No.”
“Did Mr. Bennett have unilateral withdrawal authority?”
“No.”
Good.
Responsibility distributed.
Then Commonwealth’s own failings.
It approved some extra hours based on Lang reports without direct physician verification.
After the case, it changed.
Then surcharge ruling reserved.
No one got clean hands.
That night I told Lily:
“I testified today.”
“About Victoria?”
“About me.”
She looked suspicious.
“What about you?”
“That I let Victoria control too much.”
“She did tricks.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t tell you.”
“Yes.”
“Then why is it your fault?”
I thought.
“It’s not my fault she hurt you.”
She nodded.
“It is my responsibility that I stopped checking things I should have checked.”
Lily considered.
Then:
“Like homework?”
I almost laughed.
“Yes. Like much more important homework.”
She smiled a little.
Then:
“Are you going to check everything now?”
There.
The pendulum.
From neglectful trust to suffocating surveillance.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you also need privacy.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
“Make sure no one person gets to be the only person who knows.”
May you like
She nodded.
That answer remained our family rule.
