Chapter 15 - My terrible temptation
I wanted to change my will immediately.
Cut both daughters out.
Give everything to charity.
Leave Maya a million dollars just to watch Denise’s face.
I told Martin.
He stared.
“For the record, that is an excellent example of why attorneys tell angry clients to wait.”
“I am seventy-two. Waiting has statistical limitations.”
“Six months.”
“No.”
“Three.”
“Two weeks.”
“Three months.”
We settled on sixty days before major estate amendments.
Why?
I was competent.
I could change things.
But the diner incident was fresh.
Guardianship threats existed.
A drastic immediate gift to a twenty-five-year-old waitress would create obvious undue-influence litigation and, more importantly, would be stupid.
Maya had been kind for twenty minutes.
That did not make her my heir.
Kindness should not become a lottery.
I hated that Martin was right.
So:
No estate change that week.
No revenge gifts.
No secret transfer.
I did one thing immediately.
I amended access provisions so neither daughter could serve as successor trustee, agent, health-care proxy, or financial fiduciary for me.
That was about safety.
Not inheritance.
Different.
My cousin Judith became primary health agent.
Hawthorne remained successor financial trustee.
Martin was counsel.
May you like
No family member held unilateral financial control.
I slept better that night.
