Page 24 of Guy (House of Frazier #4)

After finding the newspaper that she wanted, Sen wasted no time in getting to reading it.

It had been two weeks ago like her mom had said, but Aunt Cindy had survived the accident only to die at the hospital a day later.

Uncle Robert had had a stroke, they said, before he slammed into the car in front of them.

Taking both cars up and into oncoming traffic, which killed just her aunt and uncle.

The people in the other car had survived with only a few minor cuts and bruises.

Making a few more calls to the police department that had been in charge of the investigation, it was determined that her uncle was at fault even though there was little that could be done about his heart stroking out so she called a doctor friend of hers when she needed more information on the ‘life support’ that had been keeping her uncle alive for the last two weeks.

“It was a big one from what I’ve read about it.

Even if he had been in the hospital with his body hooked up to monitors, he wouldn’t have survived.

Cindy was nearly decapitated. The reason it says that she died at the hospital a day later is that they were both donors and were kept alive because of their organs.

Not everyone knows that. Your family was able to save six lives by being a donor, and made it so that four people will be able to see.

More people should do that.” She asked him what she needed to do now.

“You’re taking over for your mother? I hope the hell so.

She’ll fuck it up even if they do have their arrangements made. ”

“Yes, I’m taking over.” She thought about what he said and wasn’t even offended by what he said about her mom. She was a royal pain in the ass. “They do have their arrangements made, and everything should be paid for. Whatever is left over will go to their estate. Whatever that might entail.”

Her aunt and uncle were good people, and while she had no idea what their estate might be, she knew that they lived modestly and didn’t seem to have trouble paying for things when they came up. She was going to miss them both terribly.

Finishing up what she’d been working on, Ben allowed her to leave to take care of things for them.

Once she was at the funeral directors, she was told that everything was indeed paid for and that all the arrangements had been made.

She was glad for that. It made the whole process seem more personal to her, rather than her having to guess what they might want done.

She did decide for them to have services together and for there to be one room used for the two of them.

Sen knew they were well-liked and thought of, so she didn’t have any trouble agreeing to the one full day of calling hours with the service the next day.

Everything else had been taken care of by them.

After getting things arranged, she made her way to the police station, where she got an update on the accident.

It was just as she’d been told. Uncle Robert had had a stroke, causing the accident that pushed traffic at a light, killing her aunt immediately.

Her uncle, brain-dead from the stroke, was kept alive so that his organs could be harvested, as he and his wife had been donors forever.

Going back to her apartment, she was surprised to find a box from someone on her doorstep. Taking it inside, she was dismayed to find her mother waiting for her in her living room. She asked her what she was doing.

“That landlord of yours wasn’t going to allow me to come in until I told him about Robert.

I had to lie and tell him that you knew I was meeting you here so he’d allow me in.

Why do you lock your door anyway, Sen? It’s not like you have anything worth stealing.

Besides, it makes it difficult for me to get into your place when you’re not home.

” She told her that was the point of the lock.

“I don’t understand. You want me to be locked out of your place?

Whyever for? I’m your mother. As I said, you have nothing that anyone wants anyway. How did the arrangements go?”

“Well, they were all done up like I knew that they would be. I only had to approve the calling hours for them.” She picked up her mom’s boots and put them by the door.

“The next time you break into my place, could you at the very least clean up after yourself? I might not have anything to steal, but I do like the things that I have.”

“Oh, get over it.” Her mom put her feet up on the couch, and Sen was happy that at least she didn’t have her muddy boots on.

“I’ve come here to stay until the will is read.

I’m sure he had one. Since he outlived Cindy, if there isn’t a will, it will all come to me.

I’ve never cared for her in the first place. Not good enough for my big brother.”

“I loved her, and she was good enough for Uncle Robert. They were a great couple.” Mom did that waving her off thing again, and it annoyed her. “Use your words, Mom. I know you have plenty of them. You never seem to run out when you’re talking to me.”

“You’re in a mood.” She said that her favorite uncle and aunt had died. “They were old, darling, and they were going to die anyway. Why don’t you take me shopping, and we’ll get some lunch? Well, it’s too late for lunch, so we’ll have an early dinner. Your treat.”

“I don’t want to have an early dinner with you, and I can’t afford to go shopping with you.

In fact, I can’t afford dinner with you either.

You always pick the most expensive places when it’s my ‘treat’.

On top of that, you usually want to have your nails done or something along those lines, and I don’t have the money for it.

” She asked why she was forever broke. Telling her that she was going to have to manage her money better.

“I do, but when you come around, I have to pick eating peanut butter sandwiches for the rest of the week or my rent. I decided that telling you no is better on my wallet and stomach.”

Even though she said she was going to stay, her mom left about an hour later.

She left her with a migraine as well as an upset belly.

Taking something for both, Sen laid down on her cleaned up couch and closed her eyes.

It was easier to deal with her ailments than with her mother staying the night when she wasn’t really invited.

She was going to have to talk to the landlord about him letting her mom into her place, too.

Mom was the main reason that she had locks on her door in the first place.