Chapter 9 Grandpa's Conditions

Melvin walked into the men's bathroom and slammed the door behind him. The thick wooden door with iron bars clicked behind him. Above him the light bulbs bore white and dark blue lights casting a cool glow on the grey bathroom tiles.

How dare Andrew speak to him like that? Did his younger brother recognize his place in the family or did Andrew already know that he would receive all Grandpa's wealth?

Melvin splashed some water on his face and stared at the mirror glued to the grey marble wall. Why should his grandfather bypass his father and him and then choose Andrew? So, what if the boy brought in a few trillion dollars each year. It wasn't a huge feat. With enough time, Melvin felt sure he could replicate Andrew's success. He simply wasn't interested in sitting in the office all day and wearing a suit and tie to all meetings.

His phone rang and he picked it, sure that it was his brother begging him to return to the table. "What? Are you done with your idiot?"

"Hmm. That's not how to talk to your lawyer." Gwen's refined voice came through the phone. As always she scolded him in a loving way.

"Gwen?" He pronounced her name like he was a drowning man and she was a life guard. In a lot of ways, she was his life guard. Without her, his grandfather have kicked him out of the house a few years ago. "It's been so long."

"Oh, stop it. I hate when you get like that."

"But how can I?" He clutched his chest even though she couldn't see him. She was his closest confidant but he had never revealed to her the secret about his heart pain. "Do you know how much I ache because I haven't seen you in a while?"

"Careful." Harsh whispers flew at his ears. "My husband is around."

"When will you leave that God-forsaken man? I am ready to pour out the stars of the sky at your feet." If she wanted it, he would find a way to make it happen.

"Tsk, don't waste your poetry on me, Melvin. I keep wondering why you didn't take up the creative arts. Why do you want to run this business?"

"Come on now." Melvin looked around, staring under the open bottoms of the toilet cubicles to be sure that he was really alone. "I'll take an example from my father. Andrew will do the work and I will take the credit."

Gwen sighed. The kind of sigh that never forbade anything good.

"What is it? Tell me."

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I was able to peek at the new Will and resealing it was not easy."

"You know I hate suspense." He heard her walking and then the sharp sound of curtains moving. "So, what does it say?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

His nose twitched. "What kind of question is that?"

"Melvin, Do. You. Have. A. Girlfriend? Someone you are in a serious relationship with?"

"What does that have to do with my grandfather's will?"

"I told you that I thought the condition for you to inherit would have something to do with marriage, yeah?"

"Yes." He hissed, not liking where this train of thought went.

"Well, turns out that your grandfather expects you to settle down and be married by his 70th birthday."

Melvin raked his hand through his hair. "That can't be possible. You didn't read it properly."

"I did." She whisper-yelled. "I know what I saw. He expects you to-- and these are his words not mine-- start a responsible family before his 70th birthday."

"What? He can't do that."

"It gets worse Melvin. That's the first condition which qualifies you as an heir but you will only receive your share of the wealth after the birth of your first child."

"Chil-" Melvin chocked on the word as terror seized his face. His grandfather wanted him to get married and have a child? "He can't do that."

"It's his Will."

'But... but he didn't tell me. His birthday is only 4 months away. How am I supposed to marry and produce children in four months?"

"You better start now."

Melvin felt the muscle around the left side of his nose twitch again. "But what does he mean by a responsible marriage?"

"Knowing your grandfather that means no Bimbos. No actresses. No models."

"But those are all the good women." Melvin whined.

"No stunts women. No exotic ladies. None of that. She has to be a good woman from a respectable home. Think of someone like your grandmother."

"Pft." Melvin spat in the sink. "You can't expect me to marry my own grandmother."

"Don't be stupid, Mel. What does your grandfather find attractive about your grandmother? Find someone with those qualities and you should be fine."

"But Gwen." Melvin cried. "The only woman I want is--"

"No. We've spoken about this before."

Melvin turned on the tap, spat into the sink and watched the water push his spittle away, just as he would like to push Bennett away from Gwen's life. "When will you divorce him?"

"I'm working on it. You just focus on getting a wife and a child."

"But can't I... " Melvin fought to swallow a knot in his throat. Can't I just marry someone who has a child or something?"

"It has to be your own child. If I were you, I would find a woman this instance, stick a ring on her finger and get her pregnant by tomorrow." Gwen's voice softened, so that he almost felt that she patronized him. "You can do that, can't you?"

"I can try," he mumbled. He didn't even have a serious girlfriend. Since he and Gwen had started going steady, in the weird way that worked for their relationship, he hadn't even looked at another woman.

But the only woman he wanted was the one on the end of the phone.

He washed his hands and returned to the table. Maybe Andrew could help him with this predicament. Not just Andrew. That woman at the table.