inkjunkie/dumpyrain - My Lawyer is a Rear End--The Part Most Needed

     Let's see, fourteen months ago, right after my husband died I immediately sought legal counsel about his estate.  I got a lawyer's number from the phone book, made an appointment, sat in his office waiting over an hour.  Meanwhile, he got in a loud argument with his wife/secretary, kept me sitting in his inner office over another hour while he dickered on the phone about another client, evidently a drug pusher who had been arrested.  I finally left and called another lawyer.

     This time, I got a woman.  I felt a woman would be understanding and sympathetic.  Wrong.  I sat in her office listening to her blab about stuff not even related to me--, keep in mind this was immediately after Jack died, and I was in no mood to even be there, let alone listen to her big mouth--then I paid her in full after being reassured that my probate would take no longer than two months.  All she had to do was notify Jack's adult kids, have them sign a waiver, and that would be that.

     I patiently waited three months, after hearing nothing I called her.  Ugg.  She had forgotten all about me, and hadn't even started the ball rolling.   Okay, I guess it could happen to anyone.  I patiently waited three more months, after hearing nothing called again.

     "Uh, gee, Linda, we sent a letter out and haven't heard a word, uh, what was their addresses again?"

     Two months later, I called again.  The secretary told me all three kids had signed and everything should be finalized by the weekend.  What a relief.  I heard nothing so called again in two weeks.

     "Oh, gosh, I don't know, Linda, let's see here, did I say that?  Oh, no they haven't signed yet, what was their addresses again?"

     To make a long story short, I have never talked to the lawyer since that first appointment.  It's always been the secretary.  She has never once returned my calls.  When I call she is never in the office, or they just plain outright don't answer the phone.  [Caller i.d.?] 

     Legally, Jack's kids are entitled to 2/3ds of his half of everything I own and they are going after it.  That means that since I can't afford to give them the money I will be forced to sell the house, which isn't paid for yet.  By the time I give them their money, and pay off the mortgage it will leave me with nothing.  My only hope is for a merciful judge.  And my only hope to make him merciful is to have a lawyer who has my best interest at heart.  [I don't think so.]

     Jack and I were married 24 years.  In all that time his kids never visited him once.  Jack and I worked at our job all those years together.  I have worked just as hard as he did for the house.  Interestingly, his kids haven't called me once since their dad died.  

     I'm going to write another young adult.  In it, I'm doing a scene where my lawyer is downtown New York on a windy day and gets every stitch of her clothing blown off.  But for now, I'm going to eat a whole bag of peanut butter cookies.