Prompt: Write about inheritance.

The Choice

Aurora sits at her father’s big, brown, oak wood desk in her childhood home, reminiscing. She pulls out the top right drawer and pulls out a pile of papers. They were all documents from when he first started the business, when she was just a little one running around in diapers. When she looks back in the drawer to grab more stuff, she notices a small, silver key, taped to an index card.

“973 Seaport Ave, unit 7 for Aurora,” was all it said. I have to take over Dad’s business. But first, I must visit this address.

Aurora hears a knock on the door of the office. “Come in.” 

“You have a visitor, Aurora,” Gwen stated.

“Who is it?”

“Well, you’ll just have to come and see for yourself, won’t you?” Gwen gives a weak smile and turns on her heels to walk out.

Aurora sighs, then puts the key and note in her pocket. You’ll have to wait.

Aurora walks out and sees her father’s business partner, James. “James! What are you doing here?”

“Your mom said you made it into town. I wanted to come and pay my respects.”

“Thank you.”

“How are you?” James asked.

“I’m okay. I’ve been going through Dad’s office to help Mom out.”

James’s hand is shaking as he takes a drink of the bourbon that Gwen poured him. “Find anything interesting?”

“Well, I found a key with my name on it.” Aurora knows better than to tell him there was an address as well. She has always felt that he was an untrustworthy man. She never forgot her 13th birthday. The day that she witnessed James trying to get into her father’s locked office. He was so angry when he couldn’t get inside. When she told her parents about it, they didn’t believe her.

“Oh, really? He left a safe for you somewhere then. You better find it before someone else does.” James smirks. “Well, I better go; the business won’t run itself.”

Gwen comes back into the room with half sandwiches as James walks to the door. “Leaving already?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am, I’ve got a meeting to get to.”

Once James is gone, Aurora kisses her mother on the forehead and says, “I’ve got to go check on something; I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

Aurora puts the address into her GPS. 973 Seaport Ave, ETA 23 minutes. As she begins driving, she gets a phone call from an unknown number. She debates answering at first.

She answers, “Hello?”

“I will see you in roughly 23 minutes,” said a distorted voice, then the line clicked abruptly.

Aurora trembles. What the hell was that?

When she pulled up to the address, which turned out to be storage units, she parked as quickly as she could, then walked inside to gain access to the unit. She cautiously strolled back to unit seven, and there stood James with his hands folded in front of him and smiling from ear to ear.

“You didn’t expect me, did you?” he asked with a laugh.

“What’s going on here?”

“Well, I’m going to need the key, Aurora. See, your father thought he was going to be slick.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I am co-owner of your father’s business. If he goes, the business is mine, unless he has changed his will; then the business would more than likely be yours.”

“You think he changed his will?”

“Oh, I have a feeling he did. He mentioned it to me just last week, ‘Oh, I’m sick and don’t want to leave my family to struggle.’  What a load of shit!” James exclaimed.

“You have been like family; I used to call you Uncle James when I was little! Why are you doing this?” Aurora cried.

“Why am I doing this? I have been like family, and he is just going to cut me out when he finally kills over? Screw that.”

Aurora sighed, “How did you even know this was where I would be?”

“This is the only storage place that still uses keys for their units,” he said, smiling. James pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. “Now, I’m done talking. Give me the key, Aurora.”

“You’re not getting the key, James!”

“Give me the key, or it’s your mother next,” James says calmly.

“Next? James, did you kill my dad just so you could take over the business?”

James smiles creepily. “I would never.” he pauses. “I’ll tell you what: leave now. I’ll call you in 5 minutes with details. You don’t want to lose daddy and mommy both in just a week.”

Aurora pauses and looks him in his glazed-over eyes. She decides to leave; she doesn’t want to die, and she can’t let her father’s legacy go down like this.

Once Aurora got back to her house, she received the call from James, using the same distorted voice from earlier. “Hello, Aurora, as you can see, I’ve already got your mother. My guys are quick and proficient, no?”

“Don’t you dare hurt her, James! When and where?” asked Aurora.

“12 hours from right now, you’re going to meet me at 840 Sheldon Ave, with the key and the safe. No cops, no tricks, or your mother gets a bullet in the head.” The line clicks.

12 hours later, Aurora just made it to 840 Sheldon Ave with the key and the safe in her hands. She gets out and walks into the old, abandoned building. When she closes the door behind her, the lights flip on. Gwen is tied to a chair with a black eye and a gash on the side of her head.

“Aurora!” Gwen cries.

“Mom!” Tears flow down Aurora’s face. “Here, take it!” She throws the safe and key to the ground as she runs toward her mother. “I’m here now. I’m so sorry.”

“Atta girl, I knew you’d come around.” James picks up the safe and the key, then leaves.

“Mom, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, just get me to a hospital.”

Aurora scoops up her mother in her arms and runs as fast as she can to her car and drives to the hospital. Thinking ahead, she calls the hospital to let them know she’s coming in with an emergency. She needs her mom to be okay.

Aurora wouldn’t have cut James out; she knew her father loved and cared for James. But now, James and the business can burn down for all she cares. He already took her father from her way too soon, and be damned if she loses her mother too.