Brenda & Ian Ch. 01

When he was done, he went to Brenda's room, where the door was open. The lights were out, but the nightlight gave him enough vision to find Brenda already in bed. He climbed in next to her and settled under the covers. Once he was there, Brenda propped herself on her right elbow and looked at him, smiling.

Ian looked at her and smiled back. "What are you thinking about?"

"Well," she said, a bit hesitantly, "there's something I've been wanting to do for a long time." Ian's eyes widened. "It's not sex, Ian, calm down," she said, laughing. "No, it's something much simpler."

She moved closer to him until they were almost nose to nose. Ian could see that she was still in her robe and nightgown, so he relaxed a bit. She lingered above him for a few seconds and almost backed off. Before she lost her nerve, she moved forward, tilted her head, and kissed him softly on the lips. It lasted but a second or two before Brenda broke away. They stared at each other, taking in the experience and wondering what the other was thinking.

Softly, she said, "No matter what happens, I will never regret that."

"Neither will I. I really do love you, Bren."

"I love you, too, Ian."

They drifted to sleep, holding each other with Brenda's head on his chest.

"Have a seat, my dear," Roger said to Brenda, indicating the two chairs in front of his desk. "You too, Ian," he added. It was a little after eight-thirty and Brenda and Ian both had a steaming cup of coffee in their hands.

"Well, let us get started." Roger pulled out a stack of papers from a folder. "I have taken the liberty of securing your father's portfolio and other investments for you and you may keep them for your disposal. I will not read the will in it's entirety to you at this time, Brenda. I will give you a copy of it and you may read it at your leisure. I am sure that there will be many things to discuss, things that will need to be clarified. I am at your service and I will explain everything in the utmost detail.

"Your parents were very wise with their finances, and young lady, you will benefit greatly because of it. Except for a few odds and ends that are spelled out specifically, you are the sole beneficiary of your parents' estate. The will has been revised periodically over the years and the last revision is dated October 24th of last year.

"You are to receive the house and all of the property and furnishings, along with the automobiles, your father's Cadillac and the Honda. All cash, stocks, bonds, and treasury notes will immediately be passed to you. According to the last bank statement dated March 1st, your parents' individual checking and savings total approximately $517,000. The house was mortgaged, but will be paid off with their insurance."

Roger pulled out the portfolio. "Now, according to the figures in front of me dated March 1st, your parents' stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and treasury notes are worth $738,214."

"Oh my God," gasped Brenda, her hand flying to her mouth. She looked at Ian, who had a very surprised look on his face as well.

"Also," Roger continued, "they had life insurance policies through the National Life Insurance Company for $500,000 each." Brenda could only look at him in disbelief.

"One last thing," Roger said, "when Ryan and you were born, your parents put $50,000 into a trust fund to be given to you upon your graduation from college. Your parents never gave Ryan the money because of his problems. They felt that he would not be responsible enough to handle that type of money, so they put it aside until they thought he would be mature enough. Unfortunately, he died before it was given to him. They merged his account with yours after his death. Throughout the years, they added cash to the sum and it has gained interest. Because of your parents' death, a clause in the trust fund automatically transfers the trust to you before your graduation. The bank statement dated March 1st gives the total of $675,394."

Brenda slumped in her chair. "I had no idea. They never told me."

"They wanted it to be a surprise for you when you graduated, my dear. All told, your assets are worth over $3 million."

"I guess I can keep the house," she said softly.

"What, my dear? I did not hear."

"Oh, I was trying to figure out how to go to graduate school without selling the house. I guess that's a moot point now."

"Yes, yes it is," said Roger. "Of course, you realize that it will take time for everything to be transferred to you, plus you will have to pay taxes and the like. I am no tax expert, so I will set you up with my tax accountant, who will steer you through everything. Also, I am sure that you will want to continue working with your father's brokerage firm. They have done an excellent job with his investments and I use them myself. Until everything is finalized, I will take care of expenses and give you an allowance. We will discuss that amount later.

"I caution you, Brenda, even though you are studying finance and will soon graduate, you are receiving a great amount of assets. Be careful and be cautious. I know I need not say this, but do not squander it and invest wisely. Put money away for your own children as your parents have done for you."

Brenda said, "I would never dishonor them by messing up. I'll probably stay the same path once I've gone over the financial reports myself. I just can't believe that they had that much. They never let on, never acted like millionaires. I never knew." She looked at Ian, who had a dumbfounded look on his face and hadn't said a word since the reading began. "You look like you're the one with the money, Ian," she said.

"It's just amazing," he replied. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks," she said. "My parents were the greatest. I certainly didn't have them long enough." Brenda took a kleenex from Roger's desk and wiped her eyes.

"My dear," Roger said softly, almost painfully, "there is one last bit of business that must be addressed." He glanced quickly at Ian.

"Okay, Uncle Roger," she replied. Ian sat up straight in his chair, guessing that this was what Roger had previously talked to him about.

Roger pulled out a manilla envelope from his briefcase and handed it to her. The top had been opened and Brenda could see papers inside.

"I was not allowed to see the contents unless your parents gave me permission or upon their death. I first saw the contents a few hours after you told me of your parents' death," he explained.

Puzzled by his speech, Brenda took out the contents. The first paper she saw was a birth certifcate from a Kansas hospital. Her name was on it, but with a different last name. It said "Brenda Gruner" with her same birth date. Under the father's name, it said "Unknown" and under the mother's name, it said "Lou Ann Gruner".

"I don't understand," Brenda said, "what is this?"

"Keep looking, my dear."

Brenda shook her head back and forth and looked at the next piece of paper as Ian leaned over to see. It was from the State of Kansas Department of Children's Services. It had the name of Brenda Gruner listed as being transferred into the custody of Harold and Alice Barringer a few weeks after her birth.

"What is this?" Brenda asked, totally confused.

"Those are adoption papers, my dear," he replied softly.

Brenda looked at him in disbelief. She looked at Ian and then quickly back to Roger. "Adoption papers? I was adopted?"

"Yes, my dear."

She immediately burst into tears as the realization hit her. The confusion was overwhelming to her. The parents she had always known were not her parents afterall. Her family was no longer hers. She was this Brenda Gruner person who was changed to Brenda Barringer with the stroke of a pen. Who was she now? Her mother was a Lou Ann and her father was unknown. She was a bastard to boot! Ian moved to her side and tried to put his arms around her. She shrugged him off angrily.

"Don't touch me! You knew, damn it, you knew and didn't tell me! Get away from me!" she hissed through tears. Ian's eyes opened wide and tried to speak, but could only shake his head.

"Brenda!" Roger said sharply. "Ian knew nothing of this. If you want to be angry with someone, blame me. I thought it best to wait until after their funerals to tell you."

This only made her cry harder. Ian tried once more to hold her, and this time, she let him. She calmed down after a few minutes, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. She looked at Ian and said, "I'm sorry." Ian nodded his acceptance.

She turned back to Roger and asked, "Why didn't they tell me? Who else knows?"

"As far as I can guess, no one else knows about it. They kept it a closely guarded secret. I swear I did not know until Saturday after you called me."

"But why? Why didn't they tell me? They should have told me a long time ago! Why didn't they?" she cried.

"I do not know," he said, eyeing the envelope in Brenda's hand. "There is more in there."

Brenda pulled out the last piece, a long, white sealed envelope with her name on it written in her mother's script. Roger handed her a letter opener and she swiftly cut the envelope and pulled out a two page letter in her mother's handwriting. Brenda gave the letter opener back to Roger as she began reading.

"Our dearest Brenda, You are reading this because we are longer on this earth to love you and tell you something that was too difficult to tell you when we were living.

When Ryan was born, we desperately wanted another child for him as a playmate. Several years went by without success. Both your father and I were checked and it was found that I was unable to conceive. After our initial shock passed, we applied to the state for adoption. After several more years of waiting, we were able to adopt you. Our prayers were answered when they put you in our arms and let us take you home.

We wish that we could give you a good reason as to why we never told you about your adoption. There is no good reason and we are ashamed to admit it. The only explanation that we can give you is this: Both of our families pressured us after Ryan was born to have a another child. We tired of the constant questioning and decided that adoption was the best route. We were in Kansas and everyone else was in Ohio, so we figured that it would work. When we moved back to Ohio, we told everyone that we wanted to surprise them and no one questioned us. I don't know why we couldn't admit to them that we were unable to have any more children and we can offer no excuses.

I'm sure that you have questions about your birth mother and father. We were only told that she was young, unmarried, and had no family. Unfortunately, she died a few days after your birth from complications. As for your father, there was no information about him.

Brenda, please know that we love you with all of our hearts, our souls, and our minds. We never meant to cause you any pain. We always meant to tell you, but we could never figure out the right time and we are so sorry for that.

Please find it in your heart to forgive us for our weakness. You are the shining star in our eyes and sometimes, we feel that you deserved better. Even though we are gone, know that we will watch over you. That is our promise to you. We wish every happiness in the world for you and we know that you will be successful in any endeavor that you undertake.

Your father and I wish you nothing but love for all eternity.

Love, Mom and Dad"

Tears were rolling down Brenda's face as she finished the letter. She carefully placed it back in the envelope and placed everything back in the manilla one.

"I'm really sorry, Brenda," Ian said as he reached for her hand. "I swear I didn't know."

Brenda took his hand and put it to her lips and kissed it. "I know you didn't. I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Still holding Ian's hand, she looked at Roger. "They still should have told me, no matter what the family thought. I find it hard to believe that they could have kept it a secret for all these years. Surely, someone else knows."

"I do not think so, my dear," Roger said. "Ryan would have been the only one, and he was probably too young to understand."

"This is just too much to take right now," she said after she blew her nose. "My God, what more can happen?"

"I can assure you that I have no more surprises, Brenda. You will need to look over the will more closely to get the things ready to be distributed to your parents' friends and family. Most of the things appear to be family heirlooms and things of that nature."

"I'll probably start on that next week," she replied. "It shouldn't be too hard." She went into her purse and pulled out the bills that had accumulated over the past week. She passed them to Roger saying, "Here are the bills you wanted."

After she handed them over she asked, "Uncle Roger, did mom and dad have a joint account? I found separate checking and savings accounts, but no joint account. I found it odd and I wanted to ask you about it."

"I know nothing about a joint account. I believe they always had separate accounts, but according to all of the information that your father and mother gave me concerning their accounts, they did not have a joint account. I have no idea why they did not have a joint account and I never asked."

"Well, that's one mystery solved. Now, I just have to figure out who I am now." Brenda wiped her eyes once more.

Roger addressed her sternly. "Young lady, you are no different now than when you arrived in this office. Yes, you have found out that you were adopted shortly after your birth by the only parents that you ever knew, but realize that you have had a wonderful life so far, and because of them, you are who you are today.

"Without them, perhaps you would not be in the same position as you are now. Maybe you would not have been able to go to college as you are now. You never would have had all of the loving family and friends that you enjoy today.

"You cannot live in the past and think about what might hve been. You must stay in the present and live your life to the fullest as your parents did."

Brenda looked down, ashamed of herself for being so selfish, yet thinking about her new discovery. She couldn't help but feel angry and confused. She could always go to her parents and tell them anything that was bothering her. Why couldn't they tell her about her adoption? Brenda didn't think that she'd ever be able to understand.

"It's just going to take some time for me to get used to it, I guess," she said.

"Of course, my dear, of course," Roger replied. "We have got a few more things to talk about before we lunch, so let us get it out of the way."

They talked about her immediate future and her plans after graduation. Brenda told him of her plans to get her MBA, but she wasn't sure about what she wanted to specialize in. She was leaning towards banking, but she was interested in stocks and securities as well. Ian listened for a while, but soon found himself drifting away from the conversation. He wondered what Brenda was thinking and how she was really handling the news. She would definitely put up a brave front, he knew that, but he didn't know how much more she could take. The money situation was certainly a surprise; neither one had expected that, but that didn't begin to compensate her for her loss. No amount could.

He wondered if Brenda realized that they were not blood cousins with the adoption revelation and he wondered where it would lead. While he was very sorry for his aunt and uncle's passing, he knew that it could be a turning point in both of their lives, a point where their intertwining lives could be affected forever. If they could withstand the resistance from family and friends, he knew that their relationship could be limitless. The idea of dating her for real and living with her excited him, although he knew that it could be a long process. He was willing to wait. He certainly didn't want to rush her into something that she wasn't ready for. A girl so special and so perfect for him didn't come around every day and he wasn't about to scare her off. He desperately hoped that she felt the same way.

When he came back to the present, Roger and Brenda were discussing her finances and her allowance. Roger decided to advance her $1000 and she would receive $500 per week until the estate was settled. Brenda protested that she didn't need that much, but that was the figure that was settled upon. Her last semester was already paid because she was on academic scholarship, but she would have book expenses and other miscellaneous items to take care of. Her grocery bills would be small, but could grow should Ian stay permanently at the house. She would have to work on that with Ian, she thought. Quick calculations told her that they could easily live off of the interest from all of the assets that she would eventually receive. In her heart, she knew that she wouldn't have to work ever again if she chose to do that, but she could never do it. She had too much energy and brains to waste her life, and she wanted to honor her parents by making a success of herself. Brenda decided then and there that she would put herself on a strict budget and stick to it. Once she was out of graduate school and working full-time, she would be able to adjust it.

She was still numb from the news of her adoption, but she knew that it was temporary. The tears, anger, and frustration would return and she wanted Ian with her when it did. In fact, she would do whatever she could to keep him at the house, cousin or not. Brenda stopped in mid-thought. Cousin or not? Cousin or not? The thought rolled over and over in Brenda's mind. She looked at Ian, who was daydreaming and looking the other way.

"Ian?" she asked. Ian quickly turned her way.

"Yeah?"

"Could you excuse us for just a minute or two. There's something I need to discuss with him in private."

Ian glanced at Roger, and then looked back at her. "Okay, sure Brenda." He left the office and closed the door behind him.

"What do you need to discuss that he cannot hear?" Roger asked.

Brenda leaned forward and spoke softly. "I need to know what legal ties I have with my family."

"I am not sure what you mean."

"Am I legally related to my aunts, uncles, and..." she hesitated a moment, "...and cousins."

"My dear, the will specifically states that you are the sole heir..."

"I'm not interested in the will," Brenda interrupted, "I just want to know if I'm still related to everyone."

"Well, because you were legally adopted and you were legally the child of Harry and Alice, yes, you are still related to them."

Brenda looked down, crestfallen. "Oh," she said sadly.

"My dear, what is the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"You will not get away with that, young lady, so do not even try," he said firmly. "Now, tell me the problem."

Knowing that she would never get out of the office without telling Roger something, she laid everything out for him, except for the part of sleeping together. She didn't think he'd accept that or understand it. Roger listened patiently, occasionally rocking in his chair. When Brenda finished, he waited a few moments before he spoke.

"My dear, I am very happy to hear that you have found that special someone, especially it being Ian. He appears to be a bright young man who cares deeply for you. Despite your father's differences with Ian's mother, your parents always spoke highly of him. Now, legally, since you were adopted and do not have any blood kinship towards Ian, with proper documentation, you could be married, should you decide to pursue that."

A broad smile came across Brenda's face at the news.

"But," he cautioned, "morally and ethically, friends and family may not understand. They will still look upon you as a niece or a cousin, as they should, and might object to your relationship. In most states, marriage between first cousins is forbidden. I think that Ian's parents will have the most to say about this. In any case, I think it wise to let everyone know about your adoption first, then slowly bring Ian into the equation. The longer you wait, the worse it will be."