Estate Pt. 01

I had been expecting it. Ever since the Matriarchal Party had swept to power, the noose had been closing. But, I have to give the leadership credit. While they had steadily tightened their grip on the male population, the pace had been slow, slow enough and uneven enough to avoid panic or mass migration out of the country. Like lobsters in a pot, the water was nearly boiling before we realized the trouble we were in. By then it was too late. Passports had been revoked, borders closed, the franchise limited to women, marriage rights shifted radically in favor of wives, the "excess" savings and investments of unmarried men seized for "reparations."

Then came the series of "Custodial Laws," increasingly limiting the freedoms of unmarried men, essentially making them minors in the eyes of the law. Up to the age of maturity, a male was under the custodial responsibility of his mother, who also determined whether and when he was ready to leave her control. After he reached maturity, his mother could opt to retain control, marry him off, or transfer him to another accountable adult woman. Custodians decided if and where he could work, controlled his finances, and were legally responsible for his behavior; soon men were not allowed to have personal bank accounts or credit cards, nor hold property without a Custodian's co-signature. By law, positions of authority were now reserved for women. Men in executive and managerial positions were released or demoted. Increasingly, male employment was limited to clerical, service, retail, and unskilled positions. chefs became servers; corporate vice presidents became administrative assistants; regional sales directors became sales clerks.

Language shifted, too, slowly at first, then with remarkable speed. The Female Restitution and Reparations Act contained provisions that banned the use of patriarchal titles (e.g., sir, mister) in official correspondence and made the mother's family name that of the child, codifying what were developing social practices. Women who had names with a patriarchal etymology - "Mc-" and "Mac-" and "O'-" and "-son" most prominently - were encouraged to change to matriarchal alternatives; eventually the government banned the use of such surnames entirely. My mother's family had long carried the surname McAdams, but they changed that (keeping the Biblical allusion) to Eden.

Public usage of diminutive terms like "girl" or "gal" to refer to grown women became a fineable and then an imprisonable offense; harsher sentences were handed out to those foolish enough to use derogatory terms when referring to women or their body parts. Conversely, given their legal status as something akin to unemancipated minors, adult men came to be referred to both in legal matter and in common parlance as mere "boys." Similarly, the rules of grammar shifted, with all Women's names and pronouns either remaining or becoming capitalized, while men's names and pronouns became all lower case. Mother named me larkin Eden, with my personal name lower case while Her family name was capitalized. As was becoming increasingly common, i was known by a diminutive nickname: "lark."

By the time they were completed and extended, the Custodial Laws had transformed men into chattel in all but name. Their custodial rights could be bought and sold; collars replaced wedding rings first in marriage ceremonies then in civil law; in public, males were required not only be collared but to have a tag on the collar displaying the Custodian's name and contact information. Social norms, which had long objectified Women's bodies, were reversed. In art, in advertising, in entertainment, it became the male body that was displayed and judged. The millennials-long prohibition on publicly showing the penis and scrotum evaporated. Wives talked openly about how well hung their husbands were ... or complained that they were not. Cock length and girth, head size, circumcision, and scrotal fullness were remarked upon as openly and as normally as people used to refer to breast size and cleavage.

Of course, ours is a large country, a continent really, and practices differ by region. The Matriarchal shift came to the coastal urban areas first, but spread out from there. As large corporations, media empires, and other institutions took up and trumpeted Matriarchal values, changes percolated across the land. The nature of our federal system meant that some of the more conservative provinces could provide some, limited relief. Where I lived, both local norms and regional governments cushioned us from the full brunt of the tides shifting in the nation. Things controlled by the national government (passports, air travel, interstate commerce, national taxes) could either be denied to males or used against us, but local enforcement even of national laws was quite lax for a good long time. Locally, many Women were slow to seize the full powers offered them by the new national government, and state and county and city governments in my region allowed men a wide variety of freedoms that were evaporating elsewhere. For a long time, men like me were allowed to continue our educations, participate fully in the unofficial economy, travel locally without restrictions, consent freely to marriage, even - with the collusion of sympathetic Women - hold title to property.

That, however, was too good to last. In the name of national unity and uniformity of (Women's) rights across the country, the national government began to take fuller control of what was known as GCP, gender control policy. Through a series of laws, executive actions, and court filings, the national government began to aggressively assert and extend national standards to the treatment of "boys." Tighter control of the banking system made it more difficult to exist even in the informal economy; forceful enforcement of tax laws made it more difficult for compassionate Women to cover for males owning property. Most importantly for me, nationalization of custodial standards and inheritance laws made it possible for both the national government and individual Women to pursue "seizure actions" across provincial lines.

i had been born into a tolerant and traditional family. my Mother was certainly the head of the household, but She treated my father kindly. She encouraged him to pursue his various interests and hobbies. She loved me as Her only child, seeing that i received as good an education as a daughter would have and allowed me complete latitude in choosing if and with whom i'd become involved romantically. When i came of age, She extended Her legal custodianship of me, but allowed me great freedom and supported my efforts to find my own place and set up my own woodworking business. Tragically, both of my parents died in an automobile accident when i was 23. Since my Mother died without any close Female heirs, i became a ward of the Executrix of Her estate, an old family friend name Abi Nash, who happened to be a lawyer. If anything, Ms. Abi was even more supportive of my desire to live independently than my Mother had been. Technically my Custodian, in point of fact She was my mentor and collaborator. She guided me through the legal and financial niceties of running a business in the unofficial economy, co-signed for me to have my own house, and encouraged me to live as independently as i could, never pressuring me to marry. Generally, she shielded me from the tide of Female supremacist sentiment rising both nationally and increasingly in our community.

i honestly don't know what would have happened had Ms. Abi lived. Perhaps She could have continued to shelter and protect me for an indefinite period of time. But maybe not. As it happened, at age 54 She died suddenly of an aneurism, and my life changed markedly and almost immediately. As my Custodian, Ms. Abi officially held title to my house and owned the accounts that had offered me at least limited access to the banking system. my phone and utilities were legally in Her name. At Her death, everything was frozen. i couldn't access any of my money, since neither the banks nor the government considered it my money. my phone was disconnected almost immediately; the utilities would be suspended at the end of the billing cycle. Until Her estate was settled, i would have to survive on the small "rainy day" stash i kept in the house and whatever cash sales i could manage.

i was soon to learn that settling Her estate would be easier said than done. Like the cobbler with holes in Her shoes, Ms. Abi - though a lawyer - died intestate, without a will. Though W/we had never discussed it any detail, Ms. Abi had left me with the impression that should anything happen to Her, my Custodianship (along with of austen, Her husband) would pass to Her trusted partner in the law firm of Shaw and Nash, Ms. Celeste Shaw, whom i both knew and liked.

However, when i called the office both to express my condolences and to see if there was anything i needed to do under the stipulations of my Custodian's will, Ms. Shaw gave me the bad news that Ms. Abi hadn't left a will. She talked with me for some time, trying to reassure me, but i could tell from the tone of Her voice that all was not well. She explained the probate process to me. Without a will, there was no Executrix, so the provincial court would decide on inheritance matters. Traditionally, probate had been entirely a provincial matter, dictated by provincial rules and local case law. But Ms. Shaw warned me that recently enacted federal laws had curtailed much provincial discretion in probate matters in ways that were still being interpreted. She left unsaid what W/we both new: these federal laws were unlikely to work in my favor.

Ms. Shaw told me that in Her experience the provincial courts usually handled probate quickly and efficiently. That was good news. The court would inventory Ms. Abi's (considerable) assets and (modest) debts. Assets had always included unofficial, "grey area" resources such as bank accounts and property held for a custodial boy, since legally these belonged to the Custodian. That was the bad news. Several provinces, such as the one in which i lived, had essentially allowed for the unofficial manumission of boys by allowing the estate to serve as the Custodian indefinitely, a workable legal fiction. Recently, however, federal court rulings had clarified ambiguities and inconsistencies such as these in provincial laws. The emerging precedent was that boys must be considered assets like any other, assigned a monetary value if used to settle the decedent's debts or passing directly to beneficiaries, whether named in the will or identified by the probate court. That was the worse news.

As i mulled this, i asked, "Do You know anything of Ms. Abi's family, Her heirs?"

"No, lark, not much. Do you?"

"No, Ma'am. She didn't have any Daughters. She had two sons, but they were married off a good while back. i don't suppose they figure into this at all."

"No," Ms. Shaw said, "they don't. I don't think She came from a large family or has many close relatives. I don't recall Her ever mentioning Sisters. But there may be cousins, or even aunts. She's not from around here originally, you know; She moved here from back east after law school."

"What happens if there are no heirs?"

"The probate court uses a process called escheatal in such cases. But I wouldn't worry about that, yet anyway. The courts are adept at identifying heirs and, frankly, that's what you should be concerned about. Especially if They're younger and from the east coast, They're likely to have more Matriarchal, even Gynarchic views than Abi did."

"Should i consider making myself scarce?" i asked, using a euphemism for leaving town, maybe even trying to make it to the border for an illegal crossing.

Her reply was delivered in a tone mixing irritation and concern. "If you're asking what I think you're asking, lark, no. I'm an officer of the court; I cannot and will not countenance illegal behavior, even when I disagree with the law. In fact, if I thought you were serious, I'd be bound by the canon of ethics to report you. So, I'm going to assume that was said in jest." Her tone softened a bit. "I know you're nervous, son, but running isn't likely to make things any better and, if you got caught - as you probably would - it could make them much, much worse. Right now, I'd advise you sit tight and wait to see how the probate goes. Who knows, maybe Her heirs share Abi's enlightened views about relations between the genders."

W/we left it at that. She promised to check in on me and to offer what advice She could, though She warned me that She wasn't legally allowed to take me as a client unless appointed guardian ad litem for me by the court, which was highly unlikely. Several days later, i saw Her and Her husband at Ms. Abi's memorial service. austen Nash was there, too. Although we shared a couple of nervous glances, we didn't have a chance to speak. i did chat with Ms. Shaw, who surreptitiously passed me an envelope with a bit of cash inside ("for incidentals") and, more importantly, passed along information. "Word around the courthouse is that they've located some heirs, all rather distant. The first in line is a first cousin, once removed. Younger, from the City," She said, using the shorthand for the national capital, "don't know much else about Her."

When i got back to my house, i took off the more formal outfit i'd worn to the service, changing into my work clothes. As i removed my collar, i spent a few moments contemplating the tag with Ms. Abi's name on in, the tag i'd worn for almost a decade. i wondered if i was permitted to take it off ... and wondered whose tag would replace it.

For the next several weeks, life returned pretty much to normal. i was without my cell phone, but Ms. Celeste managed to keep my utilities turned on. i worked in my shop, completing some projects for clients who were willing to pay in cash. i ventured into town only pick up basic supplies and to speak with Ms. Celeste.

In the third week after the funeral, i received mail. Since i received hardly any, that in itself was significant. That the letter came priority delivery from a law firm in the City gave me significant pause. In fact, i didn't open it for several hours. When i did, fingers trembling with trepidation, i wished i hadn't ... though not facing reality doesn't make it go away.

The two-page letter from Ms. Kathleen Oates, a partner in the firm of Black, Pedosa, and Harris, was addressed to me as larkin Nash (née Eden). It was written in cold, formal, legal language. Ms. Oates informed me that in legal proceedings pertaining to the estate of Ms. Abigail Nash, She represented Ms. Olivia Forbes, who had been identified by the probate court as Ms. Nash's principal heir. While the completion of the probate process could take several more weeks, it was clear that my custodianship was a part of the estate and "that upon settlement of the estate, the custodianship, like all other heritable assets, would descend to Ms. Forbes or Her assignee."

Ms. Oates further informed me that She had filed application with the probate court for a temporary restraining order, which would be delivered shortly after it received pro forma approval. The order would preclude me from "moving, destroying, or significantly altering any and all property, real and personal, at the aforementioned address." She went on to say that the restraining order would also preclude me from leaving the "aforesaid physical address for any purpose without explicit instructions or prior to receiving pre-approval from My office."

The letter ended with some humane language, perhaps heartfelt, but feeling more cursory. "Both My client and I are sensitive to the fact that the death of a Custodian is a traumatic time. We both hope you are doing well. It is in the interest of all parties that the legal issues regarding settlement of the Nash estate and your status be resolved quickly and without incident."

Since i still had internet access, i spent some time looking up Ms. Olivia Forbes. While not a common name, it took me some time to winnow the list down. After excluding those not likely to be of legal age and those not residing in or near the capital, i thought i had found Ms. Abi's cousin and heir. Ms. Forbes was in Her late 20s or early 30s, working as a design consultant and part owner of an art gallery. She was active in some local philanthropies and civic organizations, and had received recognition from the Mayor for Her advocacy of the arts. The images i was able to find of Her might not have been the most flattering. She certainly wasn't a classic beauty in any conventional sense; Her looks and Her style were too severe for that. But She displayed a cosmopolitan poise and confidence that were obvious. The information and even photos i was able to find on-line gave me at least a little to mull over during the coming days.

True to the warning in the lawyer's letter, the following day a process server arrived at my house, delivering the restraining order. Puffed up and full of Her authority, the young Woman asked to look around the place. Feeling it might be foolish to refuse, said She could.

"you live here alone, boy?"

Being addressed like that by a Woman ten years my junior was something i still wasn't used to, but i answered politely. "Yes, Ma'am."

"This your work?" She asked, gesturing toward some cabinetry stacked outside my workshop.

"Yes, it is."

"Talented," She said, passing quick judgment. "Where's your Custodian?"

"She died recently, Ma'am. That's what this" - i pointed to the restraining order - "is about."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Her tone sounded sincere. "What happens to you, now?"

Shrugging my shoulders and looking at the envelope with the restraining order, i said, "i don't really know, Ma'am."

"Yeah, a lot of changes happening. But, you seem like a nice, capable, attractive boy; I'm sure you'll be fine."

A few days later, Ms. Shaw drove out to check on me. After reading through the letter and the injunction, She said that everything appeared to be in order. She also told me that austen had received a nearly identical letter, though She hadn't heard of him receiving a restraining order.

i told Her what i'd been able to find out about Ms. Forbes through my internet searches. "She doesn't sound awful," Ms. Shaw opined. As much as it damned with faint praise, it was a judgment i couldn't disagree with. Again, She urged me to remain calm and let the legal process play out.

And so the days passed. i shifted between despair and believing that things would work out. i did my best to stay busy, but found concentration difficult. Some days i fretted obsessively about what i should pack to take to the City if Ms. Olivia claimed me. Other days i daydreamed about fleeing, taking off overland for the northern border, trying to figure how many days of provisions i could fit into my largest backpack. But i didn't flee, didn't run. i complied with the restraining order and stayed in my house, consuming my dwindling supply of foodstuffs.

... to be continued ...