Shanay Hazell

An Empty Life

Settling the estate was more complicated than Mike had expected. It was a full month after his father’s death before he was back in the lawyer’s office for the last time, waiting to hear the final amount his father had left him. The lawyer opened the sealed envelope with agonizing slowness, as Mike’s heartrate soared. It’s fine, he reminded himself, taking a breath. Everything had already been taken care of; the lawyer would hand him the cheque, and he would continue on with his life. He would forget about his father once again. There was nothing to be nervous about. Whatever else his father had been, he had worked every day of his life, and Mike knew he had at least been left a decent inheritance. Hopefully it would be enough to buy a new car and pay off the house, to start.