I Knew I Would be Left Out of the Will but Seeing it on Paper was a Hard Blow
another knockout punch of a toxic family system
Sometime after my stepdad (Karl) crossed over to the other side, I began to receive a series of legal documents in the mail. The first one was a copy of his will. It was his intentions for what to do with all his stuff after his death. But it was also a declaration of his children’s standing in his eyes. It was for me the ink on paper verification of where I have been placed in this severely dysfunctional family arrangement.
At the time Karl died, I was working to escape from my husband. In a matter of weeks, I would have to leave my house and divorce hell began. I still would speak to my family of origin. I avoided most calls. The agony of all that was coming down on me was unbearable. It wasn’t safe to tell them anything, but they had already been gossiping long before. And to this day not one of them has ever asked me or even once mentioned anything about one girl’s marriage ending.
I knew that I would not be given any inheritance. It was my long-held expectation. No one ever said the words. But I knew all too well the dynamics of my chaotic family. It seems there were a lot of conversations that went on behind my back. There was no surprise, only confirmation. Cold, hard, visual confirmation.
