Mystery Solved... Sort of...

Just so you can keep the cast of characters straight for this latest saga:
Velma – W’s ex-wife whom we recently learned died a while back
Fred – W’s eldest son who lives in the same area as Velma did and was kind of main caretaker for her in terms of financial affairs and such
Shaggy – W’s other son from family #1 who lives a rather eclectic life out in the wilds of Montana
Daphne – wonderfully helpful woman at the local (where Velma lived) office of the federal agency involved
Anytime I say “local” in this story it refers to the area where Velma lived and where Fred still lives.
(Remember that names, locations, etc. may not be accurate so nobody runs across this story by accident, but the essence of the story is absolute truth.)

Now, where were we in our story? Oh yes, W contacted an attorney. Right. On with the story…

W talked to a paralegal in the attorney’s office and agreed to an amount for a retainer. He explained the situation, that he wanted the garnishment removed from his monthly federal payment now that Velma was dead. The paralegal took down all the pertinent information, did some research and found some interesting information. It seems that several months ago Velma had assigned the monthly payments from her to Fred and Shaggy. Since then the payments have been going to Fred and Shaggy instead of Velma. The paralegal said to W, “Looks like you’ve been taken for a ride.”

Suddenly, the reason behind Fred’s reactions became clear. Fred wasn’t afraid that W was going to want part of Velma’s estate. Fred was afraid W would find out that he and Shaggy had been sharing those monthly payments from W. Of course, now W had done just that. Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.

W has not spoken to Fred or Shaggy since learning this news. He has alternately spent time pacing the floor angrily muttering to himself and sitting at his computer writing venomous letters to his children that he has no intention of sending. W slept little the first week after the big reveal. Now, perhaps out of exhaustion, or perhaps because his emotions are tamped back down a bit, probably a bit of both, he is sleeping better.

What this did to me is send me back to my old worry of having to deal with the children from Family #1 when W dies someday. Oh joy, oh joy. I would almost prefer to “forget” to tell them of their father’s demise, just as they did him with their mother’s. I have spent too much time fuming over this. Almost certainly, after his death they will show up wanting this or that from the house because it belongs to their family. They will almost certainly demand to know how much money W has when he dies because they will expect to share in his vast wealth. (BTW, if you happen to know where this mythical vast wealth may be, W and I would be really grateful if you’d point us to it, because we don’t know of any.) I will almost certainly have to get a restraining order against Shaggy at the very least and possibly against Fred since I can almost guarantee they will do everything in their power to force their way into my house, and W’s accounts and all manner of things they have no right to.

Yes, I’m carrying on. Yes, I am probably exaggerating. I hope so. I hope once W’s gone that Family #1 goes away and leaves me and mine alone… completely alone.

Never before have I hated Fred and Shaggy. They’ve done some things in the past that I didn’t like much but nothing that even comes close to this. Their point of view, and they have told W this many times, is that I have spent the last 25 years sponging off of their father. They don’t seem to recognize that I am the main breadwinner of this family for much of that time. Within a year after we married W became unemployed and has never held more than part time minimum wage jobs since then. What he gets on a monthly basis from retirement and his mom’s trust is not even half what I make. They think I’m sponging off of him?!? Nothing could be further from the truth.

Anyway, W has turned the attorney loose to do everything possible to get the garnishment released and get back as much money as possible that was paid to his children instead of his ex-wife. He has also taken steps to close his mother’s trust since there is very little left in it anyway.

The love of money is the root of all evil… at least in Family #1.