A Family Divided
It was obvious that something ominous was going on. Doris’ brothers Bub, Jerry and Frank were holding a meeting with her mother at the house. There was a lot of shouting and slamming of fists. Doris and I decided to stay out of whatever it was they were talking about. After a while, however, one of the boys came to our door and asked Doris to come over and have a discussion with them. They made it clear that I was not invited.
When Doris joined the family she was offered a price for the property if we would agree to take the money and move out. It appeared that the brothers were collectively very upset that we had moved into the little house on that piece of property and they wanted us to leave. We could not believe what they were telling us. It was not until some years later that we discovered what the problem was. It seems that Doris’ father had arranged to divide his 40-acre parcel of land between all four of his children. Under the agreement, signed by both parents, she had a quick-claim deed to the property on the corner the moment Gladys died. But under state law, we had to occupy the property at the time or the deed would be invalid. The boys were quarreling over how to get rid of us so they could split the remains between themselves.
I tried to stay out of the affairs of the Babcock family but when Doris told me about what occurred that day I got mad. We actually thought over the offer for a few days. We even went house hunting in the area, looking around to see what we could buy for another home. We didn’t find much that interested us. We had already put a lot of work in the little house we were in, we were comfortable there, and we were not in a mood to pack up and move again. After thinking it over I told Doris she needed to stand up to her brothers and say no. She was committed to caring for her ailing mother during her final days and this was going to be her inheritance. She agreed and we drew a line in the sand.
That, of course, created a rift in the family that never fully healed. Bub and Frank went into almost total separation, never having much to do with us again. Jerry maintained a strange continued friendship for a while. Gladys and Doris had a big argument, Gladys said she didn’t need Doris’ help and told her to stay away, and Doris quit going over to fix her meals, take her to town and clean her house. That lasted a few weeks until Gladys realized that her boys weren’t going to do for her what Doris had been doing. She apologized and all was well again.
Relations were strained after that. We really missed Wayne.
It was obvious that something ominous was going on. Doris’ brothers Bub, Jerry and Frank were holding a meeting with her mother at the house. There was a lot of shouting and slamming of fists. Doris and I decided to stay out of whatever it was they were talking about. After a while, however, one of the boys came to our door and asked Doris to come over and have a discussion with them. They made it clear that I was not invited.
When Doris joined the family she was offered a price for the property if we would agree to take the money and move out. It appeared that the brothers were collectively very upset that we had moved into the little house on that piece of property and they wanted us to leave. We could not believe what they were telling us. It was not until some years later that we discovered what the problem was. It seems that Doris’ father had arranged to divide his 40-acre parcel of land between all four of his children. Under the agreement, signed by both parents, she had a quick-claim deed to the property on the corner the moment Gladys died. But under state law, we had to occupy the property at the time or the deed would be invalid. The boys were quarreling over how to get rid of us so they could split the remains between themselves.
I tried to stay out of the affairs of the Babcock family but when Doris told me about what occurred that day I got mad. We actually thought over the offer for a few days. We even went house hunting in the area, looking around to see what we could buy for another home. We didn’t find much that interested us. We had already put a lot of work in the little house we were in, we were comfortable there, and we were not in a mood to pack up and move again. After thinking it over I told Doris she needed to stand up to her brothers and say no. She was committed to caring for her ailing mother during her final days and this was going to be her inheritance. She agreed and we drew a line in the sand.
That, of course, created a rift in the family that never fully healed. Bub and Frank went into almost total separation, never having much to do with us again. Jerry maintained a strange continued friendship for a while. Gladys and Doris had a big argument, Gladys said she didn’t need Doris’ help and told her to stay away, and Doris quit going over to fix her meals, take her to town and clean her house. That lasted a few weeks until Gladys realized that her boys weren’t going to do for her what Doris had been doing. She apologized and all was well again.
Relations were strained after that. We really missed Wayne.