Chapter 141: Frank's Legacy
Frank's will contained many things about the children.
He expressed concern about Fiona's future—urging her to think more about herself. Her younger siblings had their own lives, and Fiona deserved one of her own. He also warned her to be very cautious—extremely cautious—when it came to her feelings for Steve.
For Lip, Frank talked about education and tuition. He hoped Lip could be a role model for the other kids, but made it clear that Lip shouldn't feel pressured. He was to study for his own sake, not because the family expected him to lift them out of poverty.
Frank even addressed Ian's situation specifically. He acknowledged that Ian wasn't his biological son and that Ian was gay. Frank confessed his inner conflict over how to tell Ian, but ultimately reassured him that he stood by him and supported his journey of self-discovery.
To Debbie, Frank simply gave his most heartfelt blessings.
For Carl, it was worry—he asked Fiona and the others to keep a closer eye on him, hoping to steer him away from a future that might lead to prison.
To Karen, he wrote: "You'll always be Daddy's little girl. Take good care of Sheila."
Frank also left messages for Kevin and Veronica, calling them like family—half-son, half-daughter. To him, they were part of the clan.
At the end of the letter, Frank mentioned Monica, telling the kids that she did love them—but that, if possible, they should never seek her out again. He warned them to stay far away from her.
This will was written quite a while ago. So recent events—like Steve's real name being Jimmy or the incident with the abusive husband at the corner store—weren't mentioned at all.
After reading the letter, the kids sat in silence for a long time. No one said a word.
"Never thought Frank could be this sentimental," Kevin muttered, rubbing his reddened eyes.
"What else is in the box?" someone asked as they began pulling out other items.
"This is Aunt Ginger's inheritance!" Lip exclaimed, unfolding a paper. It was an official, notarized will—but not Frank's. It was supposedly from Ginger.
Ginger's biggest asset was the house they were living in. Frank had known Ginger died a long time ago, but he'd kept it secret to keep collecting her pension. Since her death was never made public, no official will had ever been created.
After sorting things out, Frank forged the will himself, had it notarized, and arranged for the house to be left to Fiona.
As long as they could find a random old lady's corpse to pass off as Ginger, and get her death registered, the house would legally belong to Fiona.
Without that fake will, it would've been a mess. Who knows what sort of distant relatives might crawl out of the woodwork to fight for the house?
"But wait—why is there a property certificate here with Fiona's name on it?" Ian asked, confused as he examined the official documents.
"This address... it's nearby," Ian noted.
"What do you mean nearby? It's the house next door—that's been empty all this time!" Veronica said.
"Wait, the house next door is in Fiona's name? What the hell? Did Frank buy the place? How'd he get the money?" Everyone looked at the deed, stunned.
Even Fiona—who stood to gain the most—was totally bewildered.
"How much money is in this bank card? And what's the PIN?" Veronica asked as she pulled out the card. She searched the box but couldn't find any clues about the password.
"There's another letter in here!" Debbie said, opening a torn envelope. A folded sheet of paper slipped out.
There were actually two letters in the envelope—one thick and filled with personal messages to the children, and a single-page sheet detailing the inheritance.
In the inheritance summary, Frank explained everything clearly—the house from Ginger, the house next door, and the bank card.
The card contained all of Frank's hidden savings: disability payments, Ginger's pension, money from translating manuscripts, and insurance payouts. Over the years, it had accumulated to several tens of thousands of dollars.
Frank always used cash—just a few hundred bucks here and there—which was more than enough in a South Side slum. He'd periodically visit Sheila to make deposits into the card, then hide it back in the box.
Before going to New York, Frank only carried cash—he didn't bring the card.
So when the police released him, Frank had no money on him. The only item they returned was his basic book.
Even though Joseph had gone bankrupt and all his assets were seized, the law didn't go after unrelated individuals. If Frank had been caught with the bank card, the police would've returned it after verifying it was his and had nothing to do with Joseph. But cash? That would've been confiscated immediately.
In the letter, Frank said the money in the card was meant for the children's school tuition. He urged them to use it wisely. If tuition wasn't enough, they could sell the house next door. One way or another, he wanted them to get an education.
That was all. That was Frank's entire legacy.
After handing everything over, Karen sat with them for a while, then left to go check on Sheila.
Once she was gone, the mood in the house dropped even further. The kids were still reeling from Frank's death.
What made it worse was reading his will—his heartfelt words—and realizing how much he'd done behind the scenes for them. And they couldn't forget that the last time they saw Frank... was the night they kicked him out of the house.
Frank had no idea that, because he never called home or checked in, everyone thought he was already dead.
At that moment, Frank was in a bar in New Mexico, drinking with Walter.
"Say," Frank said, sipping a beer, "I always thought you and Gretchen were a thing. Everyone said you two were perfect—smart, attractive, meant to be. I figured you'd get married and become some famous scientist couple."
"I ended up marrying Skyler," Walter replied, "And Gretchen... she married Elliot."
"Elliot? Oh right! That skinny nerd with the big ears we used to hang out with. I remember now. Hey, wasn't he supposed to be gay?" Frank laughed.
"He never was gay—just came off a little feminine. You were the only one who kept bullying him," Walter said with a smirk, recalling the old days.
(End of Chapter)
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