Three Months of Mourning

Donovan's voice carried anger too. "Keep your voice down. Don't let him hear you."

"I wish he would hear! Maybe then he'd have the sense to move out."

"How was I supposed to know he'd be like this? I thought he'd give in to my mom! Who knew he'd be so stubborn!"

"So, what do we do now? We can't get rent from him. Maya's starting elementary school soon and still doesn't have her own room. She can't keep sharing with us forever."

I stopped listening to the rest. It was just more passive-aggressive complaining about me. I rolled over, closed my eyes, and went back to sleep.

…

That morning, I had fieldwork with the afternoon off. I came home early without telling anyone. The moment I opened the front door, I saw my bedroom door slightly ajar. My mother-in-law was hunched over, rummaging frantically through my nightstand.

"Mom, did you find it yet? The property deed should be in a red folder. It's hard to miss."

Her phone sat on the pillow with the speaker on. Sloane's voice came through loud and clear.

"Not yet... I've been looking everywhere and still can't find it."

"Keep looking!" Sloane's tone turned urgent.

"Now that Arya's gone, Donovan is your only son left. If you don't rely on him, who will you rely on? Once we transfer the house into our name, we can take proper care of you in your old age.

"If you can't find it and the house stays in Graham's name, our family of four will have nowhere to live. And you can forget about a comfortable retirement!"

I stood in the doorway, coldly watching this scene unfold.

My mother-in-law's hand trembled. She whipped around and met my eyes. Her face went deathly pale as she fumbled to end the call, her lips quivering. "Graham... You... Why are you home?"

She stood frozen in place. She darted her eyes away, looking like a child caught doing something wrong.

I looked at her, feeling a pang of bitterness. I let out a soft sigh. "Grace, even though Arya's gone, I've always treated you like my own mother."

Without waiting to see her mortified expression, I walked straight into my room and closed the door. That evening, I did not join them for dinner.

They assumed I was not home, so their conversation in the living room became unguarded.

"Grace, I asked you to find one property deed, and you couldn't even do that. What can you actually accomplish?" Sloane's accusation was undisguised.

"I really did look everywhere... He's done too good a job at hiding it." My mother-in-law's voice was low.

"How big can one room be?" Donovan sounded impatient.

"Look again tomorrow. It has to be in a drawer or cabinet somewhere. It can't just disappear into thin air."

I barely slept that night. First thing the next morning, I put the property deed in my bag, took it straight to the office, and locked it in my desk drawer. When they could not find the property deed, they came up with a different scheme.

After work that day, Sloane called me. "Graham, come home early. We have something important to tell you."

I took my time heading home. The moment I walked in, I saw an unfamiliar woman sitting on the living room couch. She looked to be in her early 30s.

Sloane immediately pulled me over enthusiastically. "Come on, Graham. Let me introduce you. This is my distant cousin. She's virtuous and has a steady job."

The woman smiled at me. I ignored her and looked at Sloane instead. "What's this about?"

Sloane's face was all smiles, but her words were blunt. "Graham, look. Arya's gone, but you're still young. You can't spend the rest of your life alone.

"Why not remarry now? Then you'll have someone to care for you, and you can have a child. Wouldn't that be perfect? My cousin is really great. She'd treat you well."

I actually laughed at the absurdity. "Arya just passed away, and you're already rushing to find me a new wife? Don't you think that's inappropriate?"

Donovan immediately put on a stern face. "How is it inappropriate? We're doing this for your own good! What kind of life is it for a young man to stay single forever?"

"For my own good?" I let out a cold laugh. "You just want me to get out of this house sooner, right?"