The following Thursday, Linda and Carol arrived together.
I recognized Linda's car before she reached the driveway.
Carol was in the passenger seat.
I was hanging towels when I saw them pull up.
I took down the last towel and carried the basket inside.
Alden was in the living room.
He had been waiting for them.
I could tell by the way he stood up immediately.
"Joanne, my sisters are here."
"I can see that."
Linda entered first.
She was wearing a cream-colored sweater and carrying a large handbag.
Carol followed.
Neither woman looked particularly pleased to see me.
I offered them coffee.
Linda declined.
Carol accepted.
Alden sat down.
"Well, let's get this settled."
I remained standing.
"What's there to settle?"
Linda looked at me.
"Joanne, we've talked about this enough."
I waited.
She continued.
"You're upsetting your husband."
I looked at Alden.
He was staring at the television.
"How?"
Linda seemed surprised by the question.
"By renting the pasture. By changing the bank arrangements. By going to the courthouse without telling him."
I nodded.
Then I asked something simple.
"Did Alden tell you that my pension was moved into an account I didn't recognize?"
Linda glanced at her brother.
He shifted in his chair.
Carol put her coffee down.
"We're not here to discuss bank business."
"That's exactly what this started with."
Alden finally spoke.
"Joanne, stop making accusations."
I looked at him.
"I'm asking questions."
Linda sighed.
"Your husband works hard. You know that."
"I know."
"He spends two weeks away from home."
"I know that too."
"He deserves to come home and have some peace."
I looked at her.
"So do I."
Nobody spoke.
For a moment, the only sound was the television.
Then Carol asked whether the goats were really going to stay.
I told her the rental agreement was signed.
Linda shook her head.
"That's unbelievable."
I went to the kitchen drawer.
I took out the certified deed and the pasture agreement.
Then I returned to the living room.
I placed both documents on the coffee table.
"This is the property record. This is the agreement with Miriam."
Linda looked at the deed.
Carol leaned closer.
Alden didn't touch either paper.
Linda read the property description.
Then she looked at the signature.
"Well, I didn't know it was only in your name."
I looked at her.
"You've been coming here for forty years."
She didn't answer.
Carol picked up the rental agreement.
She read the first page.
Then the second.
"Everything seems to be written down properly."
Alden looked at her sharply.
"Whose side are you on?"
Carol put the paper down.
"I'm not taking sides. I'm reading it."
That was the first time I had heard anyone in his family say something reasonable about the situation.
Linda handed the deed back.
"Still, you should have talked to Alden."
I sat down.
"I tried to talk to him about the water heater. I tried to talk to him about the bank. I tried to talk to him about the pension."
Alden frowned.
"Here we go."
I continued.
"Every time, he made the decision and expected me to accept it."
Linda crossed her arms.
"That's not what happened."
I looked at her.
"Then tell me what happened."
She had no answer.
I wasn't trying to embarrass her.
I wasn't trying to win an argument.
I simply wanted somebody to hear the whole story.
Alden stood up.
"That's enough."
He walked toward the kitchen.
Linda followed him.
Carol remained seated.
After a few minutes, she came over to me.
"Joanne, I didn't know about the pension."
I nodded.
"I figured you didn't."
She lowered her voice.
"Are you all right financially?"
That question nearly brought tears to my eyes.
It was the first time anybody in his family had asked.
"I'm managing."
She touched my shoulder.
"I hope you know what you're doing."
I smiled faintly.
"I'm learning."
The sisters left about an hour later.
Linda barely said goodbye.
Carol gave me a small wave.
After their car disappeared, Alden came back into the living room.
He was angry.
"You made me look foolish."
I picked up the coffee cups.
"I didn't make you do anything."
"You embarrassed me in front of my family."
I carried the cups toward the kitchen.
"Then perhaps you should have told them the truth before they came."
He followed me.
"What truth?"
I turned around.
"That you closed our joint account. That you moved my pension. That you told me I didn't need to know where my money was going."
He stared at me.
Then he walked away.
I washed the cups.
I dried them.
I put them back in the cupboard.
That evening, I sat on the porch.
Across the road, Miriam's children were checking the animals.
The goats were settling down for the night.
I could see the white patch on the forehead of the smallest one.
It was standing near the fence.
I smiled.
Somewhere inside the house, Alden was making another phone call.
But for once, I wasn't interested in who he was telling his story to.
I knew what had happened.
And I had the documents to prove it.
Click here to continue reading: PART 11: I Found an Old Photograph of My Father in the Kitchen Drawer, and Suddenly I Remembered Why He Had Left the Land to Me
My Pension Disappeared Before Breakfast, and the Woman at the Bank Told Me Something I Never Expected to Hear
Part 10 of 20
