For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Derek looked at me as if he expected me to explain myself.
I didn't.
He glanced toward Megan.
Then toward Ray.
His face had become tense.
"Mom, we already talked about this."
I held the manila folder against my side.
"Yes, we did."
"You agreed."
I looked at him.
"I agreed to end a telephone conversation. I didn't give away my home."
He lowered his voice.
"Please don't do this in front of everybody."
I glanced toward the neighbors.
They were watching.
Some had stopped near their driveways.
Others were standing beside their cars.
I hadn't invited an audience.
Neither had I arranged the moving truck.
But I wasn't going to leave simply because Derek felt embarrassed.
Ray approached us.
He still had a box in his hands.
He looked from Derek to me.
"What is going on?"
Derek answered before I could.
"It's my mother."
Ray placed the box down.
"I can see that."
Megan came closer.
Her expression was different from the one she had worn when she brought me the photocopy.
She looked nervous.
"Vivien, this isn't necessary."
I turned toward her.
"Then perhaps you can explain why your parents are unloading their belongings into my house."
She didn't answer.
Donna stepped away from the porch.
She was wearing the yellow dress I remembered seeing earlier in the week.
She looked toward the U-Haul.
Then she looked at me.
"We were told everything was settled."
I nodded.
"I know what you were told."
Ray shifted his weight.
"Derek said the property was his."
I didn't respond immediately.
I wanted to hear Derek explain it himself.
He looked uncomfortable.
"Mom, we can talk about this privately."
I shook my head.
"Not after you've already started moving people into the house."
He rubbed his forehead.
I had seen that gesture before.
Usually when he was frustrated or didn't want to answer a question.
This time, it made me remember how many conversations I had avoided because I didn't want to upset him.
I wasn't going to avoid this one.
Then I heard a vehicle approaching.
A sheriff's cruiser entered the cul-de-sac.
It moved slowly.
Its lights were turning.
The people near the truck stepped aside.
Ray looked toward it.
Donna stopped talking.
Derek turned around.
The cruiser came to a stop behind my truck.
A deputy stepped out.
He looked toward the house.
Then he approached us.
"Good morning."
I greeted him.
Derek looked confused.
"What's this about?"
The deputy didn't answer him immediately.
He asked me whether I was Vivien Ivers.
I said yes.
He asked whether the property was the address involved in the dispute.
I confirmed it.
Then he asked who had arranged the move-in.
I pointed toward Derek and Ray.
"Those are the people who have been arranging it."
Ray shook his head.
"There's been a misunderstanding."
The deputy remained calm.
"All right. Let's take this one step at a time."
I appreciated that.
I didn't want shouting.
I didn't want anyone pushing past anyone else.
I wanted the documents reviewed.
A silver Lexus pulled in behind the cruiser.
My attorney stepped out.
He carried a folder of his own.
He walked toward me.
"Vivien."
I nodded.
"Thank you for coming."
He greeted the deputy.
Then he looked at Derek.
There was no surprise on his face.
I suspected he had already understood what kind of morning this would be.
Derek pointed toward the truck.
"Why is my mother bringing an attorney here?"
My attorney opened his folder.
"Because there is a dispute concerning ownership of this property."
Derek laughed nervously.
"There isn't a dispute. The deed was signed years ago."
I looked at him.
He seemed very certain.
My attorney didn't argue.
He simply asked Derek whether he had a copy of the recorded deed.
Derek hesitated.
"I have the paperwork."
"Is it recorded?"
Derek glanced toward Megan.
She looked at the ground.
I could see Ray watching them.
The deputy asked whether anyone had entered the property without permission.
My attorney explained that the ownership documents needed to be reviewed before the moving activity continued.
Ray crossed his arms.
"We have already terminated our lease."
I looked at him.
I understood that this was difficult for him.
But it wasn't something I had arranged.
He had made that decision based on what Derek told him.
My attorney asked him to hold off on unloading anything else.
Ray looked toward the truck.
Then he looked at Derek.
Nobody moved.
The deputy asked everyone to remain calm while the paperwork was examined.
I handed my folder to my attorney.
He removed the first set of documents.
I watched Derek's face as he turned the pages.
For the first time that morning, he wasn't looking at me as though I were an inconvenience.
He was looking at the papers.
I felt no satisfaction.
Only relief that the truth was finally being placed in front of everyone.
Click here to continue reading: PART 7: My Attorney Opened the Trust Papers, and the Old Deed My Son Had Hidden Finally Lost Its Power Over the Morning
The Afternoon My Son Told Me I Had Lost the Right to Enter the House I Had Spent Twenty Years Building
Part 6 of 24
