On Monday at 9:30 in the morning, I arrived at Notary Selenus’s office.
Megan accompanied me, her leather briefcase full of documents.
She looked like a movie lawyer.
Black pants suit.
Heels.
Hair tied back in a perfect bun.
“Ready, Aunt B?” she asked as we climbed the stairs of the colonial building in downtown Coyoakan.
“Ready.”
Mr. Hector welcomed us into his office with its high ceilings and old mahogany furniture.
It smelled of old books and coffee.
“Mrs. Betty,” he greeted me with a fatherly hug. “I’m so sorry things have come to this.”
“Me too, my friend. But here we are.”
We sat down.
The clock read 9:47.
At 9:52, we heard footsteps on the stairs.
The door opened.
Daniel came in first.
He was wearing a gray suit, a dark tie, as if he were going to a funeral.
His eyes were sunk in red from lack of sleep.
And behind him came Emily.
But not the confident, arrogant Emily I was used to.
This Emily was wearing a conservative navy blue dress.
No cleavage.
No stilettos.
Low heels.
Little makeup.
Her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail.
She looked like a scolded child.
She saw me and immediately looked away.
Interesting.
“Good morning,” Daniel said in a hoarse voice.
“Good morning,” I replied.
They sat on the other side of the table.
Mr. Hector at the head.
Megan took documents out of her briefcase with precise professional movements.
“All right,” Mr. Hector began, putting on his glasses. “We are here to resolve a situation of property and occupancy. Mrs. Beatatrice is the legal owner of the property located at—”
“We know,” Emily interrupted.
Her voice was tense.
“We already know everything.”
Megan raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, you do? Do you know that my client has invested $136,800 in that property?”
“Yes.”
“And that you have technically been living without a lease for three years?”
Emily clenched her fists in her lap.
“Yes.”
“And that my client has the legal right to request immediate eviction, collect back rent, and sue for moral damages?”
At that, Emily looked up.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“Yes, we know. We know everything.”
The silence that followed was thick.
Daniel cleared his throat.
“Mom, I listened to the recordings. All of them. All of them.”
His voice cracked.
“All seventeen. It took me four hours, and each one destroyed me a little more.”
