At some point, we remembered we had a young person who may need us soon, so we dressed and went back downstairs for dinner. Her distant squeals told me she was not thinking about us one bit as she hurled her body back and forth on the slip ‘n slide, taking advantage of the warm spring air. Sophia and I ate in a stupor, still trying to process the news. The lottery?! I’ve had a handful of miracles in my life, but I never thought something so wonderfully preposterous would ever happen to me. No one in my six spheres of influence had ever won. In times where I recognized the names of the winners, all of them were already sims of means. I didn’t think regular Joes like us would ever win.
“Do we tell anyone?” I asked.
“Huh?”
“That we won the lottery. Do we tell our friends?”
“I’m pretty sure they already know.”
I think our small circle is pretty trustworthy, but I guess this will test our friendship. Anyone who’s been faking it this whole time will definitely show themselves…along with all the long-lost relatives that will surely appear, heh. But like I said, I think we have the best friends, and being new-rich shouldn’t be a problem.
“I’m gonna go call in Desi,” she said. “Wish me luck.”
“Ha! If you’re not back in five minutes, I’ll know you’re both on that thing.”
Between my wife and sister, the kids barely got to use the slip ‘n slide, heh.
I went to the living room and turned on the TV as I scrolled through various news apps, trying to see if anyone made a big splash about Sophia winning the lottery. The news channel was on, and I put my phone down when I heard them talking about a mysterious visitor they think had actually time traveled from the past. Between the lottery and this, I couldn’t take anymore bizarreness and hopped on the computer to look into this inheritance lawyer stuff.
Even before this lottery business, I was on track to carry on the Pope family legacy, setting up Desi and the nuggets for success. The money tree did that for us, and I was so proud to keep the tradition going. But with the lottery money, I’m quite sure I’ll be able to do it even bigger than gammy did for Mama. It’s not a competition, of course, but it would be really cool if, generations down the line, my descents were wealthy and powerful, and I was the one who made everything possible. A man can dream, huh? Anyway… It thrilled me to know Desiree will have the time, money, and freedom to pursue her all dreams.
I found a few law firms nearby. Some sounded like huge establishments in a fancy building with tons of employees. Others were clearly just a dude and a computer. I wanted a smaller firm that loved serving sims and was less concerned about how much they could charge me. Frankie Ocampo and Associates seemed like the one for me, so I emailed him, expressing my interest to meet tomorrow.
“Whatcha doin,” Desiree said behind me, scaring the cowplant essence out of me.
“Sheesh, kid. Wear a bell! I was looking for a lawyer.”
“Why do you need one?”
“Because… Well…”
Being a dad has made me realize I’m more like Mama than I thought. It’s not a bad thing, of course, but most—including myself—would agree I’m more like Dad. The way I parent Desi reminds me of how Mama was with us. She never lied or sugar-coated the truth, and, like her, I also feel a duty to be honest with my child. I just hope I can have difficult conversations half as well as Mama.
“Well…I need a lawyer, so when I’m gone, things happen how I want them to.”
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere yet, but eventually I’m going to die; everyone will. And if you die without a will, you risk the chance of all your stuff being lost.”
She looked at me like I spoke whatever they speak on Sixam.
“Why don’t you go sit, and I’ll heat you up something to eat.”
While the microwave whirred, I thought up how to better present this odd concept to a child who has never experienced death before. Lucky duck.
“Alright. Here you go. So… You know how you keep your favorite toy in your inventory so you can have it everywhere?”
She shook her head as she chomped on last night’s chicken sliders.
“Okay. A will is a legal document that’s basically like instructions for what happens with your possessions when you die. Are you with me so far?”
She didn’t confirm, but her eyes weren’t glazed over, so I continued.
“Alright, so keep your favorite toy in your inventory, right? Let’s say you’re really old, and you still have that toy. You’ll probably want your favorite grandchild to have it. But if you die without will, you can’t control who gets it or if anyone does. With a will, you can say who should get the toy, and a lawyer will make sure everyone gets what they’re supposed to get.”
“What do I get??”
“HA!! Nice try. It’s gonna be a big surprise.”
“Pleeeeease? Can I have a little hint?”
“Okay. ONE little hint.”
“YES!”
“I have some things that were very special to my mom. She gave them to me, and I’m gonna give them to you. Hopefully, you’ll give them to your child.”
She didn’t seem impressed.
“I don’t get any money?”
“Nope. No money.”
Her shoulders deflated, and I wanted to laugh but couldn’t break character yet. I let that hang in the air for a bit before explaining.
“I’m not leaving you any money because I’m going to give it to you way before then.”
“YES!!”
