Primo: I have to answer Ted's email.
Me: About his sending you a tally of his expenses?
Primo: He wants my mom's bracelet.
Me: Right. The one your dad promised to Ted'sWife.
Primo: Only the one I found isn't the right one.
Me: Didn't you give it to them when we were all at the house?
Primo: Yes.
Me: Then why didn't they say something then?
Primo: They took it to a jeweler and he told them it was costume jewelry.
Me: Why would they take it to a jeweler?
Primo: Because - I don't know. But he wrote, "Whereas TW is delighted to have it as a keepsake from Doris, it sure would be great to honor Dad’s wish to TW to bequeath her the one he had in mind. In the grand scheme of things, this doesn’t rise to a high priority; however, I’m always a fan of doing the right thing."
Me: "Doing the right thing?" What's that supposed to mean?
Primo: That I am not doing it right.
Me: Wait. Does he think you have the bracelet and aren't giving it to him? Why would you do that?
Primo: My dad said it was the most expensive piece of jewelry he had ever given my mom.
Me: But - do they want it to sell it? Or do they want it as a keepsake?
Primo: I don't know.
Me: Why is he being so pissy with you? His tone implies that you are withholding the bracelet from him.
Primo: I know.
Me: But you don't have it! And you don't even want it!
Primo: I know.
Me: I don't want it!
Primo: I know.
Me: Why is he like this?
Primo: I don't know.
Me: This is like your mom accusing me for five years of stealing her watch and then not bothering to tell us until a year after she found it in the pocket of her sweater that she had found it. Why do people in your family think you and I are stealing their jewelry?
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Um. Maybe I am completely wrong. But... It's entirely possible here that the most expensive piece of jewelry that Sly ever gave Doris was a piece of costume jewelry, right?
ReplyDeleteIs Ted just in for a mad disappointment period?
- AC
Ha, I love Cat's comment! Seriously, though, divvying up grandma's jewelry seems to be a sore spot in a lot of families -- people claiming they were promised certain things, other things disappearing or perhaps not remembered correctly in the first place, and then arguing. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteAnd Ted's seems determined to win some worst person ever after the funeral award. Heck, he got a jump early with before the funeral.
ReplyDeletewait! if it was Doris' bracelet, what possible claim would Ted have to it? Did Doris leave everything to Sly? Primo is Doris' son - not Ted. At least that is my understanding of this family tree. Doesn't Primo get all of Doris' personal property? even the aluminum wrap ...
ReplyDeleteSly told him he could have it. I guess after Doris died, everything became Sly's, right? So he got to dispose of Doris' property? Good thing I didn't want anything! (Except the tin foil.)
DeleteTangentially, I am reminded of the story of my friend's engagement ring. The center stone came from the husband's family -- mother or grandmother, I can't remember which -- and it was HUGE -- something like 3 carats. The groom's family was all braggy about it, that it was this fabulous heirloom, and the bride was getting such a gift, yada, yada, yada.
ReplyDeleteThey took it in to get it re-set from the original setting to a more modern one that suited the bride, and as the stone was being placed in the new setting, it melted.
Because, you know, that's what synthetic stones do when heated to temperatures beyond what they can stand, but temperatures that real diamonds can withstand.
Just read this to Primo. He said, "They weren't doing it right!"
DeleteGeez did they hit it with a tactical nuke or what?
DeleteIf I recall the gist of the story correctly, it was basically a paste stone, so any amount of heat would have destroyed it. The groom had the decency to be truly horrified by his family's attempt to pass a fake stone off as real, the bride learned the family's true colors, and there was much drama.
DeleteHahaha I smell a blog!
DeleteHahaha I smell a blog!
DeleteYou know what they say, verbal agreements aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Besides, as I've said before, if the executor distributes anything not according to the will, they could be sued by the other heirs. Now, lots of times family members can AGREE to let one person have items of sentimental value, but if their value is more than negligible then that value is usually deducted from their share of the inheritance! Those who object to keeping it fair like that would be the first to scream bloody murder if someone else got something that they didn't!
ReplyDeleteBut - Ted has only one child! And Jack has three! So Ted deserves more!
DeleteActually given that Ted and Jack have monies coming from their mother I think Sly's will is pretty good. The kids who can really use the money get it and Primo gets his ~half. I used almost all the money from my mother's estate to cover college costs for my 3 kids. My MIL's estate will allow my husband to retire from his job and give him the flexibility to work part time.
DeleteNot only is Ted a pompous ahole his grammar is terrible. I've never seen anyone abuse commas and semicolons in such a short paragraph. Heretic!
ReplyDeleteSometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Ted is now the smartest man in the world. "The King is dead, long live the King"
Delete:)
DeleteI really, really dislike these people.
ReplyDeleteOh god, families. Death really does bring out the worst in some people. I have stories of my own family members behaviour after my mother died which make Ted seem like a reasonable human being.
ReplyDeleteMy mother didn't actually help though. She specified some jewellery go to my oldest half sister (but unknown to me had given it to her years before). I was panicking as I couldn't find it (I was one of the executors of the estate) but, luckily, when I mentioned this, my sister told me she already had it. I can just about guarantee that if it had been my other, completely mad, half sister, that she would had denied all knowledge and accused me of stealing it.
Ted is an awful human being. There, I said it. He will never be satisfied.
ReplyDeleteTrying to please a greedy person is impossible. Nothing - I mean NOTHING - will be good enough for him. Primo must keep this in his mind all the time when dealing with Ted.
Even if Ted had inherited everything alone, he would still be complaining about something.
Francesca
I bet that he would demand to be reimbursed for the wax paper, ziplock bags, and saran wrap.
DeleteMaybe Sly was playing a trick on Ted when he said he would give the Good Bracelet to TedsWife, knowing full well it was costume jewellery?
ReplyDeleteAnd Ted and TedsWife didn't say anything when Primo gave them the bracelet because they had never actually seen it before. When the jeweller told them it wasn't real (Hello, Smartest Man in the World, did you look for a hallmark?), they decided there must be another Good Bracelet?
Ugh, my mother is still alive and well, but that doesn't stop my (mentally ill, drug and alcohol addicted) half-sister arguing about the jewels. To shut her up, my mum gave each of her three daughters a ring - of course argumentative sister chose an emerald and diamond ring that was by far the most valuable. My mum loaned it to me to wear, as emerald is my birth stone. I spent hundreds of dollars having it cleaned and repaired (one of the emeralds was cracked) and valued. Mum was thrilled when she got it back in better condition than she gave it. Sister 'claimed' it, moved overseas and promptly lost it. She's now bitching about a star sapphire and diamond ring that mum gave me, as her second husband (sister's dad) paid for the loose 9 carat stone and had it set in platinum and diamonds. Mum wore it once - she has tiny hands and it dwarfed her. I'm the tallest and biggest of all my sisters, and the ring suits me perfectly! The blue-grey of the sapphire even matches my eyes! I paid to have the claws repaired and the ring enlarged, guess who now thinks she should get it! My step dad is the most wonderful dad n the world, and loves us like his own children. He's firmly on my side.
ReplyDelete