| |
In late October, Ben marched into his partner’s office and said, “Sorry to interrupt, but you need to sign these.”
Curt quickly rifled through the documents and hurled them into the trash can. He shouted, “No, I won’t sign those damn papers.”
“Signing them doesn’t mean Lana is dead. It’s simply a formality. After all, it’s been seven years.”
Curt shook his head.
Ben continued, “This will allow you to collect on the life insurance policy that you took out on her in 2014.”
Curt grumbled, “I don’t need or want the money.”
“You could start a foundation in Lana’s name or give it to charity. She would have wanted that,” Ben suggested.
“Huh?”
“Donate the half million to a cause focused on animal welfare, the elderly, children, or the disabled. These are all causes that Lana supported.”
Curt gazed out of the window and mumbled, “Why did she do this to me?”
Ben didn’t say anything.
“Why did she leave me? Not a single word. No note, no explanation ... nothing. Lana didn’t even want my money, because she didn’t take a dime.”
Ben had stopped responding to Curt’s questions years ago. There was nothing anyone could say or do to stop Steiger’s obsessive behavior. Secretly, Ben felt they went too far with the spying. If they had left Lana alone, she would have been happier. On the other hand, she always seemed like a person who would depart at any moment.
“Curt, if you sign these papers, then you can remarry,” Ben said.
“I don’t want to.”
“But you and Cindy have been living together for years. She wants to get married.”
“Yeah, she’s always wanted to marry me,” Curt agreed smugly.
“Cindy has been a great comfort to you,” Ben reminded his friend.
Abruptly changing the subject Curt asked, “Did you know my mother wasn’t from the West?”
Ben was used to erratic remarks from his partner, so he simply responded, “I thought your mother was German.”
“Yeah, but she escaped from East Berlin when she was a teenager.”
“Your mother was a lovely woman.”
“Mom never talked about her past, but I always felt like there were stories she wanted to share, but couldn’t.”
Ben nodded. “Kind of like Lana.”