Erasing William – short story for adults

Published by Storm Cloud Publishing in Open House anthology

Anna’s phone beeped as she applied strokes of green paint to her mural of the Australian bush. She ignored it because she wanted to get in another hour’s work before relaxing – perhaps doing some yoga stretches and then trying the new wine her neighbour made in his back shed.

The mid-afternoon sun burned through the studio window. Anna peeled off her smock and wiped perspiration from her forehead, leaving paint flecks in the furrows. There was just one metre of white canvas left and she had one month to her deadline. If only there could be a cool change, she would definitely make it on time.

When she finally looked at the message it read: Please call urgently about William. Reluctantly, she entered the UK number. The voice that answered was familiar only because of the Irish accent. It was William’s brother Miles. She pictured him in his stockbroker’s office, desk piled with papers, where she’d last seen him before coming home to Melbourne fifteen years ago.

‘Anna, I’m afraid I have bad news. I don’t know how else to say this but William has died.’ Miles said.

 ‘Oh no. How?’ She had to sit down quickly.

‘Probably his heart.’

Anna’s stomach churned. She walked to the fridge to get the wine bottle.

‘Are you still there?’ William asked.

She thought better of the wine and sat down to concentrate on the phone conversation, cursing the fact that any mention of William made her feel unbalanced.

 ‘I’m sorry to hear that, Miles,’ she managed to say.

‘How soon can you come over?’ he asked.

‘I’m not sure that I’m really needed and anyway I have a gallery deadline.’

‘William made both of us executors of his will so I would appreciate it, Anna.’ Then, after a pause Miles added, ‘I can pay your fare and there’s a room at my house for as long as you need to stay.’

Anna felt trapped. ‘OK. I’ll come provided I can get an extension from the gallery,’ she agreed.

 It was five years since she’d seen William. She’d been in Manchester where a small gallery was exhibiting her paintings. After the opening she’d come to London to check out the big galleries and arranged to meet William in the Tate Modern café. He approached her table looking shabbier than the last time they had met. His hair needed a wash and he had that annoying ‘lost dog’ look on his face. Anna quickly steered the conversation around to the possibility of divorce and once again he succeeded in avoiding any commitment. This enraged her as she gulped down her tea and she recalled having indigestion for the rest of the day. Even though there had never been anyone else Anna wanted to marry, the lack of closure with this man aggravated her.

Anna’s gallery manager gave her the extension and she left Melbourne in a heatwave, landing at Heathrow where it was fourteen degrees. Miles drove her to his Bloomsbury house in the Daimler.

‘I have to admit, Miles,’ she said, ‘I’m amazed that William has left a will. You must have encouraged that.’

‘I did. When our parents died. I’ve seen the will now and William had some money in bank accounts.’

‘God, you’d never know it would you? He was such a miser.’

‘I have some more news that you’ll like, Anna. William left you his flat,’ Miles announced.

Anna’s first thought was how unhappy she’d been when living in that flat in Islington. Her second thought was that it was probably worth a fortune now.

 Miles had already organised a cremation and the probate meeting where he and Anna sat uncomfortably across the desk from the solicitor. The deceased had left several thousand pounds in an account for his wife as well as the flat. There was nothing for Miles. Anna glanced at her brother-in-law in his well-fitting business suit. His own bank balance was clearly very healthy despite the huge alimony payments he must be making to his ex-wife. He and William had probably inherited well from their Irish parents. William wasn’t proud of his aristocratic ancestry whereas Miles had exploited it to get ahead.

For the rest of this story, please go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/891218