THE ADVOCATE 529
VOL. 80 PART 4 JULY 2022
She stood quietly with Vivian, while William patiently explained each
provision of the will.
“This provision is the one you wanted to change. It leaves the house on
Yew Street to your niece, Louise Groves. Could I confirm once more that
those are your instructions?”
“Yes. That is right.” Mary tugged on her sleeve.
“Sign here, please.” William pointed to the signature line.
Mary’s hand shook as she took the pen and wrote her name very precisely,
Mary M. Groves. She put the pen down and smiled at Sabina.
William cleared his throat. “Sabina, sign here.” He pointed to the empty
line. “And fill in your address.” He held out a pen.
“I’ve got my own.” Sabina signed her name and printed her address neatly.
“Vivian, you know what to do.” He pushed the will towards her. When she
finished, William handed her the signed will.
Sabina followed Vivian. “What happens now?”
“Just need to make copies, one for them and two for our file. And seal
theirs in an envelope.”
“I can make the copies.”
“Thanks, I’ll grab the envelope.”
Sabina took the will to the photocopy room, carefully copying each page.
She waited until the last possible minute to copy the signature page.
Vivian popped in. “Done yet? The client is waiting.”
“All done, just need to staple.”
“Silly, you could have collated and stapled with the photocopier.”
“Oh right, I forgot.”
“What happens now?”
“We will keep the original here … until it’s needed.”
It was only a few weeks later that Sabina read the paper on her break. She
looked for the sudoku and happened to see the name in bold, Mary Margaret
Groves. Her obituary. Sabina swallowed over the lump in her throat.
A little sadness and a little fear.
Only a day after the funeral, Louise arrived back at the Smith legal
offices. She was dressed melodramatically in a black dress and long black
gloves, but her eyes smiled. A middle-aged man in a slightly rumpled grey
suit trailed behind. Gerald, no doubt.
A short time later, a slightly younger man in khakis and a light blue button
down shirt arrived.
“I’m here for Mr. Smith. Darren Groves.”
Sabina showed him to the conference room. She wished she could stay,
but she had no legitimate excuse. She tidied the nearby shelves of law
reports. Thankfully, William did not close the door all the way.