In a will, one always lists their wishes and how they would love their family to live. You can clarify how your wealth should be shared.
It is signed before two or more witnesses before the testator passes away.
As I lay rose flowers on my husband’s grave five months after he passed away, I finally felt obliged to open his will.
As a woman, you are always more scared of whether there will be wrangles or disagreements, but for us, we had raised our two children well.
Both my husband and my family were supportive. My husband had also assured me that he had shared his wealth appropriately, covering me, my son and my daughter, his brother and sister and his mother (my mother-in-law).
But something always lurks in the shadows, right? Until you confirm, you’ll never know.
Today, I called my children and their grandparents and a few family members for a reunion and to discuss the will. Our family lawyers were also present.
I covered my hair with my black veil and smiled at the thought of my husband, Jerry, kissing me on the forehead. “You’ll be alright,” he’d have said whenever I felt overwhelmed.
There was a cool breeze in the farmyard and some drops of rain.
My driver hooted. Some doves in front of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz S-Class flew away, flapping their wings and steering with their tails.
Some rested on some mango tree branches, and others flew towards the water fountain.
I rushed to my car, and we drove off to our mansion in Ruiru, but I also passed through the Co-op Bank Ruiru branch and withdrew some cash for the day. It’s always better to have some extra cash for miscellaneous.
At home, I walked into the warm hug of my two children and pulled them closer. They had grown into amazing human beings.
Just the other day, their dad used to drive them to school, read them books, and teach them to cook and ride bicycles. Some nights he would sit aside, watch me discipline them, and then pull me aside.
“That’s enough, honey; you don’t want to hurt them as much,” he’d say.
As we combed through the Will, I found a letter sealed inside. I wasn’t interested in the inheritance and our net worth as we had built our wealth together; since we met in our freshman year at Moi University to tying the knot six years later and enjoying a 30-year of blissful marriage.
It was the letter. For 40 years, Jerry had kept a big secret from all of us.
In 1982, four years before Jerry and I knew each other, he met a guy called Willy. Willy was almost his agemate but an orphan.
The two became best of friends. They would hang out together and discuss business plans to travel the world.
When I met Jerry, he was heartbroken, but he never explained why. While reading the letter, I realised that Willy passed away a year before Jerry and I were acquainted.
He had asked my husband to promise to take care of his two twins, then aged 3 years.
For the 36 years we were together, Jerry funded their school fees, paid for their holiday and even secured work for them.
I never wanted to speak about it because recalling how Willy saved me broke my heart.
Part of the letter read.
When my husband Jerry started to build his empire, he sought a loan but lacked a guarantor. Willy, then a young doctor, trusted him with nearly all his savings for him to start his manufacturing company.
Willy was never afraid of me taking the risk. When I asked him what would happen if I lost the money, he boldly stated that he trusted me.
“There is no investment not worth a risk. If it tanks, then we tried,” Willy would say.
We struggled for the first years, but Willy never saw the fruits of his savings. The outcome of his belief in me.
The letter added. Besides supporting Willy’s children, he offered them a 10 per cent stake in the company as their inheritance and a parcel of land.
I wanted them to grow on their own. I would occasionally meet them once a year or three to catch up. Here are the contacts. My lawyers are familiar with the developments.
My husband wrote. I was overwhelmed, not by the secret, but by the generosity. Willy's audacity to stand by my husband, and Jerry’s dedication to keeping his word. How many friends in your circle can ever stand with you this way?
In a world where people are selfish, your own friends desert you. My mother pulled me into her arms, and we cried together. Cried for the love of Jerry and Willy.
I was moved by my husband’s heart. If only my own children would follow in his footsteps.
The Will was perfect, with no questions to raise.
We agreed as a family to track Willy’s offsprings to join us for Christmas. We needed to budget for their air ticket, gifts and other expenses.
“You will run to the bank to and fro, my daughter,” my mother joked as she laughed at me.
“Yes, even today, I had to withdraw cash from my Co-op Bank branch at Ruiru. Sometimes I pass by when it's late,” I added.
“But ma, I told you last time… You don’t have to rush to the bank. Just transact straight from your phone by simply dialling *667#.
“I even forgot to download it for you from the MCo-opCash App on the Google Play store or Apple Store. Let me do it now,” my daughter Shirleen chipped in.
“Children with technology,” I responded as my daughter took my phone and pulled me aside.
The house help was setting up the table for dinner. My father-in-law and my son, Rob, were laughing at some item on his phone at the far end.
“Mama, look here. Registration is instant and free of charge. Once you get your MCo-opCash PIN, you are good to go. You can also reset it anytime if you forget or need to change it,” Shirleen stated.
Through MCo-opCash I learnt that one can access salary advances and even MCo-opCash Business Plus Loan.
“Most of my friends use it. I even introduced a friend who funded her business with the loan.
At the dinner table, we said a prayer for Willy, and his family agreed we fly to the Netherlands to meet with them.
“Its a beautiful family,” my son Joe stated as he showed us their pictures on Instagram.
“You already found them online?” I wondered.
“Yes ma, it’s a digital world,” he stated as he placed a hand on my shoulder. We tossed to friendship.