My relatives are already waiting for me to kick the bucket. They keep chatting about taking over my flat, but Ive already got a plan in place.
Im a 60yearold single woman, no kids, no husband although I was married once. I wed a man named David when I was 25, all for love.
That marriage fell apart when he started cheating. He even dragged his lover into our flat. I couldnt stomach that, so I packed my bags and moved back in with my parents. Two months after the divorce, I discovered I was pregnant.
Honestly, I didnt want to tell David. I never even got in touch with him. I decided Id raise the child on my own. When my son, James, was born, the doctors broke the news: the baby was tiny and, more tragically, had an incurable illness. He might live to eleven or twelve at best.
I was lost, unsure what to do or where to turn. I nursed James every day, but the shadow of his early death loomed over everything.
When James turned fifteen, both he and my dad, Arthur, died within a week of each other. I lost two people I loved dearly.
Arthur left me his spacious citycentre flat in Manchester. Id spent most of my life alone and hadnt been keen on dating again, fearing a repeat of the past. At fortyfive I bought a laptop to keep in touch with the family and read the news.
Once they figured out I was living solo, the relatives started dropping by in shifts, bringing gifts and little trinkets. They kept asking if Id made a will, and when they learned I hadnt, they began griping about my finances. Some even tried to flatter other kin to look better in my eyes. I already know who Ill leave the flat to a good friend whose daughter, Lucy, has always helped me without expecting anything in return.
My family only wants the flat. I eventually cut off contact with most of them, but that didnt stop the games. One day my cousin Nigel called, cheekily asking if I was still alive and who Id be giving the flat to. I was so offended I told everyone to stop texting or calling me.
Now Im just waiting, surrounded by the quiet of my own place, while the rest of the clan circles like vultures.
