I was still wearing black, still crying myself to sleep every night, still finding her reading glasses in random places around my house and breaking down all over again. My mama, Gloria Patterson, had been my everything. She raised me by herself after my daddy passed when I was seven.
She worked two jobs, sometimes three, to make sure I had everything I needed. She put me through college. She was at my wedding, holding my hand and smiling, even though something in her eyes told me she had doubts about Marcus.
I should have listened to that look, but I was young and in love. Marcus was charming and handsome and said all the right things. We got married when I was 23, and for the first few years, things were good.
Or at least I thought they were good. Marcus worked in sales, and I was a teacher at the local elementary school. We had a nice little house, a decent car, and we were building a life together.
My mama never said anything negative about Marcus directly. She was too classy for that, but there were little moments. Times when she’d look at him with this expression I couldn’t quite read.
Times when she’d pull me aside and ask, «Baby? Are you happy? Really happy?»
I’d always say yes, because I thought I was. Looking back now, I realize my mama saw things I was too blind to see. Marcus had started changing about five years into our marriage.
He became obsessed with money, with status, and with what other people had. He’d drive through the rich neighborhoods and talk about «when we make it big» and «when we get our piece of the pie.» He started making comments about how teaching didn’t pay enough.
He complained about how my mama should’ve invested better and about how we deserved more than what we had. I ignored the red flags because I loved him. I thought marriage meant working through the rough patches.
Because my mama raised me to be loyal and committed. Three months before my mama passed, she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It came out of nowhere and moved fast.
Too fast. One day she was healthy and strong, cooking Sunday dinner and singing in the church choir. The next day she was in the hospital being told she had maybe six months to live.
She made it four. Those four months were the hardest of my life, but they were also precious. I took a leave of absence from work to take care of her.
I moved into her house so I could be there around the clock. Marcus complained about it, said I was neglecting our marriage, and said he needed me at home. But my mama needed me more, and for once in my life, I put my foot down.
During those four months, my mama and I talked about everything. Our memories, our regrets, our hopes. She told me stories about my daddy that she’d never shared before.
She told me about her own dreams and disappointments. And she told me, over and over again, that she loved me and wanted me to be happy.
«Baby,» she said to me one night about two weeks before she passed. «I need you to promise me something.»
«Anything, Mama,» I said, holding her frail hand.
«Promise me you’ll be strong. Promise me you’ll stand up for yourself, no matter what. Promise me you won’t let anybody make you feel small or unworthy.»
I didn’t understand why she was being so intense about it, but I promised anyway.
«And baby,» she continued, her voice barely a whisper, «promise me you’ll trust Attorney Bernard Jackson. He’s been my lawyer for 20 years and he’s a good man. When the time comes, you listen to him. You hear me?»
«I hear you, Mama.»
She squeezed my hand. «Some people show you who they really are when they think they have something to gain. Watch for that, baby. Watch for it.»
At the time, I thought she was just being protective. Maybe a little paranoid because of the medication. I had no idea she was trying to warn me.
My mama passed on a Tuesday morning in October. I was holding her hand. Marcus was at work; he said he couldn’t take any more time off, that he’d already missed too much.
My best friend Keisha was there, though, and so was Pastor Williams from our church. Mama went peacefully with me whispering, «I love you,» over and over until she took her last breath. The funeral was beautiful.
The whole church came out. Mama had touched so many lives, helped so many people. The choir sang her favorite hymns.
People stood up and shared stories about how Gloria Patterson had made a difference in their lives. I cried through the whole service, and Marcus sat next to me holding my hand, acting like the supportive husband. I should have known something was wrong when he kept asking about the will.
«Did your mama leave any paperwork?» he asked the night before the funeral.
«Marcus, I just lost my mama. Can we not talk about this right now?»
«I’m just trying to help, baby. We need to know what we’re dealing with. Did she have any assets, property, savings?»
I knew my mama owned her house outright. She’d paid it off years ago, and I knew she had some savings because she’d always been careful with money. But I didn’t know the details, and honestly, I didn’t care.
I just wanted my mama back. The day after the funeral, I was at home in my pajamas, surrounded by sympathy cards and casserole dishes from church members, when Marcus came into the bedroom and sat down next to me.
«Shanice,» he said. «We need to talk.»
I looked up at him with swollen eyes. I’d been crying all morning. «What is it?»
He took a deep breath, and for a split second, I saw something in his face that scared me. Something cold and calculated.
«I think we need to separate,» he said.
The words didn’t make sense at first. I just stared at him. «What?»
«I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. We’ve grown apart. You’ve been distant. I think we need some time apart to figure out if this marriage is really working.»
My whole body went numb. «Marcus, my mama just died. She died yesterday. We buried her today. And you want to talk about separating?»
«I know the timing isn’t great, but I’ve been holding this in for months. I can’t do it anymore.»
«You’ve been holding it in?» My voice was rising now. «While I was taking care of my dying mother, you were planning to leave me?»
«Don’t make this dramatic, Shanice. We both know this marriage has been dead for years.»
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This man, this man I’d loved for 15 years, was sitting in our bedroom on the day after my mama’s funeral, telling me he wanted out.
«Get out,» I whispered.
«What?»
«Get out!» I screamed this time. «Get out of this room. Get out of my sight.»
He stood up slowly, and that’s when I saw it again. That cold look.
«Fine, but we’re going to have to deal with this eventually. And Shanice, you should probably talk to a lawyer too.»
He walked out, and I collapsed on the bed, sobbing so hard I thought I might die from the pain of it all. Keisha came over an hour later. She’d been checking on me every day since Mama passed.
When she walked in and saw me on the floor, still in my funeral dress, crying hysterically, she knew something bad had happened.
«Shanice, what’s wrong? What happened?»
I could barely get the words out. «He wants to leave me. Marcus wants to leave me. My mama is gone and now he’s leaving me too.»
Keisha held me while I cried. «That man is a fool,» she kept saying. «A damn fool.»
That night, I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes I saw my mama’s face, heard her voice telling me to be strong. But I didn’t feel strong.
I felt broken. The next morning Marcus came back. I heard him moving around in the living room, and when I came out, he was sitting at the kitchen table with a folder in front of him.
«What’s that?» I asked.
«Divorce papers,» he said calmly, like he was discussing the weather. «I already filed. You just need to sign them.»
I felt like I’d been slapped. «You already filed? Marcus, Mama died two days ago. Two days?»
«I know you’re emotional right now but this is for the best. Trust me.» He slid the papers across the table. «My lawyer says if we do this amicably it’ll be quick and clean. We can split everything 50-50, sell the house, move on with our lives.»
«50-50?» I was trying to process what was happening. «This is about money. This is about my mama’s inheritance, isn’t it?»
He had the audacity to look offended. «Why would you say that?»
«Because you’re talking about splitting everything. Because you waited until right after she died to do this.»
«Shanice, community property law is clear. Whatever assets come into the marriage get split equally. I’m just trying to be fair.»
Fair. He thought he was being fair by ambushing me with divorce papers while I was grieving my mama.
«I need you to leave,» I said quietly.
«We live here together.»
«I said leave, Marcus. Go stay with your brother. Go to a hotel. I don’t care. But I can’t look at you right now.»
He stood up, but before he left, he said something that made my blood run cold.
«You should know that I talked to a lawyer about your mama’s estate. If she left you anything it’s technically marital property since we’re still married. So you might want to think about signing those papers sooner rather than later. The longer you drag this out, the messier it gets.»
He left, and I sat at that kitchen table staring at those divorce papers for an hour straight. Then I remembered what my mama said. Trust Attorney Bernard Jackson.
I called his office that afternoon. The receptionist said he’d been expecting my call and could see me the next day. That surprised me.
How did he know I would call? Attorney Bernard Jackson’s office was in a nice building downtown. I’d met him a few times over the years, usually when Mama needed to update her will or handle some legal paperwork.
He was an older black man, maybe in his late 60s with gray hair and kind eyes. He’d been practicing law since before I was born, and my mama trusted him completely. When I walked into his office the next day, he stood up and gave me a hug.
«Shanice, honey. I’m so sorry about Gloria. Your mama was a remarkable woman.»
«Thank you,» I said, my voice shaky.
He gestured for me to sit down, and I noticed he had several folders on his desk. «I know you’re going through a difficult time, so I’ll try to make this as straightforward as possible. Your mama came to see me about six months ago to update her will and set up some trusts.»
«Six months ago? But she wasn’t diagnosed until three months ago.»
«That’s true. But your mama was always careful about planning ahead. She wanted to make sure everything was in order, just in case.» He opened one of the folders.
«Now, I need to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me. Has Marcus mentioned the inheritance?»
My stomach dropped. «How did you know?»
Attorney Jackson’s expression turned serious. «Because Gloria predicted he would. In fact, she was so sure he would file for divorce after her passing that she took very specific steps to protect you.»
«What are you talking about?»
He pulled out a document and slid it across the desk. «Shanice, your mama left you everything. The house, which is worth about $400,000. Her savings accounts, which total about $230,000.»
He continued, «Her life insurance policy, which is another $500,000. And some investment accounts that total around $600,000.»
I stared at him in shock. «That’s… that’s almost $2,000,000.»
«$1,730,000 to be exact.»
My mind was reeling. I knew Mama had money saved, but I had no idea it was this much. «How? How did she have this much?»
«Your mama was brilliant with money, Shanice. She invested wisely, she lived below her means, and she had a good life insurance policy from her years working at the hospital. She built this wealth over 40 years, and she wanted you to have it.»
«But Marcus said… he said it would be community property. He said we’d have to split it.»
Attorney Jackson smiled, and it was the kind of smile that said he knew something Marcus didn’t. «That’s what your husband thinks. But your mama made sure that wouldn’t happen.»
He leaned forward. «She set up something called an Inheritance Protection Trust. Every single penny she left you is in that trust, and according to the terms she specified, that money is yours and yours alone. It can never be considered community property. It can never be touched in a divorce. It’s protected.»
I couldn’t breathe. «She knew. She knew he would do this.»
«Your mama was a very perceptive woman. She never said anything directly negative about Marcus to me. But about a year ago, she came in and asked me about protecting inheritance from divorce.»
He paused. «She said she had a feeling, that’s all. Just a feeling. And she wanted to make sure that if anything ever happened to her, you would be taken care of, no matter what.»
Tears were streaming down my face. «So Marcus can’t get any of it?»
«Not a penny. In fact, there’s more.» He pulled out another document. «Your mama also left a letter for you. She instructed me to give it to you after I explained the trust. She said you’d understand everything once you read it.»
He handed me an envelope with my name written in my mama’s handwriting. My hands were shaking as I opened it. The letter read:
«My dearest Shanice,
If you’re reading this, then I’m gone. And I’m guessing Marcus has shown his true colors. Baby, I’m so sorry you had to find out this way. But I need you to know something.
I saw the change in him years ago. I saw how he looked at money, how he talked about wealth, how he seemed more interested in what you could give him than who you are as a person. I never said anything because I hoped I was wrong.
I hoped he would prove me wrong. I hoped he loved you the way you deserved to be loved. But a mama knows. A mama always knows.
I spent the last year making sure every penny I worked for would go to you and only you. Not because I’m trying to control you from beyond the grave, but because I want you to have freedom. Freedom to leave if you need to.
Freedom to start over if you want to. Freedom to build the life you deserve. The money in that trust is yours. Use it wisely. Use it to take care of yourself.
And baby, please, please don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for protecting yourself. You are strong. You are smart. You are worthy of real love, not the kind of love that comes with conditions and calculations.
Stand tall, baby girl. I’m always with you.
All my love, Mama.»
I couldn’t stop crying. Attorney Jackson handed me a box of tissues and gave me a moment to compose myself.
«There’s one more thing,» he said gently. «Your mama left instructions that if Marcus filed for divorce within the first year after her passing, I was to immediately notify you and help you with your divorce proceedings. She even set aside $50,000 specifically for your legal fees. She thought of everything, Shanice.»
I looked up at him through my tears. «So what do I do now?»
«Now?» Attorney Jackson leaned back in his chair. «Now we let Marcus think he’s winning. We let him think you’re going to sign those papers and split everything with him.»
He paused and his smile grew wider. «And when he gets comfortable, when he thinks he’s about to get his hands on a million dollars… that’s when we show him exactly what Gloria Patterson did to protect her daughter.»
For the first time since my mama died, I felt something other than grief. I felt hope. And somewhere deep inside, I felt the beginning of something else, too. Justice.
I left Attorney Jackson’s office that day with a plan. It wasn’t a complicated plan, but it required something I wasn’t sure I had in me. It required me to lie, to pretend, to let Marcus think he was getting exactly what he wanted while I prepared to pull the rug out from under him.
«The key is patience,» Attorney Jackson had told me. «Let him show his hand completely. Let him reveal exactly who he is and document everything. Every conversation, every demand, every ugly moment. Because when we get to court, I want the judge to see the real Marcus Williams.»
I drove home slowly that day. My mama’s letter folded carefully in my purse. I must have read it 10 times already, and each time I felt a little stronger.
My mama had known. She’d seen through Marcus when I was too in love to see it myself. And she’d protected me the only way she could.
When I got home, Marcus’s car was in the driveway. My heart started pounding. I had to act normal. I had to pretend I didn’t know about the trust, didn’t know that every single penny was protected from him.
I walked in to find him in the living room watching television like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t just destroyed our marriage while I was grieving.
«Hey,» he said casually. «Did you think about what I said? About the papers?»
I took a deep breath and sat down across from him. This was it. Time to perform.
«I talked to a lawyer today.»
His eyes lit up. I could see the greed in them now that I knew what to look for. «Yeah? What did they say?»
«They said we should probably go through with the divorce. That fighting it would just make things more expensive and complicated.»
He tried to hide his smile, but I saw it. «That’s smart, Shanice. That’s really mature of you. I know this is hard, but it’s the right thing.»
The right thing. This man had the nerve to talk about what was right.
«The lawyer also told me about my mama’s estate,» I continued, watching his face carefully. «It’s more than I thought. A lot more.»
«How much more?» He was leaning forward now, trying to seem casual, but failing.
«Close to two million dollars.»
I watched his whole body language change. His eyes went wide, his breathing got faster, and for just a second, he couldn’t hide the pure joy on his face. Two million dollars.
That’s what our 15-year marriage was worth to him.
«Actually, half of two million. One million dollars.»
«Wow,» he said, trying to sound sympathetic. «Your mama did well for herself. That’s good, baby. That’s really good. At least something positive came out of all this.»
