3139. Can’t be bothered © Bruce Goodman 9 March 2025

It would be wrong to say that Valerie was delighted to hear that her father had died. Delighted she may not have been, but ecstatic she was. She had received a message on a Friday afternoon. Was she coming to the funeral on Monday? No, she wasn’t. It was too far to travel at short notice. Why was she ecstatic? Because she knew she was to inherit the holiday house at the lake. It was a beautiful house in beautiful surroundings. Her father had purchased it after her mother had died and he went there most weekends to go fishing. Valerie loathed fishing, but she loved the walks and the majesty of the place. She had not visited for several years. Not since she had fallen out with her father over a car registration argument. Several weekends after the funeral Valerie drove to the lakeside home to have a look. She hadn’t as yet received word about the inheritance, but that wouldn’t stop her from having a look. When she arrived there was someone in the house. She knocked on the door. Her father answered. “So,” he said, “you couldn’t be bothered coming to my funeral eh? Well, there’s going to be a few things I can’t be bothered with either.” Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story