A Conversation with Elizabeth
1998
Thanks

From:          Elizabeth  
Sent:          Wednesday, June 17, 1998 1:16 PM
To:            LMixson@PEC.com
Subject:       Thanks
 
Thanks for your sensible, rational reply.  Most of the time, because my printer is slow and I am usually busy, I don't print out your mail anymore, as I did in the beginning when we first started writing. 
(Also, I was accumulating stacks and stacks of it.)  However, I printed your note to read again, mostly because it coincides with what I'm telling myself, when I'm not being emotional.  And that is basically, I started into this whole affair in order to make a decision:  Drop it and forget it OR pursue it.  I agree with you though that I would like to "monkey wrench" her "plans," especially because she was so sardonic about saying, "Maybe I'll go to Europe."  250,000 is an incredible amount of money, especially in the context of our family.  (I think some of your relatives have "alot" of money, and my grandparents sort of did, but jeez--).  You're right about the availability of low-cost advice, but I don't qualify, as I already checked.  You have to be pretty poor. 
 
Some lawyers do the contingency route, which is they agree to ONLY take a percentage of what you usually get.  I say ONLY, because that's why they ONLY take what they can usually win big at, and then they take 40% sometimes.  That's actually where the BIG money is made, not in hourly rates. I think my brother has no spine.  Part of me can't believe that he's letting this slide by--but he and my sister may have agreed to something between themselves.  He is fairly well off financially though as well, and possibly he's not concerned. He's "only" a high school graduate and is making at least 80,000 plus bonuses or more as that figure is probably five years out of date. The thing that was most hurtful (last night I was pretty upset--once I got through the day and through my classes) was thinking about it possibly being true that my mother really did leave my sister everything.  It hurt sort of to translate that into "why" and the conclusion being that my sister was "more special," which is the hurtful thing I had to grow up with--and the thing that has made my sister so "cocky" and at times made me feel insecure and self-doubting.  My mother GROSSLY favored my sister all my life and it was so painful and alienating to me.  But, later on, she seemed not to be that way, and we had some measure of "getting along." 
Even with all that, it doesn't seem like my mother would actually put that into concrete by leaving my sister everything--essentially saying "You are the ONLY one."  Last night my friend said, "You need proof.  No one can just claim 250,000 and there not be proof.  You still need to have the proof.  You need it in black and white.  THEN you can let it go, if it's true.  Or, if it's not available in black and white, somethings wrong and go to court with it."  That's basically what all you said as well.  I e-mailed that lawyer again and am awaiting his reply.
 
I can't believe that I missed "Abyss" all these years.  I'm going to check what year it came out--maybe it was when I was at UCF and I think during those years I didn't see many movies.  Where were you when you saw it?  I really liked it too.  I thought the character had aged rather well myself because Abyss was about 1985 (?).
 
Class last night was an absolute riot (but a little painful as we were studying wills/gifts causa mortis--things you give to people just before you're going to die, etc.  The prof was discussing imminent death (you know you are about to die) but a student asked a question and sort of stumbled up the word and he said "intimate death."  The prof didn't hear it, but about two rows of us were cracking up. 
 
Well, I plan to be a different type of lawyer.  I told you that this experience has helped me frame my "motto"--Sensitivity in the face of Adversity.  Counseling and lawyering at some levels are closely alike. 
The trouble with counseling for me is that counselors don't have any "teeth."  They can advise and help you decide, but they can't DO.  Lawyers can "DO."  Counseling was always sort of frustating to me because of that. 
 
Gosh, I still can't believe you have seen Abyss all that many times. 
When I watched it, I remembered wishing that you knew it was on. 
 
Is it this Friday that the X-files movie comes out?  I haven't read the paper in a few days.  Elizabeth
 

Only lawyers would find a law class funny.

TGIF