One Of Terry's Corners Of the Online World

I got a call from a solicitor in Queanbeyan today. My father's estate has been settled and there are a few thousand dollars coming my way. There wasn't a lot of money there and legally I was only entitled to 5% of it. Instead, I get around 14%, as does my sister Sandie. That's only because of my brother, who for all his flaws and problems thought we deserved more than the will stipulated. Both Garry and Sandie are on Centrelink payments so they need the money the money. I'm glad the whole matter is settled for their sakes.

I have a weird ambivalence about the money. Yeah I deserve it for the things that occurred during my childhood, but never in my adult life did I expect to get anything from my father.

Sally insists that I spend the money on myself, but the first thing I've done with the windfall is buy tickets to see Spamalot as a gift to her.

Yeah, I'm going to spend the money on things I want but right now I feel strange about receiving it. Maybe it's because I'm getting the money now, when I don't need it. I would rather have had a male parent who wasn't a crazed, warped, dangerous and damaged human being. But I can't have that. So I have had the pleasure of springing a surprise on Sally, who is one of the all time great Monty Python fans, instead. We can't change the past, but we can enrich the present and the future for those we love.

Upon further reflection, maybe the money is all the Xmas presents I never received.