Rising Star Adventures and Beyond

2025 chapter 1

It had been a very long day at work. Abraham got in his car and started the engine. He sat his things down in the seat next to him and then shut his door. He took a deep breath, thankful, his work day was over. He put the car in drive and pulled out of his parking place. The road was clear so he kept going as he turned out into the main street. He drove a couple of blocks to the next stop light. When he began trying to slow the car down is when he realized something was very wrong. Instead of slowing down, the car seemed to go faster as it was downhill. He closed his eyes as his car glided through the intersection. Just in time, he switched lanes to avoid hitting another car that pulled into his lane going slower than him. As he passed by them, they honked and yelled at him. He grabbed his phone and called his wife, Ayah. She didn't answer. Again, he was coming up on anohter intersectin. He pressed on the brakes again to no avail. He quickly tried to dial his wife again, but she still didn't answer. As he got to the intersection her voicemail picked up. He yelled, "I love you." Then there was a loud crash as a semi T-boned his car and his world went black.

Meanwhile, Ayah had been at her doctor's appointment. She went to her caar and realized she had a missed call from her husband. She listened to the voicemail. Her heart dropped into her stomach. She imediately called him back. A perimedic answered his phone. "Hello?"

Where's my husband? she practically screamed.

Maam there has been a car accident. I am a perimedic working on your husband now. Does he have any health issues we need to know about?"

Oh my God! Is he ok?

Maam he is unconscious and we need to get him to hospital straight away. Is there anything you need to tell us thaqt would impact his care?

No, he is in great health.

"ok, do you want to meet us there?

"Yes, I'll head there right now."

With trembling hands, Ayah, got in her car and rushed to hospital.

When she got there, she hurridly went to the emergency room and was told to wait and she would be called back as soon as possible. The ambulance had arrived and the medical staff were working on her husband. She sat down in the waiting room. An uneasy feeling settled in her gut. All she could do was pray that he wouold be ok.

It felt like time drug on forever. An hour later she was still waiting. She was wondering if she should ask someone for an update. Just then a nurse came out and called her name. The nurse took her back to the room where he was at. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of her husband. He was a bloodied mess. He had suffered head injuries, a broken neck and collar bone, broken ribs and a broken arm and leg. He had practically been crushed and mangled when the semi had his car. He was still breathing with help for now. The nurse said, "The dr will be in to see you in a minute.

Ayah said thank you. Then rushed to her husband's side. She grabbed his hand, but he was unresponsive. "Oh, Abe. please don't you die on me."

The doctor came in. She said, How is he doctor? Is he going to make it?

The doctor said, We don't know right now. He has suffered several injuries and we will take him to the operating room in just a few minutes. We believe he has some internal bleeding thata we need to find and stop. If he has any more family, you should call them now. I can talk to you more extensively once we get done operating.

Ok What do I do now?

You will need to wait in the waiting room. I'll have the nurse show you where to wait.

Ok I'll call his \other family memebers once I get to the waiting area.

Later in the waiting area, Abraham's parents and siblings and other family members had arrived. They all chatted quietly as they waited the news on Abraham's surgery. one hour turned into two hours and then into three and so on. After 6 and a half hours of waiting, the doctor finally reappeared. He looked tired and flustered.

The family gathered around. The doctor finally spoke. "We got a lot of the bleeding stopped, but after a few hours of fighting, he went into cardiac arrest and unfortunately, we have lost him. I'm so sorry."

Ayah screamed, "No! Not my Abe! No no no! She went to the floor.

That was all she remembered until she came to also laying in a hospital bed herself. Apparently, she had fainted. This couldn't be happening. She was too young to be a widdow and they hadn't been married much longer than a year.

The next few days were a frenzy of relatives and friends paying their respects and leaving condolences. The furneral had been planned a week out to give out of town family members to make arrangements to be there.

The day of the funeral arrived and she found herself sitting in the front row of the chappel. She had been in shock and couldn't even tell you how she had gotten there. Her best friend and family members were by her side constantly doting on her. She felt so lost. She had never even imagined ever being in this situation. It felt like a nightmare she should wake up from anytime now. She was looking at the casket, the flowers, the people and still couldn't fatham that all of this was real.

There were a few songs sang by a friend. Some people stood in the front an shared memories and stories. She got up to speak with best friend by her side and her sister. She looked around at the crowd and through many tears said her good bye publically. The serman was preached and eulogy finished.

After the funeral, they did the final viewing. This was when the reallity hit her fully. Her entire world had just crumbled. She was completely devistated. How was she going to live without him. All the plans they had made for their life together were now histery, and all the dreams were shattered.

At the cemetery, a strange man in a suit approached her. "Are you the widow of Abraham?"

She looked puzzled. She didn't recognize him from among family or friends. "Um, yes"

"I have been paid to deliver this official notice and court order to you."

"What's it about? I have just barely burried my husband."

"I do not know. I was only paid to give it to you, not to know the contents."

She took the closed manilla envelope and said, "Thank you."

She tucked it under her arm and continued with her business.

Her best friend had driven her there and she was going to take her back home and stay with her a coupld of days to make sure she was going to be ok. Once back in the car, Ayah told her friend about the stranger and the envelope.

"Well, open it." her friend said.

Ok, I wonder what it could be." Ayah answered. She pulled out a formal document that informed her she had been called to a legal hearing of a reading of her husband's great uncle's will. "Wow! There's been another death in Abe's family and this is a sopena to the reading of the deceased person's will."

"That's mysterious. Did you know the person?"

"Not that I am aware. As far as I know, I have never met them."

"Why would you need to hear the reading of their will then? You would think that is personal."

I don't know, but it says I have to be there.

When is it?

At the end of the week.

Are you going to be able to take off work?

I think I have to. This is all so wierd.

I agree. So you are going to go?

I may as well see what it's all about.

Okay, let's get you home so you can get some much needed rest.

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The day of the funeral came and went. Within a week Ayah was back at work. She worked at the newspaper full time as a journalist and also volunteered at a school for children with disabillities. Both were a passion of hers. She had hoped that by busying herself, it would help fill the void of her loss. She was also grieving the fact that her and her husband were never able to have children together. She was visiting a firtillity specialist when the accident that killed her husband had occurred. Now all those dreams had been shattered. In some ways, she was glad that she didn't have the responsibillity to take care of a child right now, but on the other hand, it was a loss of something she would never have that she had wanted so dearly.

Everyone at work was worried about her and thought she was coming back to work too soon after her husband's death. Her boss had encouraged her to take as long as she needed. She was one of the top journalists and her job would be secure. However, she wanted to do anything but deal with her loss right at that moment.

Her boss greeted her at the door of her office. "Hello, Ayah. I'm glad to see you back, but are you sure you are okay to come back to work right now?"

"I'm okay. I'd rather have the destraction right now. I need to make myself busy. I don't think I can cry another tear for awhile." Ayah said.

Ok, I understand. Let me know if you need anything. Please, get the report on the bridge completed as soon as possible.

Straight away sir. I am on it.

Ayah booted up her computer. The first thing she did was check the emails because after being gone a week they were building up in her mailbox. Once she got through all the emails, she began typing up the report on the bridge construction that was being done in London.

By noon, she had the report typed up and sent into her boss and was ready for her next assignment.

After lunch, she went out to research and interview some school kids about their education experience. She spent the rest of the afternoon doing this. Then it was time for her to go to her volunteer work. She would work there for a couple of hours with the disabled children and then she would get back home.

Going back home is what she dreaded. She would return to a quiet house where she once would have started preparing dinner for her and her husband. They would usually spend time together after dinner discussing work and future plans before doing the evening chores and going off to bed to do it all again the next day.

After she got home, she sat in the driveway for a few minutes. Then her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, girl, how'd your first day back at work go?" It was her best friend who had been by her side the entire time. She appreciated her so much.. It helped with her grieving process.

I made it through the day just fine. It felt kind of good to get back to work. Now I just have to figure out what to do with myself between now and bedtime. I haven't gone in my house yet. I just got home a few minutes ago."

"I'm glad it went well for you. Are you going to be okay there by yourself tonight?

I am going to have to figure it out. So I may has well start figuring it out tonight. Thank you so much for being there for me. I don't know what I would have done without you.

"You know I'm glad to do it. You are almost like my sister. We have been friends so long. we should have had the same parents." She laughed. "Besides, I know you'd do the same for me if I was in the same situation. Call me if you need me and I'll come right over. I'll check on you again tonight before bed.

Ok, Thanks again. I'll look forward to talking to you later.

With that, she hung up the phone and went inside her house. Nothing much had changed. It was just eerily quiet with no hope of change anytimg soon. So she turned on the radio for a bit of noise and went to the kitchen to decide on dinner.

After dinner of a grilled cheese sandwhich and tomato soup, Ayah decided to check the mail and watch a little tv.

She sat down on the couch, turned on the tv, and started looking through the mail. One envelope stood out in particular. It was an official letter from a lawyers office notifying her of a possible inheritance and a reading of a will. This along with the envelope she had recieved at the funeral convince her that she needed to attend this event. She would show the notices to her boss tomorrow at work and try to get the day off. The deceased persons name was Earl Jones. She would also mention it to her friend.

The next day, when she showed her boss the papers, he actually agreed she should go, only this would be a paid assignment. Earl Jones was an old investor who was popular and well known in the area and had owned several businesses and properties. This would give him an insider at the reading of the will and they could possible get a great news story from it. Surprised by this, she started making plans and arrangements for her to make the event.

The week seemed to fly by with work and volunteering at the children's home. The day of the reading of the will arrived and she had prepared a digital recorder so she could record the entire ordeal. She grabbed everything she needed and headed to the courthouse where the will would be read. She wanted to get there early in hopes of making a note about the other attendees at the gathering. She was the first one there and was ushered into another room to await the meeting. The room she was told to wait in was a room to the side of the courtroom with a few chairs set up. She chose one at the back of the room and sat quietly with her pen and notebook ready.

A few minutes later, the next guest arrived. This was a woman that was all dressed up in an expensive dress, her hair looked like it had been done in the salon. She had on a pair of expensive diamond earrings and diamond necklace, a gold bracelet and a gold and diamond ring on her finger. She had an expensive pair of high hilled stilettos on, everyting was black and well matched. She looked like she had already recieved an inheritance of her own.

The next guest to arrive looked like a Spanish lady in her 30s with a couple of kids, a boy and girl, in tow. She was dressed like she had gotten all her clothes at the dollar store and her kids were dressed in hand me downs.

Another couple arrived dressed in expensive attire and another businessman walked in. No one spoke much. It didn't look like anyone knew each other. Then a group that looked like family walked in, well-dressed and well-poised like they hadn't suffered a day of want.

An elderly lady came in dressed in her Sunday best, clothes that weren't cheap but hadn't been too high end either. A few more people entered. There were a wide variety of people. It looked like some were poor and others were very rich. It was a strange group you wouldn't normally see together. Finally, everyone was called into the courtroom.

A few more people quickly came in and took their seats as the room was brought to a hush. A man in an expensive dress suit and tie and nice shoes was standing in the front of the room getting ready to talk. Ayah, pressed record on her recorder that was in her purse.

The man said, "I know many of you don't know why you are here today. However, I am sure that all of you have heard of the passing of the late Earl Jones. As you know, he was very wealthy and had made a will to distribute his wealth amongst family, friends, and aquaintances. Some of you will be pleasently surprised while others may be very disappointed, but this is the will of Earl Jones as he transcribed it. The law requires his wealth be distributed as follows."

As the man read the will, there were some gasps of disbelief, some squeals of delight, and some outbursts of anger. The man never lost his cool. He just simply reminded everyone to be quiet until he was done reading and continued on. Some of the rich relatives were only left $1 while a few poorer people were given properties or larger sums of money.

Ayah's name was finally called. She raised her hand to acknowledge she was present. Then the man told her she had inherited a property in Rye England and a million dollars, originally it had been allotted to her husband, but as her husband's next of kin, she would recieve it instead. A few gasps went around the room. Abraham's parents had also been in the crowd, and they had inherited a small fortune also.

After the entire will was read, everyone was told to set a meeting time with the lawyer to recieve their portions. Everyone formed a line on the way out of the room to claim their assests. The woman in front of Ayah turned around to look at her and said, "You don't even belong here. You aren't part of the family you little retch!"

To this Abraham's father spoke up to defend her. "She is just as much part of the family as you are Aunt Miranda."

"How could you have let your son marry such a woman?"

"He fell in love with her and they were good for each other. There was nothing wrong with thier relationship.

He could have done so much better, but chose to remain in poverty and now his widow is getting a free handout! She won't know what to do with it and it will be ruined in no time at all."

"That's quite enough. My son knew what he was doing and was doing well for himself. He may not have made a name for himself yet, but he was well on his way. It's not his fault that he was killed before he got there!"

At this, all Ayah could do was cry silently. She tried to hide her tears, but it was too late.

"That's right cry little girl. You have no idea what you are about to get yourself into."

My husband was a good man! He's only been dead for a couple of weeks and isn't here to defend himself. Don't you say another ill word about him. I don't care what you think of me!"

About that time, a security guard stepped up. He didn't have to say a word. At his presense, the woman turned away. Abraham's parents hugged Ayah and reassured her that it would be ok.

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After about 15 minutes, Ayah finally reached the front of the line. She was handed a paper that specified what her inheritance was and was told there would be a tax that she had to pay in order to take possession of the property. She made her appointment to take possession with the lawyer on the following Monday. This would give her time to check everything out for herself and consult her own lawyer to make sure everything was safe and legal.

She made her way out to the car. A group of well dressed people were standing together in a group and complaining about the will and what they all got and who got what. The Spanish lady she had seen earlier was on the phone with someone crying tears of joy. It was interesting to stand in the parking lot for a moment and see all of the different reactions. Personally, she hadn't had time to even process her portion of it just yet.

Ayah went back to her office and began preparing a report for her boss that might be used in tomorrows paper. It was hard to concentrate. She was tired and felt distracted by the day's events. There had been a whirlwind of emotions and no time to process them yet. She decided to get and go to the restroom and get a drink of water. Perhaps a small break was exactly what she needed. As she stepped into the break room, her boss was in there. He greeted her. "Hello, How did the reading of the will go? Did you get anything good?" That is not what she needed right now, but managed a smile.

She said, "As a matter of a fact I did. It turns out Mr. Jones was my late husband's great uncle and I had no idea. I'm typing up the report now, but just needed to get a drink of water. It will be in your email before I leave today."

"That's great! I'll look forward to reading it."

Ayah hurridly got a drink of water. then got back to her desk. Feeling a bit flustered that she had ran into her boss when all she had wanted was a moment of peace. She struggled a little bit with the wording. She felt like she was making something that should be private available for public scrutiny and was being careful with what she revealed. She had managed to snag a photo of the list of people who had an inheritance. So she used that with a vague description of who got what. Hopefully, her boss would let that pass. Something bothered her about the whole thing. she wasn't quite sure what, but she had an uneasy feeling about it all. Maybe she was just tired from the long week and just needed a break. This would be her first weekend at her house alone. Maybe she would go on a drive the next day to see where the inherited property was. She could see if her friend would be able and willing to go with her.

She wondered if she would have to coninue to rent the small house her and her husband had been living in or would this be the perfect opportunity to start over from scratch, a completely new life. Wait! Did she want a new life? She hadn't even thought about that. Her emotions had been too fresh, too raw. She finished typing up her report and sent it to her boss. Then she got ready to leave the office.

Ayah's boss saw her about to leave and asked her if she had sent him the report. He told her he would read it and if it needed editing he would send her an email later that evening. He wanted to run the story in the morning.

Ayah, went to her volunteer work and was glad to get away from the office today. she still felt uneasy for some reason. Once her shift of volunteering was done, she headed home. She pulled into the driveway and sat there for a moment thinking about the events of the day and just concentrating on breathing. The whole will incident had felt strange to her and she wondered why her husband's uncle would have left them such an amount of money and property. She felt to tired to process it right now. She went inside her house to grab some dinner. There was some left over brocoli soup from the night before that she heated in the microwave. As she was sitting at the table eating her soup, her phone rang. "Hello."

Hi, Ayah, this is Raven. We met the other day at the business towers. I thought I would see if you might be interested in going to dinner with me tonight."

Oh I'm sorry, I was just eating dinner now. Can I take a raincheck?

I guess we could have dinner tomorrow night if you are available. I guess it wouldn't hurt, but only as friends.

Oh, Of course, nothing fancy, just friends.

Ok, What time will you be over?

I'll pick you up at 6:30 if that's ok.

Yes, that will work out fine. I'll see you then.

Yes, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.

Bye.

Just as she hung up the phone rang again. Hello

This time is was her best friend. "Hey, Ayah, how did your day go? I just got off from work. It was a long day. I'm about to head home. Do you need me to bring you anything while I'm out.

No, but thanks for asking and thinking of me. I'm eating some left over soup from last night. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?

Well, I was planning to go visit my mom. Why?

Ok just was wondering. I'll probably just hang out here around the house then. By the way, I only inherited a property in Rye and a million pounds. After inheritance tax, that's still not a bad little chunk of change. What do you think I should do with it?

Oh that is so awesome. I am happy for you. You deserve something good to happen to you for a change.

Did I also mention that I have a date tomorrow?

No, and when were you going to mention this? She giggled.

Ayah, giggling too, said "Well, I mentioned it just now."

You know you will have to tell me all about it when you get back home. Let me know how it went and I'll tell you how the visit with my mom goes.

Deal! I'm going to go ahead and get off of here. I am ready to just relax and watch a movie or something.

Ok I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.

Love you too. Bye.

Bye.

By this time Ayah was done with her soup. She took her dishes to the sink and washed what was there. Then she got herself some hot tea and pop corn and sat down in the living room. It felt kind of good to just slow down after such a crazy week. She must have dozed off during the moving. because she woke up sometime during the night and the tv was static and the pop corn bowl had fallen on the floor. She cleaned up her mess and went to bed.

Saturday 6pm arrived and Ayah was getting ready for her dinner date. Raven arrived at 6:30 as promised to pick her us. They had a nice time and returned to her house by 9 pm.

Raven walked her to the front door and asked permission to give her a kiss. She allowed him to do so on the cheak He said, "I enjoyed our time together tonight. Would you like to join me again sometime?

"Sure, I'd love to join you again, but it may have to be in a couple of weeks. I'm kind of busy this next week or so.

Great, How about we plan for 2 weeks from today at the same time?

I'd like that she said.

May I call you every day.

You can call me but I can't promise to answer right away.

Fair enough. I'll be seeing you then. With that he walked away.

She smiled and went inside her house.

Sunday morning came and she attended church as she always did. This time the sermon and the songs seemed like they were meant just for her. The priest preached on grief and how Christians should deal with it. Life seemed to be throwing a lot her way all at once. It was hard to process it all so quickly.

After church, she was able to meet with her lawyer, a family friend, and was able to determine that she would be able to accept the inheritance she had been offered. He agreed to meet with her after she got off work on Monday. She would just have to leave work a little early to take care of all of her business and wouldn't be able to do her volunteer work for that day.

Ayah left work around 1 pm. She would have to do some work at home on her laptop, but she was okay with that. She knew she had to get her business taken care of as soon as possible. When she arrived at the lawyer's office, he had been waiting for her. She signed all the necessary paperwork and took possession of the deed to the property and keys and money.

She went to imediately make sure all her i's were dotted and t's were crossed and taxes had been taken care of. This way she wouldn't have to worry about it later. She determined that she would make a trip to the property this weekend to check it all out. If everything worked out the way she wanted it to, she would be moving in the new property at the end of the month. Why rent when you have a property you own?

She decided to get some dinner while she was out at a local diner. She called her friend to see if she wanted to join her. Her friend told her she would meet her there.

Once at the diner, they ordered fish and chips and a fizzy. They began to talk about her inheritance while waiting to be served their meal. Ayah's friend agreed to go check out the property with her. "How exciting! You get to own your own home!" She exclaimed.

Ayah replied, "I haven't even seen it yet. It's hard to get too excited until then. Then I will truly know what I am in for."

Oh, stop being such a pessimist. her friend said. It doesn't matter what shape it's in, you own it!"

We will see. I can't just move in and take possession of a place if it is all a wreck and a bloody mess.

Hopefully, it won't need to many repairs and everything will be fine. You deserve to have something good for a change."

Sometimes it doesn't feel like the universe agrees. Everytime I get something good, it seems to fall apart. It's the story of my life."

You've got to have more faith in yourself and other people. Everything can't be all bad all the time."

I said it just feels that way. Think about everything I have been through lately. Don't you think it a bit odd that I just all of a suddent inherit property from someone I don't even know. The man was related to my husband. I almost feel out of place accepting it."

Oh rubbish! You deserve it just as much as someone blood-related to him. You were married to his nephew, and Abe would want you to have it.

God! How I miss my Abe! How do I live without him?

Maybe this is his way of providing for you beyond the grave. You know they say that deceased loved ones sometimes become our guardian angels. Do you think Abe would have left you high and dry like that? Chin up! Now let's eat.

The waiter placed their order on the table. Ayah whiped a tear from her eye and smiled at her friend. Thank you. I guess you are right. It'll be our sweet little weekend adventure.

That's better. Her ffiend answered. Then they both kind of giggled and began eating their meal.

The week came and went. It was filled with writing reports, appointments, and plenty of work. Ayah was glad it was finally Saturday. It was an opportunity to get away from everything for a few hours and do something different and she was going to do it with her best friend. They had decided that they would go in her firend's car. It would be better if they had to travel any rough roads or dirt paths. Her friend arrived at 8 am as promised and by 9 am, they were in the town of Rye and looking for the address. Apparently, the property in question was on the very edge of town. After some driving around, they finally located it. The friend pulled into the driveway. At first glance, it didn't appear to be very kept up. vines had almost overtaken the mailbox by the road. The grass was around knee to waste high. Only the driveway itself had been cleared. It seemed well worn and graveled. The tireds crunched as they drove over it up a long driveway to the main house. You could not see all of the property at once. The view was hindered by trees and a hill and more shrubbery. Just a small section around the main house had the lawn cleared of tall grass and debree.

The women parked in front of the garage and looked around. Ayah looked back at her friend and said, "Well, I can already see if needs a lot of work. I hope the inside is better."

Her friend looked back at her, "This place is huge! Let's go look around!"

With that, the 2 women went up to the front porch, which was a wrap around porch. The flowers in the flower bed looked wilted and unkept. Ayah, couldn't help but think to herself how Abe would have loved working in the yard and making everything look exactly how he would have wanted it. He often talked about eventually making a garden in their back yard when they were able to buy a house of their own. There was a porch swing and a couple of outdoor chairs for front porch lounging. "I think I could get used to this once it is fixed up a bit."

"You're starting to see the possibilities? Huh? Miss Pessimistic?

Actually, yes I am, Miss optomistic And they both laughed. Ayah stuck the key into the door and opened it. It was dark at first, but she quickly found the light switch and as they walked throught the front door, they were standing in a large corridor. Some paintings and art hung on the walls. There was a small closet by the door for coats. The house smelled dormant, but clean.

The next door led into the sitting room. There was an older sofa and 2 matching chairs, tables, a bookshelf filled with books, and a lamp. They knew by looking at it that it had not been lived in for a while, but someone had tried to keep it up. The room accross the corridor looked like a large ball room or banquest room. There were a few folded tables and chairs along one wall, a small platform and piano on one end and a large chandelier in the center for lght. "I can't imagine living like this. Are you sure I'm not dreaming."

No, honey! This is as real as it gets. Looks like you have yourself a nice mansion. Are you planning to move in soon?

I don't know. Right now, I'm jsut trying to take it all in. Let's keep looking around, but stay close, I don't want to get lost alone.

They continued to look around in complete awe. It wasn't like the lower class homes they were used to seeing. They weren't poor, but they weren't rich. They were somewhere in the middle. This was kind of new to them.

There was a stairway in the middle of the corridor that led up to a beautiful banister and the second floor. The kitchen was off the the side of the ballroom. Even it was more than they were used to.