The Missing Will

Ramona was stunned. The Will which her father had kept in the locker was missing. Just a few months back when she had visited him alone, he had shown her the closed and sealed envelope marked “My Will”. He had also mentioned that he was keeping the Will in the locker, so that after his death, Ramona and Adi, her brother, would not have any problems in claiming and distributing his assets as per his wish.

Last week, the news had come that her father had passed away. Adi had come there immediately, as he was staying in the same city, but Ramona had to reach Mumbai from Delhi. Till the funeral was over and things settled down, both of them had not thought about anything else. But the time came for Ramona to leave back to her home in Delhi, and their uncle, Yash Mehta, wanted the copy of the Will, as he had been made the executor by their father.

“The envelope is not to be seen,” exclaimed Ramona. “Adi, did you see it by any chance?”

“No,” replied Adi. “In fact, dad showed me the sealed envelope last month and said that he was keeping it inside the locker.”

“He told me too,” said Ramona. “Then where could it go?”

“Maybe you did not search properly,” said Adi as he joined her in the search, but he too could not find it.

Their uncle was tensed up. He lived abroad, and wanted to finish the final duty that his brother had assigned him and go, because he would not be able to come again for a few months. And now the Will was missing!

“Can you think of any other place that he could have kept it?” he asked.

“Let us search in his folders where he keeps his FDs and other important documents,” said Adi.

They searched the folders but to no avail.

Suddenly Adi remembered the man, Ramesh, who had stayed with him as a nurse cum companion throughout his father’s last days. He was still here, as he had really cared for their father and wanted to be there for Adi and Ramona till they went back to their houses.

“Ramesh,” he called out.

“Yes babu,” answered Ramesh as he came over to Adi.

“Ramesh, dad had mentioned keeping a sealed envelope in the locker. Do you have any idea where it is?”

“It will be in the locker only, Adi babu,” Ramesh replied.

“It is not there,” said Adi.

“But where did you search for it?” asked Ramesh.

“In the locker, where else?” answered Adi somewhat sternly.

“But, Adi babu, you have not gone out of the house. How could search for it in the locker?” smiled Ramesh.

“Don’t be silly Ramesh. I don’t have to go out of the house to search for the envelope in the cupboard locker,” said Adi. Ramona was perplexed too.

Seeing their confused expression, Ramesh said, “Babu, your father kept it in the bank locker, not in the cupboard locker as you thought, though the key to the bank locker is in the cupboard locker.”

Their uncle smiled as enlightenment dawned on his niece and nephew. They went with the key to the bank and got the Will. Yash Mehta was relieved that he could finish the final job entrusted on him by his brother.