I Read Allowed
Does it really say that?
“I read allowed”, I said aloud. “What the hell does that mean?”
“That’s how I interpret it,” Brit answered, nose down in the cryptic legal document. “That typos were allowed in the final version. In fact they seem intentional.”
We were in the law firm’s parking garage, heading back to the car after attending a reading of my aunt’s last will and testament. Aunt Fredricka was, to put it mildly, eccentric, and the reading showed it. I was still feeling low and unable to process much since she died. Thankfully Brit (a paralegal) offered to help me get through the legal rigmarole.
“Can we just auto correct the typos?” I asked.
“Well, if you do that you’re interpreting her intent,” she explained. “Which means anyone can contest it.”
“So…?”
“So her will can be held up in the courts forever.”
I suddenly barked a laugh, and Brit looked over at me with concern.
I got it! I understood why my aunt purposefully injected her will with mistyped words. Solving the puzzle made me happy, but then devastated me once I realized that this would be the last connection I would make with her.
“That’s totally her sense of humor,” I said, wiping away a tear. “Tying people up in the courts for the rest of their lives, trying to figure out what she was thinking. And she hated lawyers. God, I’m really going to miss her.”
Thanks for reading! I saw in a story once where “I Read Allowed” was used where (I think) “I Read Aloud” was intended. This was inspired by the Centina Pentina prompt Auto Incorrect.
