Settling Up

Siblings can be such blockheads. Domineering Kitty, eccentric Todd and self-indulgent Alexandra inherited a pile from their frugal parents. You’d think the kids would settle down and happily look forward to a life of leisure. Hardly. Hell-bent on cheating each other, the siblings issues were legion – stubbornness, sentimental knickknacks, and money. While Todd skillfully bilked Kitty, he obsessively collected evidence that she was swindling him. And she was, of course. Conniving Alexandra was busy too. “As children, they cheated at Monopoly,” an acquaintance explained. What ails these avaricious and amoral people? Instead of hiring psychiatrists, they hired lawyers. When they wound up in court, curious neighbors packed the gallery. “Hey, it’s more about deterring future wrong doing than money,” explained one lawyer. Wrong doing? What’s wrong with a little honest cheating? Self righteous to the end, to them the fight was worth it.