Life Insurance - A Short Story by Frank Gao

This is a short that my roommate wrote. I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too!




Life Insurance

Article I
I, Charles Brendan Lime, residing at 1083 Tamalpais Way, San Francisco, California, declare this to be my Will, and I revoke any and all wills and codicils I previously made.

Article II
I give and bequeath my Xbox 360 to my brother, Christopher J. Lime, of San Jose, California. My collection of games will go to my other brother, Jack T. Lime, of the same physical location, to prevent any bickering or monopoly of the aforementioned game console. I give and bequeath my record player and vinyl collection to Hon P. Lin, of Seattle, Washington. I give and bequeath ownership and care of my Welsh Corgi, Refrigerator, to my mother, Meredith K. Lime, of San Jose, California in hopes that they will develop a more reputable relationship. If any of the mentioned individuals does not survive me, this bequest to them shall lapse and the same shall become a part of my residuary estate, to be distributed as hereinafter provided in Article V of this Will.

Article III
I give all of the tangible personal property that I may own at the time of my death, which is not otherwise specifically bequeathed under this Will, including my personal effects, clothing, books, homework assignments, room decorations, frivolous purchases, household appliances, failed artistic endeavors and other personal articles to my mother, Meredith K. Lime, if she survives me.

Article IV
I give and bequeath the sum of $5,000.00 each to the friends listed; Iris J. Price of Boston, Massachusetts; Wallace C. Bransin of Portland, Maine; Carl N. Cheng of Alexandria, Virginia in hopes that it will alleviate their college loans. I give and bequeath the sum of $10,000.00 to each of my brothers in hopes that they will go to school for what they love. The rest I leave to my mother and father, the aforementioned Meredith K. Lime and James R. Lime, of San Jose, California on the confidence that they will treat themselves to a vacation in Florence, where my father has always talked of going. If any of the aforementioned people does not survive me, these bequests shall lapse and the same shall become a part of my residuary estate, to be distributed as hereinafter provided in Article V of this Will.

Article V
A. All the rest, residue and remainder of the property that I may own at the time of my death, whether real, personal or mixed, of whatever kind and nature and wherever situated, including all property that I may acquire or become entitled to after the execution of this Will, or other gifts made by this Will that fail for any reason, but excluding any property over or concerning which I may have any power of appointment (all hereinafter referred to as my “residuary estate”), I give, devise and bequeath to my mother, Meredith K. Lime, outright and free of trust, if she survives me.

B. The following message I request to be read to my friends and family in the event of my death:

Stand up, stretch out, take a drink of water. I have no doubt that the reading and explaining of this will has been a protracted and arduous process.
If you are reading or listening to this, then I am without a doubt deceased. I have dispensed what little possessions I have gathered in my time on this earth; treat what I have given you with care, or discard it at your leisure. My possessions may reside in places of subjective importance but eventually they will find themselves in garage sales and trash compactors. It is my desire that my legacy will transcend the physical affects I have left with you.
My mother once told me, “Home is where people know your stories.” My stories will last as long as you are willing to tell them, though I understand that they will not last longer than those that have known me personally. Eventually my stories will no longer be told, my ashes will become indistinguishable from dirt and every written record of my existence will be reduced to a footnote in county records.
I have given a lot of thought to whether the exact point at which a man ceases to exist can be delineated. A good friend of mine once told me that there are three kinds of people you meet in life: those that bring out the best in you, those that bring out the worst in you, and the people you can just chill with. I hope that not only with the people in this room but with the acquaintances I have made in my life that I reside in either the first or last category.
I have always tried to be there for my friends and family, to be supportive and dependable at any given time. Early on in my life I realized that if I could solve the problems of the people close to me I'd eventually be able to solve my own. The money and artifacts I have left in this Will are immaterial- the moment I will truly be considered dead is when the goodwill that I have passed on to my friends and family is no longer practiced. I will always be your son, your brother or your friend, but none of those will last as long as what you continue to give to those around you. So hold an open door, make a stranger smile. I will only live as long as the habits I have encouraged.

C. If any of these beneficiaries does not survive me then the benefits shall be passed on to my parents, and then my eldest then youngest brother. If they do not survive me then I give, devise and bequeath my residuary estate to the Boy Scouts of America, with its principle office in Irving, Texas, for its general charitable purposes.








-Ty