Easy Come, Easy Go

In the church office email inbox on Friday I found one from a solicitor's office. 'We act on behalf of the late Mrs JN of Bradley House Care Home, Sherton', it read, 'and are pleased to inform you that our client, who died in June, left your church 5% of her estate. Please use the attached form to tell us how you would like this to be paid'. 

The world is full of people trying to pull one over on you and as the solicitor was 200 miles away and I didn't recognise the name of Mrs JN despite being here for 16 years I was initially suspicious. A brief search did all check out, though, so I called, just to check. It was all absolutely genuine, the solicitor, the deceased legator, everything. It was a very nice present in the run-up to Christmas and I wondered whether it would be enough to buy some new folding chairs to replace the decreasing number of increasingly scrappy old plastic seats we have in the church hall. 

The lady I spoke to at the office was very bright and enthusiastic. 'Let me check your address,', she said. 'All Saints' Church, Church Road, Milbury. That's you, isn't it?' And of course it is not, it is a church four miles away with the same dedication. All my plans dissipated like fog in the morning sun.

As a friend said to me, 'You don't know how much it was 5% of'. It was supposed to be supportive ...