The Bari Chronicles The Lives and Deaths of a Piedmont, San Francisco and Sonoma Family Episode 3

The Bari Chronicles

The Lives and Deaths of a Piedmont, San Francisco and Sonoma Family Episode 3

 

The weekly saga of the Bari Family is presented to you as a light hearted tale of estate planning gone awry.  Through the lives of this particularly unusual family, you may learn some fundamentals of estate planning but mostly have some fun in the process. As you will see, however, estate planning is an oxymoron.

 

Episode 3

Anna Comes Home

 

For Anna Bari Carson driving up Oakland Ave. was a trip into a wonderful past.  Every little observation, like the fact that even in August the liquid ambers were shedding leaves on some of the trees while others, like the ones in front of her parent’s place, would not lose their color or cover until close to Christmas made her comfortable with life.  There wasn’t much visible difference in the community- yet the kids in their soccer uniforms were not her friends or the siblings of her friends.  New families had taken their place- just as she was about to do with her family.

 

Coming back to town after a 15 year absence was what she always dreamed of doing.  When Tom’s company gave him the opportunity to return to the Bay Area, there was no doubt in her mind that they would return to her home community. Now, with the boys in the back seat, her dream had come true.

 

Anna’s husband Tom was also a little lost in thought.  He was looking forward, in some ways to getting to know the Bari family better.  Since their marriage, Tom and Anna had lived in Kansas City and saw the family only occasionally.  Danny in particular intrigued Tom since he had taken over management of the restaurant.  Tom’s company was a national restaurant supply wholesaler, so they always had a lot to talk about.  If it weren’t for his twitch caused by the gun accident he had in high school, Danny would have been a dashing man.  As it was, he was seemingly happy with Chloris, a quiet woman who seemed to be constantly falling down and hurting herself- at least that was her reason to seldom make any of the family events.

 

“Have you talked to your Mom about tonight”, asked Tom.

 

“Yes, she and Dad will host us for dinner and watch the kids while we unpack. The movers should be done by dinner”.

 

“You know, Anna, your Dad has been acting kind of strange lately.  He just seems real edgy and keeps talking about whether the kids are safe or not.  And providing us with a governess named Bruno- well it just seemed kind of strange.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.  Bruno is an old family friend.  His Dad worked in the restaurant for years and he’s a great cook.  At least we know the kids will be safe.  I think Dad and Mom are just going through some problems- Oh look Tom- a homecoming banner!  I can’t believe I’m back!  I haven’t thought about homecoming since I was queen”----And Stan Willer was king”, she mused privately.  “I wonder if he is still in town?”

 

“I feel I’ve come back to all that is wonderful”

 

Tom wondered if the “that” was going to be as wonderful as Anna thought it would be.  Up to now his career and family track had been going awfully well and the move to Anna’s hometown was in part to complement that growth.  But in a town built on reputations, he was wondering whether Auggie”s recent conversation with him was a portense of troubled times ahead.

 

“Tom”, Auggie had pointedly asked the last time they were alone, “What do you know about Anna’s family beyond what you see?”

 

”What do you mean?”

 

“What I mean is do you know about the East Coast origins of my family? 

 

“East coast?   Am I missing something?”

 

“Let’s just say that some of Anna’s relatives are not necessarily nice people.  It now appears that some of that history is coming to life in the present.  Don’t talk to Anna about this yet- it will hurt her mother and the whole problem may go away. In fact, forget what I said.  Just make sure that the kids are always with someone- preferably Bruno”

 

Auggie, Angela, Bruno and the person Anna called Uncle Bernie- Bernardo greeted the family at the house.  It was never explained to Tom (or to Anna, for that matter) why Bernardo was Uncle Bernie, but there was seldom a family event at which he wasn’t present.  Tom just figured he was some relative of Angela’s, since they spent so much time together and there was a strong resemblance between Bernie and Anna’s sister, Maggie, in particular.

 

As they were unpacking some personal effects from the car, a gardener’s pick-up went by and backfired while climbing the street.  Suddenly, Tom found himself standing around seven people flat on the ground, with Bruno grabbing and falling on the kids.  Even Anna was lying on the lawn, looking a little embarrassed.  Everyone got back up, dusted him or herself off, and continued to go on as if nothing had happened.

 

“What have I gotten myself into”, thought Tom.  “This isn’t Kansas City”

 

 

 

(What has Tom gotten himself into?  He’s got a new house and mortgage in town, his boys will be entering school, his social status is assured and his entire family hits the deck when a car backfires.  No, Dorothy, this isn’t Kansas- although the story could be told there just as easily.  Estate planning is nothing more than guessing the future.  As our story of the Bari family unfolds, there will be increased information about what an omnipotent estate planner, who had access to all the facts, would suggest.  In the meantime, get to know these different people who are just like your neighbors!