Chapter 6 - The Notice
The crisp white envelope arrived at 1402 Elmwood Avenue in Park Ridge on a freezing Monday morning, carried by a certified mail courier who required a wet signature.
My mother signed for it, expecting perhaps a formal letter from a bank representative offering a loan modification or a revised repayment plan. Instead, when she tore open the flap in her sunlit kitchen, her eyes landed on a stark, heavy legal document bearing the seal of Sterling, Vance & Hayes.
NOTICE OF ACCELERATION AND DEMAND FOR FULL PAYMENT
PROPERTY: 1402 ELMWOOD AVE, PARK RIDGE, IL
CURRENT HOLDER OF SECURED NOTE: DARIEN VANCE TRUST
TOTAL BALANCE DUE: $210,000.00
CURE PERIOD: SEVEN (7) CALENDAR DAYS
My mother’s hands began to shake violently. She dropped the document onto the polished granite island, her knees giving out slightly as she caught herself against the counter.
When my father returned home from his office forty minutes later, his face pale from another grueling session with his commercial bankruptcy attorneys, he found her sitting at the kitchen table, weeping quietly over the open pages.
"What is this, Eleanor?" Arthur demanded, snapping up the letter. "Who gave First Illinois permission to transfer our note?!"
His eyes swept down to the signature line at the bottom of the second page.
David Sterling, Lead Counsel for Darien Vance, Sole Trustee.
My father’s breath hitched. The paper crumpled slightly in his tight, white-knuckled grip.
"He bought it," Arthur whispered, his voice cracking with a sudden, horrifying realization. "The bastard bought the secondary lien."
"Arthur, what does this mean?!" Eleanor sobbed, pulling at her silk cardigan. "He's giving us seven days! Where are we going to get two hundred and ten thousand dollars in seven days?!"
"We call him," Arthur rasped, pulling his phone from his pocket with frantic, jerky movements. "He’s doing this to bully us. He wants us to beg. He’s trying to force my hand."
He dialed my direct number.
The line rang once. Twice. Three times. Then it clicked over to a automated corporate recording:
“You have reached the office of Darien Vance. For all legal, financial, or personal property inquiries regarding Vance Development LLC or related estate notes, please direct your communication in writing to Sterling, Vance & Hayes.”
Arthur slammed the phone onto the granite counter, shattering the back glass casing. "He blocked my number!"
May you like
"Call Amber!" Eleanor cried, her voice rising into a sharp, hysterical register. "She needs to talk to him! She’s his sister, Arthur! He won't do this if she asks him!"
Arthur looked at his wife with hollow, hollowed-out eyes. He knew what Eleanor refused to admit: Amber had already tried her charm on my driveway, and it had shattered like cheap glass against ten years of cold, hard truth.
Related Stories
