I took out my phone and made three calls.
The first was to my bank branch.
I had added Brody as an authorized user on the household account back in February to make shopping trips easier.
I called that morning and had the authorization removed.
It took four minutes.
The representative on the line was very pleasant about it.
The second call was to my solicitor, whose office was on King Street downtown.
I had used her firm when I handled Gerald’s estate and again when I did some refinancing several years ago.
Her assistant said she could see me that afternoon at four.
The third call was to a locksmith who had done work for my neighbor at the end of the block.
His name was Kurt.
I told him I needed all the exterior locks on the property replaced with keypad deadbolts.
Front door.
Back door.
Side entry.
Garage interior.
I asked if he could come Thursday morning.
He said nine.
I went back inside and finished my breakfast standing at the counter.
My meeting with my solicitor that afternoon was brief and straightforward.
We reviewed the property deed.
My name.
Sole ownership.
No mortgage.
Registered at the land registry office.
She confirmed that Brody and Maxine, having resided on the property for fewer than 12 months under no written lease and paying no rent, were occupying the home at my sole discretion.
They were not tenants in any legal sense.
They were guests.
I was under no obligation to give formal notice before securing my own property.
“You have every right to update the locks,” she said.
“That’s simply maintaining your own home.”
I thanked her and drove back.
That evening, I sat in the kitchen while Brody and Maxine moved around the house making dinner.
Maxine spoke about her mother’s visit with the authority of someone arranging a hotel.
She mentioned the thread count of the sheets in the main-floor bedroom.
She mentioned where she thought they’d go for dinner on Saturday.
She asked me in passing if I’d spoken with Roseanne.
I told her I was handling things.
She interpreted this as agreement.
She went to bed that night satisfied.
The next two days, she was occupied with preparations.
A large grocery delivery arrived.