My brother and I abandoned our elderly mother, and she left her entire fortune to her tenants.
When we entered the lawyer’s office, I saw two unfamiliar faces. „Who are you?” I asked, looking at the woman and her daughter. I was there with my brother, Walter, for the reading of our late mother’s will.
Our father had been a very wealthy man, and we grew up in comfort. Walter and I left home at 18 and never looked back. Even after our father’s death, we kept our distance from our mother. She longed for our visits, but we never set foot in her house again.
We soon learned that the woman, Grace, and her daughter, Katherine, had been renting part of our mother’s house. “Mom never told us about them,” Walter said irritably.
Impatient, I added, “It doesn’t matter. Let’s get this over with. They’ll have to move out soon because we’re selling the house.” I glanced at Walter with a smile. The house was worth a considerable amount.
Mr. Goldberg, the lawyer, interjected, “Thomas, calm down. Grace and Katherine are part of the will, and you must honor their inclusion.”
The shock came when the lawyer read the will. Mom had left each of us one dollar, while the rest of her estate went to Grace and Katherine. Moreover, she had saved all the rent money to fund Katherine’s college education.
Walter and I were furious. We stormed out of the office, shouting in anger, “I can’t believe Mom did this to us!” Goldberg reminded us that we hadn’t even attended our mother’s funeral, while Grace and Katherine had always been there for her.
The next day, I found a letter from Mom, leaving us with a clear message: “You don’t deserve a penny of my fortune because you turned your backs on me for years.”
It was a harsh but necessary lesson. Now, every year, Walter and I visit Mom’s grave to remind ourselves to be better.
My daughter cared for her sick grandmother and inherited only an old couch.
When I walked into the lawyer’s office, I was impatient. My daughter, Deborah, had cared for her grandmother, Tessa, in her final months. I had thought her sacrifice was unnecessary.
Deborah had taken unpaid leave and moved in with Tessa. Meanwhile, I continued with my life and pursued my travel plans. After her grandmother’s death, Deborah informed me, but I remained focused on practical matters like the inheritance.
At the reading of the will, I discovered that my mother had left me everything except a brocade couch, which she left to Deborah. I told her to take it quickly because I planned to sell the house.
What I didn’t know was that inside that couch, Deborah found a treasure: jewelry and a letter from Tessa explaining why she had hidden it there. Deborah was blessed not only with the value of the jewelry but also with her grandmother’s love and gratitude.
I sold my mother’s house, but she left her fortune to a stranger.
I stormed into the lawyer’s office. “I hope the will is straightforward. Everything belongs to me, right?” The lawyer explained that my mother had left her fortune to a psychiatric foundation and named Ms. McKinsey as the executor.
I discovered that my mother had been funding treatment for a brother I didn’t know I had, diagnosed with autism. In my greed, I made rash decisions that led to massive losses.
In the end, I realized that what I had truly lost wasn’t just money but the chance to have a united family.
