Uma avó foi enganada e abandonada em um asilo por seu amado neto. Ela decidiu lhe dar uma lição e deixou um envelope com algum dinheiro e uma carta com uma mensagem que o assombraria para sempre após sua morte.
Um dia, Gloria, de 74 anos, estava tomando café ao lado da janela coberta de cortinas nuas em seu quarto quando sua zeladora, Sophie, veio correndo até ela. “Sra. Watson, você tem uma visita. Seu neto veio vê-la!”
Gloria não recebia visitas há mais de um ano. Quando soube que Todd estava lá para vê-la, ela ficou menos animada porque sabia por que ele tinha vindo. Era por dinheiro. Era tudo com que ele e sua esposa Natasha sempre se importaram…
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“Sra. Watson, você precisa de ajuda para ir até o saguão ou devo levá-la até lá?”
“Eu vou cuidar disso, querida. Meu neto pode esperar. Eu tenho que me arrumar. Eu tenho que estar com a minha melhor aparência porque vou vê-lo depois de muito tempo”, disse Gloria enquanto caminhava até seu armário para encontrar o melhor vestido. Enquanto Gloria vasculhava o armário, ela estava perdida em pensamentos profundos e chorou.
A ganância e a traição só trazem decepção.
“Eu deveria ter pensado duas vezes antes de confiar nele”, ela ponderou. “É o pior erro que já cometi. Eu não estaria aqui hoje se soubesse dos planos de Todd e Natasha antes.”
Glória não conseguiu conter as lágrimas ao lembrar da traição.
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Cinco anos atrás, Gloria morava sozinha na casa que herdou do falecido marido. Todd já era casado e se mudou para viver separadamente com a esposa e visitava a avó uma vez por ano, na melhor das hipóteses.
Mas, de repente, ele começou a visitá-la com mais frequência. Ela estava feliz com a atenção que ele estava dando a ela. E um dia, ele veio até ela e disse: “Minha esposa precisa de uma cirurgia cara, vovó. Fiquei sem economias, e o pouco que tenho ainda é escasso para cuidar da casa. Ficarei muito grato a você se me ajudar a pagar o tratamento de Natasha.”
Todd era tudo o que Gloria tinha, então ela não conseguia pensar em nada além dele. Ela estava pronta para mover montanhas para colocar um sorriso em seu rosto, e ela sentia que a casa em que vivia não era nada comparada às necessidades de seu neto.
Sem pensar muito, Gloria vendeu a casa e foi morar com Todd e sua esposa. Se ela soubesse que tudo o que ele lhe disse era uma mentira descarada. Natasha não precisava de tratamento, nem estava doente. Eles precisavam de dinheiro para umas férias extravagantes no Havaí, mas não estavam dispostos a pagar do próprio bolso.
Todd e Natasha executaram seu plano com sucesso, achando que tinham escapado impunes e que Gloria nunca descobriria.
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Três semanas depois, o casal voltou para casa, fingindo ter vindo do hospital da cidade.
“Ah, vovó! Estou morrendo de fome. Você está assando pão? O aroma é tão convidativo… Podemos comer? Estou com tanta fome!” exclamou Todd enquanto ajudava Natasha a se sentar. “Cuidado, querida. O médico disse para você não se esforçar, certo?”
Gloria ficou tão feliz em ver seu neto e sua esposa, e apesar de sua idade avançada, ela saiu de seu caminho para ajudar Natasha com as tarefas domésticas para que ela pudesse descansar e se recuperar da cirurgia. Um dia, enquanto envasava as plantas, ela ouviu Natasha e sua amiga conversando no jardim sobre mandá-la embora.
“Argh! Ela é um pé no saco. Ela não faz nada em casa e continua lendo livros e jornais como se fosse mudar o mundo ou algo assim”, Natasha franziu a testa.
“Isso é irritante. E ela sabe sobre suas férias no Havaí?” perguntou o amigo.
“De jeito nenhum! Ela acha que Todd e eu estávamos no hospital. Nós mentimos para ela sobre minha cirurgia. Silêncio! Se ela descobrir isso, estamos condenados! Estou planejando me livrar dela de qualquer maneira. Vou convidar minha irmã para as férias, e quero o quarto de hóspedes vazio antes disso.”
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Gloria ficou chocada porque, até então, não tinha a mínima ideia de que Todd havia mentido para ela. Ela havia confiado cegamente nele, e nem em um milhão de sonhos ela imaginou que ele a trairia assim.
“Sinto muito, Thomas. Eu não deveria ter vendido nossa casa. Eu confiei em nosso neto. Ele mentiu para mim e desperdiçou todo o dinheiro”, ela chorou, limpando a foto emoldurada de seu falecido marido.
Mas era tarde demais e, mesmo que quisesse, ela não poderia voltar no tempo para consertar as coisas e decidir sabiamente como evitar o dano que causou a si mesma.
Gloria sorriu e nunca discutiu o assunto com Todd. Ela sabia que não adiantaria falar com ele. Além disso, ainda não fazia sentido para ela quando se lembrava de Natasha dizendo à amiga sobre “mandá-la embora”.
Então, a realidade mais uma vez atingiu a pobre Gloria com um golpe poderoso alguns dias depois, quando Todd e Natasha se aproximaram dela com um folheto explicando as comodidades oferecidas em uma casa de repouso.
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“É incrível saber que idosos como eu são cuidados em lugares assim. Mas por que você está me mostrando isso, querido?” ela perguntou a Todd. Ele franziu os lábios e olhou para Natasha, que franziu a testa e fez grandes olhos, gesticulando para que ele falasse com Gloria.
“Vovó, veja bem, Nat e eu estamos planejando ter um bebê. Nosso médico nos disse que é a hora certa, e já estamos nos aproximando dos trinta”, começou Todd enquanto Gloria lentamente empalidecia. Ela entendeu parcialmente o que ele estava prestes a lhe dizer em seguida.
“Então… estou planejando mudar de emprego, e vai ser difícil para nós três vivermos juntos. Então o que eu estava pensando é, você pode viver em algum lugar onde você seja bem cuidado. Você pode conversar com pessoas como você e envelhecer em paz, sabe. Então, esta é a casa de repouso que eu achei adequada. As comodidades são de primeira classe, acredite em mim. E eu prometo visitá-lo com frequência. Você pode contar comigo.”
A verdade finalmente caiu sobre Gloria, atingindo-a como um saco de tijolos. Ela queria voltar para a casa do falecido marido, mas não era mais dela, pois já havia sido vendida. Gloria não pôde fazer nada além de concordar com Todd e fazer as malas.
Na semana seguinte, ele a levou para a casa de repouso, prometendo visitá-la em breve. Mas esse “em breve” só acontecia uma vez por ano, durante as férias. Desanimada, Gloria começou lentamente a viver com a verdade feia pelos últimos cinco anos.
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“Sra. Watson, seu neto está esperando no saguão!” Sophie quebrou o silêncio de Gloria.
“Sim, estarei aí em dois minutos. Obrigada, querida.”
Fazia pouco mais de um ano desde que Todd visitou Gloria pela última vez. A última vez que ele veio foi no Natal para dar a ela algumas roupas e cobertores. Não era Natal tão cedo, então Gloria ficou perplexa por que ele tinha vindo vê-la. Ela pensou profundamente e suspirou, percebendo o porquê.
“Ah, por que não pensei nisso antes?”, ela exclamou desapontada.
Algumas semanas atrás, Gloria havia herdado uma parte da propriedade de seu falecido primo Donovan. Embora ele tivesse muitos herdeiros que legalmente dividiriam o legado, Gloria havia conseguido uma grande parte como uma parte, já que Donovan era rico. Era uma quantia considerável de dinheiro que poderia ajudar Gloria a conseguir uma casa nova se ela quisesse.
“Espero que você não esteja aqui para isso”, ela sorriu enquanto marchava para o saguão e viu Todd se aproximando dela com um grande e caloroso sorriso e braços abertos.
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“Vovó!! Estou tão feliz em ver você. Como você está? Senti tanto a sua falta”, Todd cumprimentou, abraçando Gloria com força e apoiando o queixo na cabeça dela como sempre. “Oh, você está tão quentinha, vovó! E como estão as coisas aqui? Está tudo bem? Olha isso… óculos de leitura novos! Você gostou?!”
“Estou bem, querida. Obrigada, e eu gosto desses óculos. É tão gentil da sua parte lembrar e vir buscar essa velha senhora quando você já está ocupada com tanto trabalho”, disse Gloria. “E como está Natasha? Ela está grávida?”
A excitação de Todd se transformou em um silêncio assustador antes que ele fizesse outro pedido estranho.
“Nós tentamos, vovó, mas ela tem uma complicação que precisa de cirurgia novamente. Queremos ser pais, mas isso só é possível depois dessa cirurgia. E…” ele fez uma pausa, encarando com olhos grandes e suplicantes.
“E?”
“Grandma, I spent all my savings on her treatment. I only have a little left to pay for the operation, but I don’t think it would be enough. So I came to ask you for help.”
“Help? What help, dear?”
“I came to know through my cousin about your inheritance from grandpa Donovan. I know I’m asking for too much, but you know how much I love Nat. We have to help her, grandma. She’s been dreaming of having babies but without this surgery…Money is nothing compared to our loved ones, you always told me. Can you please help me?”
But little did Todd know that his grandma knew he was deceiving her. Gloria was crushed to the core. She could not pull herself together to believe Todd was trying to pull off the same trick on her again.
What tormented her further was that she knew she would die soon. Gloria was diagnosed with cancer, but she was not afraid of death. She was happy and ready to unite with her late husband in the afterlife but what bothered her was Todd’s greed. Reality hit Gloria hard again, so she decided to put him on the right track.
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“Grandma? Are you okay with helping Nat and me? Will you give us the money?” Todd interrupted Gloria, who knew it was time to put her plan into motion.
“Ah, dear, I don’t think it’s possible this time. I need urgent surgery too. I may not live longer if I don’t undergo this critical operation. But you tell me — is Natasha’s surgery more important than mine?”
Gloria waited for Todd’s answer, only to be shaken at the end of it.
“Grandma, it’s not about whose life is more important. Right now, my wife needs surgery, and she has a long way ahead. Please help us.”
Gloria was shocked when she realized her grandson was not only a fraudster but also fussy when it came to picking between his wife and her. Not that she was upset Todd loved his wife more, but it shattered her when his response downright meant he did not love his grandma or care about her life.
After a deep thought, Gloria asked Todd to visit her the following day, saying she needed time to think.
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Later that evening, Gloria could not sleep peacefully. She was disturbed by Todd’s greed and the horrible person he had become. “He chose money over me. Doesn’t my life matter to him?” she cried.
“He still has time until tomorrow to think. I hope he changes his mind and realizes how much I struggled to raise him.” In a cranny of her heart, Gloria hoped Todd would realize his mistake and tell her to get treated first. But she was still haunted by several doubts.
For a moment, Todd did not seem to be that little boy she had raised. He had lost his mother during childbirth and was raised until he was twelve by his dad, Drake.
Drake was a gambling addict and had started bringing random women to his house when Todd was little. Todd’s life could have landed on a different track if Gloria hadn’t gotten custody of him and taken him away from his dad.
Although she did her best to raise the boy well, it was a bit too late. Drake’s upbringing over the years had spoiled Todd, and he could not love anything else other than money. Coincidentally, he even found a wife who loved money just like him.
Gloria could not remain peaceful the more she reminisced about her past. She cried herself to sleep and was awakened by Sophie again the next day. “Mrs. Watson, your grandson, has come to meet you,” she said. With faltering hope, Gloria marched to the lobby to meet Todd.
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“Grandma! Good morning…I’m sorry for waking you early, but I want to tell you something,” Todd said as Gloria’s eyes lit up, hoping he would tell her to go ahead with her surgery.
“The doctor has given Nat and me time until next week for the surgery. Grandma, please help me. Nat has to get this operation done.”
Gloria was disheartened. The only faint hope she had faded away. She realized she did not matter to her grandson at all and was already prepared in advance with an alternate plan if things turned out differently.
“Dear, you see, I haven’t got my inheritance yet as my cousin Donovan has too many heirs. First, they have to sell the property and divide the shares. You see, documentation and legal formalities take time to execute,” she said as Todd’s face seethed with disappointment.
“I can still help you, but I see you need money within a week. Why don’t you mortgage your house? You can pay off everything and get it back when I give you my share of the inheritance. What do you think?”
Todd’s eyes lit up with joy, and he readily agreed as he was overly pleased with his grandma’s offer. “That’s a brilliant idea, grandma! I’ll go now and will visit you two weeks later, alright? Love you, and thanks! You’re the best grandma ever!”
Todd returned home happily, guessing little about what was in store for him next.
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A few days later, Gloria asked Sophie to follow her grandson on social media. She was not social-media savvy but knew how Todd and Natasha were always active online, posting pictures of their holidays and celebrations.
“Where is he now?” she asked Sophie and was disheartened when she learned Todd and his wife were holidaying in the Maldives.
Gloria was sad because none of her efforts seemed to have made an impact on Todd. Sophie showed her pictures of him and his wife enjoying another extravagant holiday. Gloria was sure they paid for it with the money they got from mortgaging their house, and it was the last straw.
She was saddened by how greed for money had turned Todd into a selfish man, and soon, her health deteriorated. Treatment did not help, and sadly, Gloria passed away two weeks later. But before breathing her last, she had pulled one last trick on her grandson that would go on to teach him an unforgettable lesson about how greed and inhumanity reap nothing but disappointment.
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“Hun, let’s go home. It’s getting dark,” Natasha pressed Todd’s shoulder after the late Gloria was laid to rest.
Todd realized how much he missed his grandma only after she was gone. He was weak and shaken by her loss but was snapped to the moment when Natasha reminded him of the inheritance.
“Darling, let’s go home. We still don’t know what she did with her share. She must have got it already, yeah? We have to talk to her lawyer and find out,” she persuaded.
“Ah, yes, let’s meet the lawyer first thing tomorrow.”
But to Todd’s surprise, his late grandma’s lawyer knocked on his door the next day and offered him an envelope.
“What is this?” Todd exclaimed.
“It is from the late Mrs. Watson. It is your inheritance. Please sign here… And yeah, good to go. It’s now all yours!” said the lawyer as he left after obtaining the signature from Todd.
“It must be a check from grandma. She left all her inheritance to me, FINALLY!!” Todd sighed under his breath as he tore open the envelope and pulled out several dollar bills and a note.
“WHAT IS THIS??” Todd was startled. “WHERE IS THE CHECK??”
To his shock, there was an estimated $50 and nothing more. Instead of a check, he found a handwritten note from his grandma. It startled him no less when he began reading.
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“Dear, I can sense my end of days is nearing. The day I would reunite with your grandpa is not far. But before that, I want to confess a little truth,” began the late Gloria’s words.
“I knew you had lied about Natasha’s surgery. I also knew what both of you did with the money I gave you after selling my beloved house. I was aware of your lies. You have become such a horrible person, and you must know one thing: Money is not everything, dear. It cannot buy love and happiness.”
Todd was startled when he realized his grandma had known everything all along but had acted naïve. His eyes widened with more shock when he read further.
“Todd, sweetie, I’m sure you’ll learn to be kind, generous, and loving to the people around you once you start helping them. So I arranged for you two to work at the nursing home where I lived. You have to work there for a year and learn to be caring and loving to others. These are a few dollars for the bus ticket to the home. Good luck, sweetie. I hope you fulfill my wish. Love, Grandma.”
Gloria’s last wish was to fix her grandson’s cold attitude toward people. She had died thinking it would mend Todd and change his greed for money. Shockingly enough, she had also seeded a slight twist that would decide the fate of her legacy, and Todd had no clue about it.
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“How dare she do this to me??” he fumed, hurling the envelope and the note onto the floor. “She ruined everything. She betrayed me. That old — “
Reality hit Todd like a ton of bricks at the very thought of becoming homeless soon. He had spent all the money he’d gotten from mortgaging his house on vacationing with his wife. His late grandma’s inheritance was his last resort to pay off the mortgage and retrieve his home. Without it, he would be ruined.
“Jesus Christ, how will I pay my mortgage? What an evil — she is. What am I going to gain out of working there? What did she do with all that money??” Todd cursed and sat on the doorstep, not knowing what to do. He was so furious with his late grandma that he kept cursing her.
Todd had no idea that she had left all her money in the nursing home and that it could still be his only if he fulfilled her last wish by working there. If he failed to do so, then all the money would go to the nursing home, and he would not get a dime from it, according to the will she had secretly left.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
What can we learn from this story?
- Greed and betrayal reap nothing but disappointment. In his race to fund his extravagant holidays and lifestyle, Todd lied to his grandma and made her sell her treasured house. He betrayed her and even sent her away to a nursing home. Ultimately, his deeds came back to him in the most shocking way after her death.
- Money is not everything. It cannot buy love or build relationships. Even before her death, Gloria wanted to leave a message for Todd and tell him that money is not everything in life and there is so much beyond it.
Tell us what you think, and share this story with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
An 87-year-old man returns from the hospital only to see all his things being thrown out of the house. It shocks him no less when he overhears something heartbreaking from his grandson.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.
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