They left their sick mother, and she gave the house to her tenants as an inheritance
Teresa’s children never came to see her or even contacted her, so she rented a single mother and her daughter to help her feel less alone. They became her true family, so she gave them everything she owned, including the house, with the exception of one thing she had “reserved” for her children, which they were surprised to discover.
Children who have abandoned their sick mother discover that she has left all the legacy of her tenants
“Can you tell me who you are?” As he walked into the lawyer’s office, Thomas frowned. Teresa Finkle’s will was about to be read by Mr. Goldberg, and her sons, Thomas and Walter, were present to receive their fortune. They fled home when they were 18 years old and never looked back. They didn’t want anything to do with their mother after their father died years later. Teresa was alone, as they claimed to be preoccupied with their own families and enterprises. All she wanted was for her sons to pay her visits or to invite her to their events. They never did, however.
Finally, Teresa rented Grace, a single mother, and Katherine, her teenage daughter. While Teresa was upstairs, they sat in the empty rooms on the ground floor. She never mentioned them to her children, and they never asked. They didn’t even show up when Teresa became ill. She died a few months later without seeing her children again, but she was surrounded by two people who actually cared about her: the single mother and her daughter.
When Thomas and Walter walked into Mr. Goldberg’s office, they noticed Grace and Katherine, the two renters.
“-Thomas, they’re Grace Harris and her daughter, Katherine. They have been renting the ground floor of your mother’s house for many years,” the lawyer explained.
“-How?” My mother never said anything,” said Walter.
“-It’s like you’ve never called,” Katherine muttered to herself, but Grace scolded her gently.
“-Finally. Let’s sit down and finish this. You two will have to move soon enough, because we will sell that house soon enough,” said Thomas, sitting in one of the chairs and smiling at his brother’s accomplice.
The house was not a mansion, but the two brothers did not want to miss out on the opportunity to sell it for a good price because the real estate market in Montana had recently exploded. If they negotiated well with potential purchasers, they may obtain half a million dollars. They didn’t need them, though, because their mother’s savings provided them with sufficient funds.
“Thomas, calm down. Grace and Katherine are also part of the will and you have to respect them, because your mother valued them,” said Mr. Goldberg, the lawyer, almost shaking his head at the greed of two mature men who treated their mother so badly.
When Mr. Goldberg completed reading their mother’s will, the brothers’ smiles faded. Grace and Katherine received the balance of the inheritance after she left each of them a dollar. Teresa had deposited all of the rent that Grace had paid her over the years in the bank, so that her daughter would have money to spend on college, according to the lawyer. The mom smiled joyously with her daughter, while the brothers screamed angrily.
“It simply came to our notice then. You will respect her and, boys, a dollar is much more than you deserve, because she told us EVERYTHING about you. And if you allow me to become a little personal, you two did not attend the funeral. I was there. Grace and Kath were there. You should have been there!” said the lawyer.
Walter shouted, “You’ll hear from our OWN lawyer soon, charlatan! We take our money!” Thomas looked at them contemptuously and went out behind his brother.
Grace, on the other hand, was overjoyed at the prospect of not having to relocate because she couldn’t find a place with such a low rent. However, they were suddenly practically wealthy. Katherine’s future was planned, and she might not have to worry about money in the future. They only had to be concerned about Teresa’s boys, Walter and Thomas, who showed up at her home one day.
“-I’m not afraid to call the police. Leave! This is our home now, and it has been for years, because I’ve been more of a family to Teresa than you are!” Grace said to the men.
“-Listen, we’re not here to argue. We just came to get some things from our bedroom. Do you let us do that?” the two replied.
“-Okay, but be quick,” Grace told them. And the two went upstairs.
“-Okay, so what do we do now?” Walter asked Thomas when they got to their old bedroom.
“-We have to find some proof that that woman lied to our mother and persuaded her to change her will. We’ll have to talk to her and record her,” Thomas explained, looking around. At one point, he noticed an envelope on his bed. It was addressed to both of them, and Walter opened it.
“My dear sons,
Don’t even think trying to get something from Grace and Katherine! You don’t even deserve a penny of my fortune, since you’ve been too busy spending time with me for the last few decades. You already have your father’s inheritance. It’s more than enough. That woman and her daughter were my only family. They took care of me when I was sick. They celebrated Christmas with me. They had dinner with me every night and loved me as much as I loved them.
Now you two are my sons. I’m your mother. I love you so much and I will always love you. But I hope you will never have to live with the pain I experienced. I hope my grandchildren never treat you the way you treated me. And finally, I hope you learn something from this, that you are better.
With all the love,
Mother.”
After reading the letter, Walter turned at his brother and said, “Let’s go.” Grace was never harassed again after the two said their goodbyes. They’ve gathered up at the cemetery since then to pay their respects to Teresa’s grave. Grace had no idea why they had changed their behavior or why they were suddenly paying her a visit, but they thought they had learnt something from this difficult lesson.
