After selling his grandmother’s house, Alex decided to send her to a nursing home despite his earlier promises. When she died of old age, he only received an envelope with a few dollar bills and a short message that would haunt him forever.
Amber closed the book she was reading, sighing and taking her reading glasses off. Her favorite nurse, Anna, announced that her grandson had come to visit, and she knew why he was there: money. That’s all Alex ever cared about, and believe it or not, his wife, Katherine, was even worse. She made the worst mistake of her life trusting them, but it was too late now.
Two years earlier, Alex convinced Amber to move in with them. He told her she was getting too old to live alone, and it was better for everyone if they lived together. Amber disagreed for a long time but accepted eventually. Then Alex insisted on selling her house.
That was another error on her part. She agreed and never saw a penny of that sale, although her house in Lockhart, Florida, was worth a lot of money.
Alex told her he was going to keep it somewhere safe and Amber didn’t protest because everything seemed perfectly fine at first. But then, his wife started complaining about having her at their house.
Six months after Amber moved in, Alex succumbed to Katherine’s pressure and decided to send the older woman to a nursing home in Mount Dora, FL. He acted ashamed during their conversation, mumbling and running his hands through his hair. However, Amber knew it was all fake by then.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t fight them on it because Alex had essentially stolen her money. Therefore, she moved into the Edgewater at Waterman Village nursing home. She was happy most of the time, except when she remembered what her grandson had done. He was the only family she had left.
Amber had been living in the facility for a year and a half when her grandson dropped in for a visit. She snapped out of her thoughts when she saw him entering the common room of the nursing home. Anna was also in the room attending to an old man who also lived there.
“Grandma! I’m here!” Alex cheered, extending his hands to the sides as if to hug her. She gave him an insincere smile and didn’t stand up or hug him back.
Finally, she focused on Alex and decided to speak up. “Alex, dear. You haven’t visited me since I moved in. What brings you here?”
“Oh, Grandma! Come on! I’ve been sooo busy lately. Work is crazy. But I was driving by and decided to drop in. Katherine says hello too,” Alex replied conversationally. He sat down on the couch next to Amber, hitching one of his legs, and started rambling about some nonsense. Amber added a “hmm” now and then, pretending to listen. But Alex got to the point real quick.
“Anyway… Grandma, I heard you got word from Grandpa’s brother up in Canada. What’s up with that?” Alex asked casually, crossing his legs and placing an arm on the back of the couch. Amber saw through his blasé façade, though.
“Yes, your grandfather’s brother, Daniel, contacted me months ago. We started chatting on the phone every other day. But I’m sorry to tell you this, Alex. He’s gone,” Amber answered, staring away from her greedy grandson and facing the window.
“Oh, Grandma! That’s horrible!” Alex exclaimed, faking concern. He touched Amber’s shoulder to enhance his act. “Who called you? His lawyer?”
This boy already knows I have Daniel’s money, Amber thought snidely and shook her head. But she was not going to talk about money unless he brought it up. “No, a friend of his called me. He must have known that we talked on the phone,” she lied, still staring out the window.
“Ah, well. And…ugh…you never heard from his lawyer at all?” Alex insisted, scratching the back of the couch with one of his nails.
“No. Not at all. No one else has called me. The only person I talk to every day is Anna,” Amber said and looked at the nurse, who was still with the other senior resident.
“Ok. Well, I have to go now, but I’ll promise to come by more often. You can call us too,” Alex stated and heaved himself up from the couch. He waved awkwardly at Anna and left the room. When he was gone, Amber let a gush of air out and calmed herself. She thought Alex was going to be more insistent.
Suddenly, Anna rushed to her. “What did he say?” the nurse asked curiously, sitting down beside her. The older woman previously told Anna that she suspected her grandson would come as soon as he discovered that Daniel had given her money. But the kind nurse had not believed her at the time.
“He asked about Daniel, alright. But I refused to tell him any details or talk about money, and he only skated around the subject. I don’t know how he found out that Daniel gave me anything, but he didn’t bring it up today. I bet he’ll be back soon,” Amber asserted.
“Wow, I can’t believe he actually came. It’s crazy,” Anna muttered, resting her back on the couch for a second before getting up and continuing with her shift.
Although she worked at the nursing home, Anna had become Amber’s only friend. Now, the older woman viewed her as her only family. Hence, she made an important decision after receiving the money from Daniel.
Just as she predicted, her grandson visited several times in the following months and only once brought up the money. Amber pretended not to understand because he was safeguarding all her savings. At the time, Alex nodded uneasily and changed the subject immediately.
Amber got sick after a while, and Alex stopped visiting, secure in the knowledge that he would inherit the money after her death. However, he was in for a surprise when Anna showed up at his door two weeks after Amber’s death.
“Hello, I don’t know if you remember me, but I was your grandmother’s nurse. She asked me to give you this letter. My condolences, by the way. She was an exceptional lady,” Anna said kindly, handing Alex a small envelope.
“Ah yeah, right. Ok. Bye!” Alex replied, taking the envelope and closing the door in Anna’s face. His wife approached, asking who had knocked. “It was Grandma’s nurse. She gave me this letter from Grandma.”
“Ugh. It’s probably a goodbye letter. So cliché. I hope the lawyer calls soon. I want another vacation like the one we took after selling her house. But this time, let’s go to Fiji or something fancy,” Katherine suggested, moving her shoulders happily at the thought of getting money.
“Yes, well. Let’s read this first,” Alex replied, opening the envelope. A few dollar bills were inside, and Alex frowned at them. He focused on the letter and started reading.
“Dear Alex, I know you know that Daniel gave me money when he passed. But guess what? I gave most of it to Anna. I only kept a bit for expenses, and those dollar bills are all that’s left. That’s all your inheritance, boy! I hope you buy yourself a conscience with it. Good luck!”
After Old Lady Asks Doctor to Tell Her Son She Is Dead, a Woman She Never Met Takes Her Away – Story of the Day
Alex sat down on his living room couch after reading the short message. He ran a hand over his face, cleaning off some sweat. Then he let out a scream of frustration.
Luckily, Anna packed her things and moved out of state before Alex and Katherine could find her address. In the end, her grandson lived a miserable life with his wife, who only cared about money and comfort.
What can we learn from this story?
Not every family member has your best interest. We want to believe that our family will love and protect us, but that’s not always the case. Amber learned that the hard way.
Revenge is a dish best served cold. Amber got her payback, even if she wasn’t alive to see it.
