An elderly woman teaches her son a valuable lesson by leaving her inheritance to a delivery man from a grocery store instead of him.
Michael paid no attention to his mom, Mindy, ever since he started living his own life. Michael lived in Dallas, while his mother lived in a small town in Austin.
Mindy lived alone and found comfort in her neighbors as Michael never visited her. One day, she called to let him know that she was ill.
“Michael, sweetheart, could you please buy me groceries? I’m ill and can’t make a trip to the store myself,” she asked.
“Mom, it’s a three-hour drive from Dallas to Austin. I’m busy, and I can’t just drive there to give you groceries,” he replied. “Ask somebody else.”
The truth was, Michael was busy going on a date with a woman he had been courting for a while now. He wanted to focus all of his attention on her, and it meant being available every day in case she called and decided to meet up.
On Mindy’s birthday, a couple of days later, she decided to give Michael a call to let him know that she was thinking of him on her special day. Unfortunately, Michael didn’t remember.
“Miss you too, mom, but I’m busy now, and I can’t talk. I’ll call you back,” he told her before quickly hanging up the phone.
A couple of months later, Michael received a phone call. The man on the other line introduced himself as Adam. “I’m your mom, Mrs. Mindy Ronson’s lawyer,” he said.
“How can I help you? Is anything wrong?” Michael asked.
“Mrs. Ronson had passed away. Can you come as soon as possible?” Adam responded. He had expected a shocked reaction from Michael, but he was surprised that Michael remained passive about his mother’s death.
“Well, I guess there’s no reason for me to come now that she’s dead. The winds are too strong, and there’s a storm coming. I don’t think I can drive three hours in that weather or even catch a flight,” Michael told the lawyer.
“It’s for her will reading for her inheritance. You are her son, and she requested you to be there while the will is being read,” Adam revealed.
Michael’s ears tingled when he heard the word “inheritance.” He suddenly decided that driving to Austin wasn’t a bad idea. “How much inheritance is she leaving behind?” he asked.
“She left behind two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Please come as soon as possible, as Mrs. Ronson wanted this settled right away,” Adam told Michael before putting down the phone.
Adam needed to say nothing more. Michael was excited to receive his mother’s $250,000. If there were anything he loved most in the world, it would be money. He liked to shop, travel, and splurge, and an extra $250,000 would allow him to do more of what he wanted.
The following morning, Michael arrived in Austin. He smiled as he entered the lawyer’s office, where Adam was waiting for him, alongside another man whom Michael did not know.
“Hi, I’m Michael. I’m Mindy Ronson’s only son,” he said, shaking Adam’s hand. Adam greeted him, asking him to sit down.
While Michael was bothered by a stranger in the room with him and the lawyer, he paid no attention to Kevin. He assumed he was another client, waiting for Adam to be finished.
“Thank you for being here today. I am here with both of you to let you know that Mrs. Ronson has ordered the transfer of $250,000 to Kevin Bardner. She requested that her son Michael Ronson be in the will reading to inform him of her decision,” Adam declared.
“Kevin?” Michael said, surprised. “Who’s Kevin? Is this a joke?” he asked.
“Mr. Ronson, meet Mr. Bardner,” Adam said, gesturing to the man seated beside Michael.
Michael closed his eyes and tossed his head back. He finally got the answer to why a stranger was sitting beside him during his mother’s will reading.
Michael and Kevin looked to be the same age. As if waiting for Kevin to explain himself, Michael stared at him. Kevin took that as a sign to explain how he knew Mrs. Ronson.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know this would happen,” he started. “You see, I delivered groceries to Mrs. Ronson’s house one day. She struggled to open the door, as she was weak and sickly. She asked me to help her put the groceries in the kitchen,” he explained.
“I asked her if she was living alone, as she was clearly in no condition to take care of herself. She said yes, as her son hadn’t visited her in years because he was busy. She was out of food and could barely make herself a decent meal. I felt bad for her, as she reminded me of my grandmother,” Kevin admitted.
“Since she lived near the grocery store where I worked, I started dropping by to give her food. I did this every day, and soon I saw her grow stronger. She started to talk more, and she thanked me for keeping her company, as she felt less lonely,” Kevin told Michael, who was on the brink of tears while hearing the story.
Kevin shared that a couple of months ago, he was in the house during Mrs. Ronson’s birthday when she gave Michael a call. “She told you she missed you, but you said you were busy and you’d call back. You never did. She was heartbroken that you forgot her birthday, but she was devastated that you never called back.”
At this point, Michael was in tears. “Did you spend her last birthday with her?” he asked Kevin.
He nodded his head. “Don’t worry. She enjoyed her birthday. When I found out it was her birthday, I bought her a cake and invited her neighbors over. They adored her dearly. We threw a party for her, and she was smiling the entire time.”
Michael sobbed, realizing how badly he had treated his mom. Kevin understood that Michael must have had his reasons, so he offered to give him the money.
“I didn’t know your mom had an inheritance. Really, I saw her as my grandmother – someone I genuinely enjoyed spending time with. I can transfer the money to you,” Kevin offered.
Michael disagreed. “I don’t deserve my mom’s hard-earned money,” he said quietly. “I was a terrible son, and I can’t believe I didn’t pay her any attention. Now, it’s too late, and my mom is no longer here,” he cried.
Since that day, Michael lived the rest of his life regretful of his decisions. He buried his mom in a cemetery near his home in Dallas so that he could visit every day. He would go there after work and ask for forgiveness.
Michael also promised to keep in touch with Kevin. He was grateful that Kevin was with Mindy during her last couple of months on earth, as she was in good company.
Whenever Michael went to Austin, he would meet up with Kevin, exchanging stories about Mindy. Michael wished he had paid more attention to his mother, but now, it was too late, and all he could do was promise her to be a better person.
What can we learn from this story?
Keep in touch with your parents while they are still alive. Michael neglected his mother because he enjoyed the life he lived. He would ignore her and barely kept in touch, which caused her to feel lonely and abandoned by her son.
Regrets always come in the end. Michael ended up regretting how he acted towards his mom in the end. He missed her dearly, and there was nothing he could do to bring her back.
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If you liked this story, you might like this one about a woman who pushed away her biological mother, thinking she was only after money. Months later, she discovers her mother’s will and regrets her actions.
