A greedy brother inherits a house and mocks his younger sister, who receives only five rusty old clocks from their late grandmother. Little did they know what was hidden inside these timepieces.
“Oh, so Grandma called you too?! I thought you’d be busy at the library… like a good little bookworm!” Brian, 26, teased of his younger sister Linda, 19.
She just got out of the taxi. Fear filled her eyes as her heart told her, “Nothing will happen to Grandma. She’ll be okay. She’ll live another 100 years.”
Brian and Linda had come to visit their 90-year-old grandmother Marlene. She had asked them to see her urgently.
“My darlings, I wish to see you one last time. I may not have the opportunity again,” Marlene had told them painfully on the phone two days ago…
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
Entering her grandmother’s room, Linda coughed, noticing that it was rather dusty. Marlene was too old and sick to do things herself. She hadn’t swept the floor, and Linda saw that the ceiling was moldy from a leak.
Linda opened the clock, and what she found inside would change her life.
“Grandma!” she ran and hugged Marlene, who was in bed. “Nothing will happen to you, Grandma. Don’t worry. God won’t take you away from us because you’re all we have.”
Until a year ago, Linda lived with Marlene. She took care of her and helped her a lot. She was even ready to turn down a life-changing scholarship, but moved to the city to continue her studies at Marlene’s insistence.
Brian entered the room, coughing and smiling. “Damn… I’m allergic to dust! Grandma, haven’t you swept and dusted your room?”
He approached and saw that his grandmother was sick and thin. But he was less worried and stood there, waiting to find out why she had called them.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Marlene looked Brian in the eyes as she squeezed Linda’s trembling hands. It pained the young girl to see her grandmother so pale and her eyes devoid of that beautiful sparkle they once had. They seemed lifeless.
Marlene smiled, stood up gently, and took two envelopes from under her pillow. “My dears, this is for you,” she said. “Please use it wisely. I called to give it to you.”
Brian and Linda opened the envelopes and found a wad of $5,000 in each.
Linda couldn’t hold back her tears and ran away crying.
Meanwhile, Brian frowned. “Only that much? I thought you had more to offer. Well, I have to go now.” He turned his back on Marlene and left without even thanking her.
The next day, Marlene had a surprise.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Hello, Grandma!” Marlene heard Linda in her room. She didn’t expect her to come back.
She woke up when the girl undid the curtains, beams of light illuminating the dark, dusty room.
She was surprised to see Linda. She had thought the girl had gone to the city where she was studying and working as a part-time librarian.
Linda walked over to Marlene with the envelope she had given her the day before.
“I added the $4,000 I had saved during the year. Grandma, remember you told me about your poor eyesight? I now have $9,000. Now we can pay for your eye surgery.”
Marlene got up from her bed. She hugged Linda, tears streaming down her face. “I knew you better, darling! But it’s too late for the operation. I feel my death approaching. I don’t want to waste this money when it could be used for something better.”
Linda wiped away Marlene’s tears and said she would live with her.
“I took a month off. I’m not going anywhere until I see that golden smile on your face, Grandma.”
And Linda knew what she had to do to put a smile back on Marlene’s face.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Having Linda around was a great help to Marlene. She didn’t have to worry about cooking for herself.
There were days when Marlene would eat spoiled bread for dinner when she didn’t feel like making a proper meal. But after Linda arrived, she began to feel on her feet again. Marlene had never felt so relaxed and happy before.
One day, she heard strangers’ voices outside her room and went outside to check. She was surprised. Linda had spent the $9,000 to renovate the house and fix the leak.
“I knew you’ve wanted to fix up Grandpa’s precious house for a long time. Are you happy now, Grandma?! I renovated it so you can have it back to the beautiful house you once lived in with Grandpa. Do you like it?”
Marlene was speechless. She walked to Linda as fast as her fragile legs could carry her and hugged her. Marlene had never cried the way she did on Linda’s shoulders that day.
Marlene often made a wish. “I want to die when I’m the happiest person on earth!” A week later, her wish came true. Marlene died in her sleep, leaving Linda with more than just a broken heart.
A few days after the funeral, Linda and Brian are summoned to the lawyer’s office regarding the late Marlene’s will, which they never knew about.
When they arrived, they were told of another unexpected inheritance.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Mr. White, according to your grandmother’s will, you will have her house. Here are the papers. Please sign them.”
Linda was surprised. She wasn’t jealous of her older brother, but it worried her because she had renovated the house, and Brian had gotten it when he least deserved it.
“And Miss Linda, this is yours,” the lawyer said, pushing a box toward Linda.
“What is this?” she exclaimed, opening the box. She found five old vintage clocks inside. Brian burst out laughing and started making fun of her.
“This is completely insane and cheap! Grandma left me her house. She knew who was most deserving. You can decorate your rented apartment with those rusty clocks and cry over them, sister. Luck doesn’t favor everyone!”
Distraught, Linda left for town, taking the clocks with her. She never bothered to check them thoroughly until one day she noticed an engraving on one of them.
“OPEN IT!” was engraved on a beautiful metal inscription.
Curious, Linda opened the clock, and what she found inside would change her life.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“A note?” she exclaimed, taking a small parchment from inside the clock. She unfolded it and sat down, amazed.
“Never underestimate these rusty old watches! They’re classic 100-year-old watches that belonged to my grandfather. And they’re made from rare and exquisite metals! Each piece is worth $40,000, my dear!” the note begins.
Linda’s eyes filled with tears of joy as she read the rest.
“Everyone gets what they truly deserve, Linda! I’m glad you got nothing but the best. Love, Grandma Marlene.”
Linda bursts into tears as she clutches the antique clocks to her heart. They still worked, and she can hear them chiming close to her heartbeat. She feels as if her grandmother is not gone.
Linda chose not to tell her brother.
“He’s blinded by greed and thinks he got the best from his grandmother. Let him live with that assumption. Grandma knew who deserved the best, and I don’t need to prove it to her,” she thought, keeping the rare timepieces locked in her drawer.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
What can we learn from this story?
- Everyone gets what they truly deserve. Brian mocked Linda when she inherited only five of their grandmother’s antique clocks. Little did he know, she actually got what she deserved, as each piece was worth over $40,000.
- Love and accept your elders for who they are. You will be loved a hundredfold in return. Linda loved her grandmother unconditionally and cared for her without expecting anything in return. Ultimately, she inherited a surprising gift worth $200,000 after her grandmother’s death.
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This story is inspired by the daily lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to real names or places is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; it might just change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com .
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