Entering the lawyer’s office, Thomas frowned and asked, “May I know who you are?” Mr. Goldberg was just about to read out the will of Teresa Finkle, and her two sons, Thomas and Walter, were present to claim their share of the inheritance.
The late Mr. Finkle had been wealthy, and his sons had grown up in privilege, which had perhaps led to their entitled behavior.
The two brothers had left home at the age of 18 and never bothered to look back. When their father passed away years later, they had no interest in reconciling with their mother. Although they claimed to be occupied with their own lives and families, Teresa was left feeling lonely. All she wanted was for her sons to visit her every once in a while or to invite her over, but they never did.
Eventually, Teresa took in Grace, a single mother, and her teenage daughter, Katherine, as tenants. They resided in the spare rooms on the first floor while Teresa lived upstairs.
She never mentioned them to her sons, and they never inquired. They didn’t even come to see her when she became sick. In the end, she passed away a few months later, without having seen her sons again. However, she was fortunate to have been surrounded by two individuals who truly loved her.
As Thomas and Walter stepped into Mr. Goldberg’s office, they noticed Grace and her daughter Katherine present there.
“Thomas, meet Grace Harris and her daughter, Katherine. They rented a portion of your mother’s house for several years,” the attorney explained.
“What? Our mother never told us,” Walter scoffed.
“As if you ever called,” Katherine muttered under her breath, but Grace chided her gently.
“Whatever. Let’s get this over with. You two will have to vacate the house soon because we’re going to sell it quickly,” Thomas said, sitting down on a chair and smiling wryly at his brother.
The house wasn’t a mansion, but real estate prices had increased significantly in their snow-covered Montana town. They could earn half a million dollars if they dealt astutely with potential buyers, although they didn’t need it because they were receiving their mother’s substantial savings.
“Thomas, relax. Grace and Katherine are also named in the will, and you need to show them respect because your mother valued them,” Mr. Goldberg said, shaking his head at the greed displayed by two grown men who had treated their mother with disregard.
***
When Mr. Goldberg finished reading Teresa’s will, the brothers’ faces fell. Teresa had left them each only one dollar to prevent them from contesting her decision, but everything else went to Grace and Katherine. The lawyer also revealed that Teresa had secretly saved all the money Grace paid in rent and wanted Katherine to use it for college.
The single mother and her daughter cried tears of happiness, but the brothers stood up, shouting in anger.
“This is your mother’s will, and you will respect it. And let me tell you, one dollar is more than you deserve, considering what she told us about you two,” the lawyer said, his tone firm. “And if I may be so bold, you didn’t even attend the funeral. Grace and Kath were there. You should have been there too!”
Walter yelled back, “We’ll be in touch with our own lawyer. We’re getting what’s rightfully ours!” Thomas sneered at the sisters before following his brother out of the room.
“Don’t worry about them. If they come near you, call me and the police immediately,” Mr. Goldberg reassured Grace before they left.
***
Grace was ecstatic that she didn’t have to relocate since she couldn’t find a place that offered such low rent. With the money they had saved, Katherine’s future seemed secure, and they no longer had to fret about finances. However, Walter and Thomas appeared on her doorstep one day, causing her to worry.
“I will not hesitate to call the police on the two of you. Leave immediately. This is our residence now, and we’ve been more of a family to Teresa than you have!” Grace warned the men.
Thomas took a deep breath. “Look, we’re not here to start a fight. I understand that Mom never changed our rooms, and we were hoping to retrieve a few of our belongings. Can we do that?”
Grace was hesitant at first, but she didn’t see any harm in it. “Fine, but be quick,” she responded.
Walter glared at her comment, but Thomas urged him into the house, and they ascended the stairs.
***
Walter and Thomas entered his old bedroom, closing the door behind them. “So, what’s our plan?” Walter asked.
“We have to gather evidence that proves that woman lied to our mother and convinced her to alter her will. We’ll have to speak to her and record the conversation,” Thomas explained, scanning the room for any clues.
Suddenly, he spotted an envelope on his bed. It was addressed to both of them, and Walter opened it.
“Dear Sons,
Don’t you dare try to take anything from Grace and Katherine! You don’t deserve a penny of my money since you were too good to spend time with me in the past decades. You already have your father’s inheritance. That’s more than enough. That woman and her daughter were my only family. They cared for me when I was ill. They celebrated Christmas with me. They had dinner with me every night, and they loved me just as I loved them.
Now, you two are my sons. I’m your mother. I love you dearly, and I always will. But I hope you never have to live with the pain I did. I hope my grandkids never treat you like you treated me. And finally, I hope you learn from this. Be better.
All my love,
Mom.”
After Walter finished reading the letter, he looked up at his brother. “Let’s go,” Thomas said.
They bid farewell to Grace and never bothered her again. On Teresa’s death anniversary, they would visit her grave, but she had no idea why they had a change of heart or why they were visiting her now. Perhaps they had learned from this difficult experience.
