The Lesson of the Inheritance
When Julia and her sister Helga’s father passed away, everything changed. Helga was furious with their mother, Mrs. Hanson, over the inheritance. She said some terrible things, and Julia, who was listening from the kitchen, couldn’t believe her ears.
“HOW DARE YOU?” Helga shouted into the phone, her voice filled with rage. Julia could hear every word even though their mother was in the living room, and the phone wasn’t on speaker. Helga was angry because their mother had decided how to divide the estate.
Mrs. Hanson planned to leave Helga 30% of the estate, while Julia would receive the rest. It wasn’t an even split, but Mrs. Hanson believed Julia deserved more because they had a closer relationship. Helga and her husband had always seemed greedy, only calling or visiting when they wanted something.
Mrs. Hanson, however, was trying to be fair. At first, she thought about leaving Helga nothing because of the way she spoke to her, but after Helga had twins at an older age—47 for her and 51 for her husband—Mrs. Hanson decided to give her something. But Helga was still not satisfied.
“Helga, please don’t yell,” Mrs. Hanson pleaded, glancing at Julia, who looked worried. At that moment, Mrs. Hanson decided to put the call on speakerphone so Julia could hear everything. “I knew you would see reason, Julia. Our mother was so stubborn,” Helga said, thinking Julia wasn’t listening.
“MOTHER! You can’t just give everything to Julia! She doesn’t even have kids! Don’t you care about the twins? They deserve their share of the money!” Helga exclaimed, not realizing Julia was right there.
“Helga, it doesn’t matter if Julia has kids or not. She has sacrificed so much of her life to take care of your father and me, while you didn’t. Besides, you have a husband to support you. This is my money, and I get to decide who receives it,” Mrs. Hanson explained calmly. But Helga didn’t want to hear that.
“I DON’T CARE WHAT JULIA HAS DONE! YOU KNOW WHAT? I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO DIE, AND I’LL SUE FOR MY SHARE! GOODBYE!” Helga screamed angrily before hanging up. Mrs. Hanson sighed deeply, placing her forehead in her hand.
Julia felt a surge of anger but kept quiet. She couldn’t believe her sister would say something so cruel to their mother.
“Mom, she’s just upset. She didn’t mean that,” Julia lied to comfort her mother, but Mrs. Hanson knew better. Helga meant every word and would fight hard for a bigger share of the inheritance. Luckily, their lawyer in Washington D.C. assured them that as long as Helga received something, she couldn’t legally contest the will.
In the following months, Helga called many times, trying to convince Mrs. Hanson to change her will. Each conversation ended in loud arguments that drained their mother, and Julia’s anger towards Helga grew stronger.
Then, the day came when Mrs. Hanson passed away. At the funeral, Helga put on a dramatic show, pretending to be heartbroken. Fortunately, most of the family knew her true nature, although they were unaware of how terrible she had been during the last months of their mother’s life.
After the funeral, Helga began calling Julia about the money. Both sisters received their shares, but Helga seemed determined to bully Julia into giving her more. Finally, Julia hatched a clever plan. During one phone call, she revealed her idea to Helga.
“Okay, listen. I want to move to New York, so I’m going to sell Mom’s house. I’ll give you 50% of the sale, even though it’s in my name. Does that sound fair?” she asked.
“Oh, that’s fantastic, Julia! Thank you! I knew you would see reason. Our mother was so stubborn. You’re going to be the best aunt to the twins ever! I swear this is all for their future!” Helga gushed over the phone. Julia wasn’t sure if Helga truly cared about her children, but it didn’t matter because Julia was not being truthful.
The sale of the house went quickly since it was in a great neighborhood, attracting many buyers. Helga was excited at the thought of receiving half of the sale. Julia, however, thought Helga didn’t deserve a penny.
“I’m going to put your part of the money in a bank account, and I’ll send you the details later. Is that okay?” Julia asked when they met for coffee before her big move to New York.
“Of course! Of course! I’m going to miss you so much!” Helga said, her smile wide, but Julia didn’t trust it for a second.
“Cool, well, goodbye,” Julia replied, standing up and giving her sister an awkward hug. Helga acted like she would truly miss her sister, but Julia could see through it.
A week after Julia moved, she finally sent Helga the details of the safety deposit box where the money was kept.
“Your sister couldn’t just wire the money to our account?” Helga’s husband asked, puzzled by the unusual procedure. “She’s an idiot. You know that. I’ll go to the bank right now and check it out,” Helga replied with a sneaky smile.
At the bank, Helga was led to the safety deposit box and opened it, only to find three $1 bills inside. “That’s all?” she exclaimed, her heart sinking. Then she noticed a note next to the bills. It read: “That’s all you deserve.”
Helga’s screams echoed throughout the bank that day. But Julia had blocked her number, and they never spoke again.
What Can We Learn from This Story?
Greediness Leads to Nothing: Helga treated everyone poorly and only wanted money. In the end, she received nothing.
Follow Your Relative’s Wishes: Even though Helga pressured her, Julia respected their mother’s wishes and didn’t go against her.
Family Matters: True family connections are more valuable than money. Julia’s love for her mother and her integrity shone through, while Helga’s greed led to her downfall.
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