I gathered my family under one roof, hoping to spend time with them. But that night, I heard whispers behind closed doors—schemes, hidden agendas, betrayals. So, I set new terms for my inheritance they couldn’t ignore.
I always said that in old age, you have only two options: either you become a quiet, gentle grandmother who sits in a rocking chair, bakes pies, and hands out candy to her grandchildren, or you turn into a brilliant schemer who never lets her family relax for a second. Without a doubt, I belonged to the second group.
I was 78, wore designer robes, drank fresh juice in the morning, snowboarded whenever I wanted, and knew that even at this age, life could be kept under control. The key was playing your cards right.
But lately, my children had started acting as if I didn’t exist. As for my grandchildren, they never brought them to me, fearing that my influence might change their attitude toward their parents.
Meanwhile…
I shuffled the cards, sitting in my living room, while my “girls” kept me entertained with their chatter, waiting to play bridge.
Dolly was once again going on about how her mysterious admirer kept leaving her flowers without a note.
“I can’t take it anymore!” she rolled her eyes and clutched her chest. “This is unbearable! The man is playing some strange game!”
Margo, who had no patience for nonsense, simply scoffed.
“The same one as last time?”
“Or maybe a different one! Maybe I’m a magnet for love!”
I turned the cards over in my hands and looked at Margo.
“You do realize she orders them for herself, right?”
“Oh, absolutely,” she replied, setting down her coffee.
“Very funny!” Dolly gave me an offended look. “But, for the record, this isn’t about me! Tell me, how are your kids?”
I shrugged. “Alive and well. Theoretically. They remember me so rarely that I’m no longer sure if they even recall what I look like.”
“And Gregory?” Margo raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, ‘Mr. Grizzly’ is in his usual form. Sits at home, grumbling about life’s injustices.”
I placed my cards on the table.
Margo chuckled, while Dolly tossed another sugar cube into her coffee. “And Veronica, his wife?”
“‘Hashtag’?” I smirked. “She’s so busy crafting the perfect life for social media that I’m not even sure she remembers how to hold a real conversation. But she is the one keeping the family afloat with advertising contracts. A man in a robe while his wife is on stage. It’s like some sort of upside-down world.”
“And your daughter, Belinda?”
I paused.
“Belinda… well, as always, she’s working on making sure everyone’s life around her fits her vision of perfect order. No family, no children, not even a hint of a relationship.”
Margo set down her cards and looked at me closely.
“And your grandchildren? Mia, Theo?”
“‘Hon’ is probably somewhere barefoot in the mountains, explaining to the trees how to meditate properly. Instead of preparing for exams or at least going to parties, she’s completely immersed in her meditations.”
“She had some theory that objects have memory, didn’t she?”
“Oh, yes. And that they hear us when we yell at them. I once scolded the microwave—it ignored me for the entire day.”
“And what about Scooter, your little detective?”
I smiled. “The only man in my family who still has some common sense.”
“He’s still a spy?”
“A spy. Conducting active investigations.”
“And what is he investigating?”
“The last thing I saw, he was crawling under the couch with a magnifying glass. I don’t know if he’s gathering evidence or just trying to entertain me.”
“I love him!” Dolly theatrically placed her hands over her heart. “Does he know you’re his only ally?”
I sighed and shuffled the cards again. “He still thinks I’m the prime suspect.”
Margo leaned in closer, narrowing her eyes.
“Vivi, you’re up to something.”
“Oh, more than you know,” I laid out the cards before me. “If my children don’t notice me while I’m alive, then I’ll have to make sure they can’t ignore me.”
I raised my glass of grapefruit juice. The bitterness sent shivers down my spine.
I opened my mouth to say something else, but suddenly, a sharp pain pierced my chest.
My vision darkened, the room tilted, and Dolly let out a shrill scream:
“Call an ambulance! Now!”
I lay in the hospital bed, wrapped in a warm blanket, listening to the doctor as he explained something to my friends. His voice drifted through the air like a muffled cloud.
“Her condition is stable, but at her age, she needs to be very careful,” he said, flipping through some paperwork.
Dolly stood beside me, clutching her hands together in an exaggerated display of distress, as if she were about to break the tragic news to the entire world.
“She’s so active, doctor!” she let out a dramatic sigh. “Will she… be able to live as she did before?”
“She needs rest. No strain, minimal stress. And, of course, she should have her family around her.”
I caught the glance Margo exchanged with Dolly.
“We’re staying with you for the weekend,” Dolly declared, meeting my gaze as if daring me to argue.
“Just to make sure everything is truly under control,” Margo added.
“We need to call your family. They should be here with you. Who knows how much time…”
“Dolly, don’t overdo it,” I shot her a pointed look.
Yet, something in her words made me pause. My condition did require attention. But not medical attention. Family attention. If it were up to them, they wouldn’t have even asked if I was still breathing when I was taken to the hospital. But at that moment… Well, I could remind them of who I was.
“You’re right,” I murmured. “I do need them here.”
My family was already on their way. And they had no idea what awaited them.
I leaned back in my chair, letting the weight of their question settle.
“Everything they’re hiding.” I picked up my glass of pomegranate juice and took a deliberate sip, savoring the tartness. “They all have something to lose now. And they know it.”
Let the game begin.
