Next door to me lived the most amazing woman, Lizzie. She was in her 70s and had the most luxurious mansion, yet all that didn’t make her any less kind. She had a heart of pure gold. We became really close despite the fact that my son Nathan and I lived in a poor cottage. Lizzie didn’t care about stuff like that. She cared about what was in your heart.
After her husband passed, Lizzie only had her sons left. They were all grown, busy men with their own lives — jobs, money, families. But they couldn’t make time for their mom. No matter how much she begged them to come visit, they always had something “more important” to do/
Sometimes, life is so cruel to good people. Lizzie was diagnosed with cancer: she had months to live. And her sons? They STILL didn’t show up! They left her to face it all alone! I couldn’t stand it anymore.
I sat Nathan down and said, “Listen, kid, for the next month, Lizzie isn’t just our friend. She’s our family. Take care of her like you would me. Got it?” He didn’t even blink — he said yes right away.
From that day on, we made every moment count. Nathan brought her medicine, we celebrated little things, listened to her old records, brought her flowers. Anything to put a smile on her face.
And even though she was getting weaker every day, her eyes would light up like the stars. She was happy.
After the funeral, her sons showed up, all smug, ready to grab her estate. They sat in the lawyer’s office like vultures. It made me sick just looking at them.
Then the lawyer hit them with the news. “Your mother changed her will. The $3.7 million mansion now belongs to Nathan. She left nothing to you.”
“What?! She left everything to some random guy? Not her OWN CHILDREN?! I’m suing!” the eldest son yelled, fuming.
That’s when I stepped in.
“Your mother asked for so little — just a bit of love and care. Even when she was DYING, you couldn’t give her that! You abandoned her when she needed you most! You deserve NOTHING! She gave
her life up for you, and you left her to die alone! You should be ashamed.”
With that, Nathan and I left, ignoring their shouts and threats.
Lizzie d!ed knowing she was loved, surrounded by family — not by blood, but still family. That was all that mattered.