01/03/2025
One day, 74-year-old Gloria was sipping coffee beside the n.ud3-draped window in her room when her caretaker, Sophie, came running to her. “Mrs. Watson, you have a visitor. Your grandson has come to see you!”
Gloria had not had any visitors for over a year. When she heard Todd was there to see her, she was least excited because she knew why he had come. It was for money. That was all he and his wife Natasha had ever cared about…
“Mrs. Watson, do you need help to go to the lobby, or shall I take you there?”
“I’ll take care of it, dear. My grandson can wait. I have to get ready. I have to look my best because I am going to see him after a long time,” said Gloria as she walked over to her cupboard to find the best dress. As Gloria rummaged through the cabinet, she was lost in deep thought and cried.
Greed and betrayal reap nothing but disappointment.
“I should have thought twice before trusting him,” she pondered. “It’s the worst mistake I’ve ever made. I wouldn’t have been here today if I had known Todd and Natasha’s plans earlier.”
Gloria could not hold back her tears when she recalled their betrayal.
Five years ago, Gloria lived alone in the house she had inherited from her late husband. Todd was already married and moved out to live separately with his wife and visited his grandma once a year, at best.
But suddenly, he started visiting her more frequently. She was happy with the attention he was giving her. And one day, he came to her and said, “My wife needs expensive surgery, grandma. I have run out of savings, and the little I have is still scanty to run the house. I’ll be very grateful to you if you help me pay for Natasha’s treatment.”
Todd was all Gloria had, so she could not think of anything beyond him. She was ready to move mountains to put a smile on his face, and she felt the house she lived in was nothing compared to her grandson’s needs.
Without further thought, Gloria sold the house and moved in with Todd and his wife. If she only knew everything he told her was a blunt lie. Natasha needed no treatment, nor was she sick. They needed money for an extravagant vacation to Hawaii but were unwilling to pay for it from their pocket.
Todd and Natasha executed their plan successfully, thinking they had gotten away with it and Gloria would never find out.
Three weeks later, the couple returned home, pretending to have come from the hospital in the city.
“Ah, grandma! Im starving. Are you baking bread? The aroma is so inviting… Can we eat? I’m so hungry!” exclaimed Todd as he helped Natasha sit. “Careful, hun. The doctor told you not to strain, right?”
Gloria was so happy to see her grandson and his wife, and despite her old age, she went out of her way to help Natasha do the household chores so that she could rest and recover from the surgery. One day, while potting the plants, she overheard Natasha and her friend talking in the garden about sending her away.
“Argh! She’s such a pain. She does nothing at home and keeps reading books and newspapers as though she’s gonna change the world or something,” frowned Natasha.
“That’s annoying. And does she know about your vacation to Hawaii?” asked the friend.
“No way! She thinks Todd and I were at the hospital. We lied to her about my surgery. Hush! If she comes to know this, we are doomed! I’m planning to get rid of her anyway. I’m inviting my sister for the holidays, and I want the guest room empty before that.”
Gloria was shocked because, until then, she had no clue that Todd had lied to her. She had blindly trusted him, and not in a million dreams did she imagine he would betray her like this.
“I’m sorry, Thomas. I shouldn’t have sold our house. I trusted our grandson. He lied to me and has wasted all the money,” she cried, brushing her late husband’s framed photo.
But it was too late, and even if she wanted, she could not go back in time to fix things and decide wisely to prevent the damage she brought upon herself.
Gloria grinned and never discussed the matter with Todd. She knew it would be of no use talking to him. Moreover, it still did not add up to her when she remembered Natasha telling her friend about sending her away.
Then, reality once again struck poor Gloria with a mighty blow a few days later when Todd and Natasha approached her with a brochure explaining the amenities offered in a nursing home.
“It’s amazing to know that elderly people like me are cared for in such places. But why are you showing this to me, dear?” she asked Todd. He pursed his lips and looked at Natasha, who frowned and made big eyes, gesturing at him to talk to Gloria.
“Grandma, you see, Nat and I are planning for a baby. Our doctor told us it was the right time, and we are already approaching our thirties,” began Todd as Gloria slowly turned pale. She partially understood what he was about to tell her next.
“So… I’m planning to switch my job, and it’s going to be difficult for the three of us to live together. So what I was thinking is, you can live somewhere where you are well cared for. You can talk to people like you and age peacefully, you know. So, this is the nursing home I found suitable. The amenities are first class, trust me. And I promise to visit you often. You can count on me.”
The truth finally dawned on Gloria, hitting her like a bag of bricks. She wanted to go back to her late husband’s house, but it was not hers anymore as it was already sold. Gloria could do nothing but agree with Todd and pack her bags.
The following week, he drove her to the rest home, promising to visit her soon. But that soon came only once a year during the holidays. Disheartened, Gloria slowly started living with the ugly truth for the past five years.
“Mrs. Watson, your grandson is waiting in the lobby!” Sophie broke Gloria’s silence.
“Yes, I’ll be there in two minutes. Thank you, dear.”
It had been a little over a year since Todd had last visited Gloria. The last time he had come was for Christmas to give her some clothes and blankets. It was not Christmas anytime soon, so Gloria was bewildered as to why he had come to see her. She thought deeply and sighed, realizing why.
“Oh, why didn’t I think of this before?” she disappointedly exclaimed.
A few weeks ago, Gloria had inherited a part of her late cousin Donovans estate. Although he had many heirs who would legally divide the legacy, Gloria had gotten a huge chunk as a share since Donovan was wealthy. It was a considerable lump sum of money that could help Gloria get a new house if she wanted.
“I hope you are not here for this,” she grinned as she marched into the lobby and saw Todd approaching her with a big, warm smile and arms wide open.
“Grandma!! I’m so happy to see you. How are you? I missed you so much,” Todd greeted, hugging Gloria tight and resting his chin on her head as always. “Oh, you feel so warm, grandma! And how are things here? Is everything fine? Look at this…new reading glasses! You like it?!”
“I’m fine, dear. Thank you, and I like those glasses. Tis so sweet of you to remember and come for this old lady when you’re already busy with so much work” said Gloria. “And how is Natasha? Is she pregnant?”
Todd’s excitement turned into an eerie silence before he went on to make another strange request.
“We tried, Grandma, but she has a complication that needs surgery again. We want to become parents, but it’s only possible after this surgery. And…” he paused, staring with big, pleading eyes.
“And?”
“Grandma, I spent all my savings on her treatment. I only have a little left to pay for the operation, but I don’t think it would be enough. So I came to ask you for help.”
“Help? What help, dear?”
“I came to know through my cousin about your inheritance from Grandpa Donovan. I know I’m asking for too much, but you know how much I love Nat. We have to help her, grandma. She’s been dreaming of having babies but without this surgery…Money is nothing compared to our loved ones, you always told me. Can you please help me?”
But little did Todd know that his grandma knew he was deceiving her. Gloria was crushed to the core. She could not pull herself together to believe Todd was trying to pull off the same trick on her again.
What tormented her further was that she knew she would d.ie soon. Gloria was diagnosed with c.anc3r, but she was not afraid of d.eath. She was happy and ready to unite with her late husband in the afterlife but what bothered her was Todd’s greed. Reality hit Gloria hard again, so she decided to put him on the right track.
“Grandma? Are you okay with helping Nat and me? Will you give us the money?” Todd interrupted Gloria, who knew it was time to put her plan into motion.
“Ah, dear, I don’t think it’s possible this time. I need urgent surgery too. I may not live longer if I don’t undergo this critical operation. But you tell me — is Natasha’s surgery more important than mine?”.. (full story in the 1st comment)
