Once upon a time, there were two sisters named Julia and Helga. Their lives changed forever when their father passed away. Helga became furious with their mother, Mrs. Hanson, over the inheritance. She screamed terrible things, and Julia and Mrs. Hanson hatched a surprising plan to teach Helga a big lesson.
“HOW DARE YOU?” Helga shouted at Mrs. Hanson over the phone. Julia, who was in the kitchen, could hear every word, even though the phone was in the living room and not on speaker. Helga was outraged that their mother had decided how to split the inheritance.
Mrs. Hanson had decided to leave 30% of the estate to Helga, while Julia would get the rest. This didn’t seem fair to Helga, who was upset that Julia would receive so much more. “MOTHER! You can’t just give everything to Julia! She doesn’t even have children! What about my twins? They deserve their share!” Helga yelled, not realizing that Julia was listening closely.
“Helga, please don’t yell,” Mrs. Hanson replied, glancing at Julia. She knew this conversation needed to be heard by everyone, so she pressed the speakerphone button. “I knew you would see reason, Julia. Our mother was so stubborn,” Helga continued, trying to twist the situation in her favor.
“Helga, it doesn’t matter whether Julia has kids or not. She has sacrificed so much to take care of your father and me, while you only come around when you want something,” Mrs. Hanson explained. But Helga wouldn’t accept this answer.
“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, ending the call. Mrs. Hanson sighed deeply, placing her forehead on her hand. Julia felt a surge of anger but had to keep her cool. How could Helga say something so cruel to their mother?
“Mom, she’s just upset. She didn’t mean it,” Julia lied, trying to comfort her mother, but Mrs. Hanson knew Helga meant every word. Helga would fight hard for a bigger piece of the inheritance. Luckily, their lawyer in Washington D.C. assured them that as long as Helga received something, she wouldn’t be able to contest the will.
In the months that followed, Helga called many times, trying to convince Mrs. Hanson to change her will. Each conversation ended in fiery arguments that drained Mrs. Hanson emotionally, and Julia’s anger towards Helga grew stronger.
Then, the day came when Mrs. Hanson passed away. At the funeral, Helga put on a show, pretending to be devastated, but most relatives were aware of her true nature. They didn’t know how terrible she had been during Mrs. Hanson’s final months, but they could sense her selfishness.
After the funeral, Helga began calling Julia about the money. Although they both received their shares, Helga was determined to be nasty to Julia until she got more. Julia knew she had to do something clever. During one phone call, she shared her plan with Helga.
“Listen, I want to move to New York, so I’m going to sell Mom’s house for good. I’ll give you 50% of the sale, even though the house is 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 the best aunt to the twins ever. I promise this is all for their future!” Helga gushed over the phone. Julia wasn’t sure if Helga would really use the money for her kids, but it didn’t matter because Julia was being sneaky.
The house sold quickly because it was in a nice neighborhood, and there were many eager buyers. Helga was drooling at the thought of getting half of the sale. Julia felt she didn’t deserve it at all. “I’ll put your share of the money in a bank account and 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 replied, smiling, but Julia didn’t trust her sister’s smile at all.
“Cool, well, goodbye,” Julia said, standing up and giving her sister an awkward hug. But Helga acted as if she would truly miss her sister.
A week after Julia moved, she sent Helga the details for a safety deposit box.
“Why couldn’t your sister just wire the money to our account?” Helga’s husband asked, puzzled by the whole situation.
“She’s an idiot. You know that. I’ll go to the bank right now and check it out,” Helga said with a sly smile.
At the bank, Helga was led to the safety deposit box. When she opened it, she saw three crumpled $1 bills inside. “That’s all?” she gasped, and then she spotted a note next to the bills. It read: “That’s all you deserve.”
Helga’s screams echoed throughout the bank that day. She was furious, but Julia had blocked her number, and they never saw each other again.
What can we learn from this story?
Greediness leads to nothing. Helga treated everyone poorly and only wanted money. In the end, she got nothing.
Follow your relative’s wishes. Even though Helga nagged her terribly, Julia respected her mother’s decisions.
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