An Inheritance from an Ex-Husband or a Surprise from a Mother-in-Law
As a parting gift from her ex-husband, an alcoholic, Elizabeth found herself responsible for looking after his mother. Their divorce had been finalised a decade agonot just because of his drinking, but also because he had a nasty habit of raising his hand to her. Theyd cut all ties long ago. Their only son had grown up, married, and moved away to another city, keeping his distance from his father, who never showed him any kindness. After all, who wants anything to do with a father whos always at the bottom of a bottle?
Then one Sunday morning, Elizabeths phone rang with a grim messageher ex-husband had passed away. There was no one else to handle the arrangements, so Elizabeth and her son took on the responsibility. They organised a proper funeral for him.
But that left his elderly, ailing mother. What now? If only shed been straightforward, but noshe was always a handful. Throughout their acquaintance, the mother-in-law seemed to do more hindering than helping.
The old lady lived in a cottage on the edge of a small town. After the funeral, Elizabeths son returned to his own family, and all the care of his prickly grandmother fell on Elizabeths shoulders.
What could she do? She visited several times a week, bringing groceriesnever quite the right ones for the old woman, who grumbled but ate them all the same. Elizabeth even chopped firewood, which was hard work for her, but she couldnt bring herself to abandon someone so helpless.
For three months, this routine continued, until the old woman finally passed away. As it turned out, she had left Elizabeth the cottage and a decent sum of money in her will, accumulated over her lifetime. So much for gratitude, after all.
