I gave my daughter a flat as a wedding gift. Only later did I realise what a terrible mistake Id made.
I had a wonderful wifebeautiful, loving, and clever. We shared twenty-three happy years together, the best of my life. But recently, a cruel illness took her from me. Together, we raised our daughter, Emily.
While my wife was still alive, she suggested we buy another flat to rent out for extra income. My pension was meagre, but she insisted property was a safe investment. “The money will always trickle in,” she said. “And if times get hard, we can sell it. Bricks and mortar hold their value.” Emily, our daughter, was old enough to manage her own home by then.
When Emily accepted her boyfriends proposal, I gave them the second flat as a wedding gift so they wouldnt have to rent. Later, I deeply regretted it. Id always believed Emily had good sense, but then she did this.
The moment I signed the flat over to her, she sold it and bought a brand-new Mercedes with the money.
“Where will you live now?” I asked, stunned.
“Oh, Dad, well easily save up for another place,” she replied breezily. “For now, well rent. James and I have always dreamed of owning a proper car. Weve even got a few thousand left, so were flying to Spainwe deserve a decent holiday after all this!”
Shock doesnt begin to describe how I felt. Did that car last long? Of course not. Three months later, James crashed it, turning it into scrap metal. At least Emily wasnt hurt. Then she found out James had been seeing another woman and left him.
With no husband, no home, and no car left, Emily had no choice but to move back in with me.
Sometimes, the things we give with love arent used wiselybut family remains, even when everything else falls apart.
