Inheritance from an Ex-Husband or a Surprise from the Mother-in-Law
After my marriage to Johnwho had a serious drinking problemended, my parting gift was to look after his mother. Wed been divorced for ten years, not just because of his drinking, but because of the way hed sometimes lash out physically. Id cut all ties with him ages ago, and our son, Oliver, had married and moved off to Manchester. He had no contact with his fatherwho would want to keep in touch with an absent drunk? John never showed much affection to his son, anyway.
One Sunday morning, I took a call with some rather grim newsJohn had passed away. There was no one else to see to his funeral arrangements, so Oliver and I handled everything ourselves. We gave him a proper send-off.
That left the old, ailing mother-in-law, Agnes. What to do about her? If only she were easy to get on with, but Agnes was a constant challenge. Throughout my marriage, she rarely did anything but meddle and cause trouble.
Agnes lived in a cottage on the outskirts of our town. After the funeral, Oliver returned to his own familyhe had responsibilities of his own. So, the task of caring for the cantankerous Agnes fell to me.
What could I do? I visited several times a week, took round the shoppingshe always managed to complain about what I brought, but never refused any of it. I took care of chores as best I could, even chopping logs for the firea struggle, but I couldnt just abandon her. Who could leave a vulnerable old soul on their own?
And so it carried on for three months, until, sadly, she passed away. To my utter astonishment, I learnt from her will that she had left me her house, along with a handsome sum in her savings accountenough to truly make life easier. So much, then, for her lack of appreciation.
