When a poor nurse saw that her four elderly neighbors had no one to turn to for help with home duties, she made the decision to take care of them. Following the passing of the last neighbor, the nurse finds the will they left behind.
Working at a nearby hospital, Cassandra Myers was a low-income nurse. Despite the fact that nurses in America often earn high salaries, Cassandra barely made ends meet after using the majority of her money to settle her late parents’ debt.
Cassandra resided in her family’s home, which was in a peaceful area. The four elderly siblings who lived next door were in their 80s.
Cassandra would frequently witness the siblings’ difficulties with their daily tasks. As they grew older, they had to cook for themselves every day, transport their groceries, clean their home and yard, and take out the trash.
Every time Cassandra returned home from her hospital shifts, she offered to help them since she knew they needed it. The four sisters truly enjoyed Cassandra’s company and were grateful for this.
The oldest sister, Marie, once told Cassandra, “You are a gift from heaven.” She said, “Will you at least let us compensate you for your assistance?”
Cassandra shook her head. “Oh, no, Marie. I will not allow you to pay me! I do this because I care for you, not because I want any money in return. Really, don’t worry about it,” she replied.
Every day, Cassandra helped them by cooking their meals and washing the dishes after they ate. She also helped them individually, arranging their maintenance medicines and helping them dress up.
One day, while they were having dinner together, Cassandra asked them, “Why didn’t you ever go to a nursing home? Surely, they can take better care of you compared to me.”
Another sister, Clara, stated that they had little faith in nursing facilities. “We intended to live out the rest of our days together. We would not be able to share a room if we were placed in a nursing home, and we would have to interact with a lot of other people,” she said.
“We would prefer to live out the remainder of our days surrounded by sincere affection and concern. The youngest sister, Mindy, continued, “We never know what other people’s motives are.”
Cassandra nodded, understanding where the sisters were coming from. “Well,” she told them. “You don’t have to worry. As long as I am able, you can count on me for help,” she smiled. “That’s what neighbors are for!”
“You are the best neighbor anyone could ask for,” Lisa, the second-eldest sibling, told her, reaching out to touch her hand.
No matter how tired Cassandra was every time she got home from the hospital, she made sure to visit the siblings. They ate a meal together, and she would take care of everything they needed before returning home to sleep.
Unfortunately, the inevitable started to occur as time went on. As the siblings died one by one, Cassandra was left to plan their funerals and deal with their loss.
She cleaned their house after the last of the sisters passed away and went to the last funeral, which was attended by no one but a lawyer who identified herself as Attorney Abigail Smith.
She was informed by Abigail that she must be Cassandra. “I appreciate you looking after the sisters over the years. I have been hearing a lot about you.
Cassandra smiled tearfully at her. Being with them was a pleasure. I shall really miss each and every one of them.
The lawyer revealed that Cassandra needed to visit her office that same week because there was something she had to discuss with her. Although Cassandra was confused, she promised to visit the lawyer’s office the following day.
When she got there, the lawyer handed her a document. “Lisa, Clara, Mindy, and Marie each had children. I know you’ve never met them because they didn’t bother attending any of the funerals, but they live in nearby states. When the sisters realized their kids didn’t care much about them, they decided to change their will,” she explained.
“They left everything to you,” Attorney Abigail revealed. “In the document, you will see everything you will inherit from them, including money, jewelry, and the house they lived in.”
Cassandra’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe that her neighbors had left their entire estate with her despite having children. “It can’t be! I don’t deserve all of these,” she said, shocked.
Attorney Abigail shrugged. “You do, Cassandra. You were a daughter to them more than their own children. They saw you as the rightful heir to their fortune,” she assured her.
Cassandra was unsure about her thoughts. When she saw the document that explicitly said she would inherit the riches left by the four sisters, she began to shake. Although she was unsure about what to do with the money, she quickly saw that it would be more than sufficient to settle her late parents’ outstanding bills.
The offspring of the four sisters began phoning Attorney Abigail for the will reading a few days after the meeting. They all intended to challenge the will in court once she disclosed that they were not parties to it.
However, before they could do that, Attorney Abigail said that each child would receive a letter in the mail from their mothers. Each letter contained the same message:
“My dear child,
You might be wondering why I left you with nothing. You know that I love you dearly and that I am happy that you were able to start a new life without me in a different state. I am proud of all your success, but I always wished you would take time off your busy schedule to visit me and spend the last of my days with me.
I was deeply hurt and offended by the fact that you never paid attention to me after you moved. I had wished you’d come each holiday, but you never did. So I decided to leave my fortune to someone who was there for me all the years you weren’t.
I hope you accept and understand this decision. I know you are capable of living life without my estate, the same way you have been living without me all these years. Love, mom.”
The letters that the children received were on the same day. Later, they messaged one another through a group chat and decided to withdraw the lawsuit. They knew how terrible they had been to their moms knowing they didn’t deserve anything from them.
When the sisters passed away, never having met any of the sisters’ children, Cassandra would see fresh, beautiful flowers on their graves each and every death anniversary. Cassandra smiled knowing that the sisters children had finally paid attention to their mothers in the only way their mothers would let them.
What can we learn from this story?
Do it when you’re in the position to help someone. She did not expect anything but C Cassandra helped her elderly neighbors. In the end, they thought she was the rightful heir of their estate while realizing she loved them better than the own children did.
Wheedle time with loved one until it’s too late. The children of the sisters learned the folly of how much time they wasted neglecting their mothers, when the sisters died. They wished they had a chance to spend time with them when they were alive, and the only thing they could do now that it was too late was leaving bouquets on their graves each year.