Mom leaves Julia a small fortune when she dies because she loves her daughter. Her in-laws have a completely different plan for the money than Julia and her husband, David.
My mom has always looked out for me. Throughout everything, she has been my biggest supporter. She even let me quit law school because the pressure was too much for me at the time.
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My mom wasn’t very wealthy, but when she died, she gave me everything she owned, including all the money she had saved for me.
I chose to be responsible instead of wasting it. David, my husband, and I should save some of it for our dream house. Plus, I chose to use some of it to keep studying because becoming a lawyer has been a long-held dream of both mine and my mom’s.
The best thing about it all was that David was behind me. The person who left me money didn’t expect me to spend it all. Instead, he was very important to everything and spent almost all of his pay on our shared dreams.
Now for the plot twist.
This is where David and I have been renting while we save money for our own house. There was a big difference in how they saw things. Somehow, they were sure I had become a millionaire overnight, even though they never said the words “millionaire.”
Still, they were able to take advantage of me in a sneaky way.
We love going out to eat with our family. We like trying new foods at different restaurants.
“Restaurant hopping will be our thing until we can travel to places,” David always joked.
Since they got the fortune, every time they go to a restaurant, it’s like “wallet roulette.” You can guess who always pays for everything.
Most of the time, it was because my in-laws would leave their wallets at home on purpose.
I got sick of always paying for dinner, so I chose to do the opposite.
On Friday, we did what we always do and went to dinner. Lucky for me, my in-laws were the first ones to go to the car. I saw their wallets lying on the table next to the door.
Since David wasn’t downstairs yet, I put on my shoes. Then we could leave.
I stood up and said, “I think your parents forgot their wallets.”
He asked, “Don’t they always?” “Here, put them into your bag.”
When we got to the restaurant, I finally got to eat the Chinese food I had been craving all week. David most likely ate too many spring rolls.
Then, when the bill came, I pretended to be innocent and said I had left my bank card at home. With their trademark smiles set in place, the in-laws looked at David and seemed to be forgetting.
They thought they had won another round, but David stepped in.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I put your wallets in Julia’s bag as we left the house. You can cover dinner this time.”
You could feel the change in the room. My in-laws were coming to terms with the truth of the situation, and you could almost hear the gears stopping.
You shouldn’t think that we were trying to take advantage of them. It was so much more than that. My in-laws knew we were saving up for our dream home because David felt responsible for them. They were also moving into the same house we were. But they never tried to help us save up, even though they knew this.
There was quiet for a while, and David gave me a quick look.
My father-in-law finally put out his arm and asked for his wallet.
“Thanks, Son,” he replied. “I’ve got this one.”
He even gave the waiter a big tip, but we knew that was just to look good.
“Thanks, Dad,” David said. “You know, we’ve got to share the responsibility of family dinner. Surely, you cannot expect to cash in on Julia’s inheritance every time we go out. She has plans for that money, and you must respect it.”
I reached out and grabbed David’s hand from under the table. I felt seen and valued.
My mother-in-law cracked open a fortune cookie and said, “I got it next time.”
Over the next few weeks, every time we went to a diner, my in-laws would pull out their wallets first. David did say that we should all take turns and share the work, though.
The in-laws still haven’t gone back to old habits after all this time. They now understand how important it is to be responsible with money and respect David and I.
David and I still have to pay for all the other things at home, so it’s not a complete change, but it’s a step in the right way. Also, because she knows I study after work, my mother-in-law cooks whenever she wants.