The Full Story:
It had been two years since my husband, David, passed away. His mother, Joyce, had never been warm to me, but I kept showing up to family events because I wanted to honor his memory. So when the invitation for her 60th birthday arrived, I put on my best dress and went.
From the moment I walked in, she was cold and snappy. She criticized my hair, made fun of my job, and rolled her eyes whenever I spoke.
The breaking point came when I reached for an appetizer and accidentally knocked a paper napkin onto the floor.
“That’s it!” Joyce screamed, silencing the entire room. “You are clumsy and disrespectful! You’re ruining my night! Get out! I want you out of my house right now!“
I was stunned. She kicked me out in front of everyone over a napkin.
Burning with humiliation, I grabbed my purse and practically ran to my car. I was shaking as I drove down the street, wondering why she hated me so much.
I was two blocks away when my phone rang. It was David’s niece, Sarah, who was still at the party.
“Auntie, turn around,” Sarah whispered urgently. “You need to come back. And you need to bring a lawyer.“
“Why?” I asked, wiping away tears.
“Because the second the door closed behind you, Grandma started laughing,” Sarah said. “She told everyone to raise a glass. She said she had to stage a fight to get rid of you because she didn’t want you to know the ‘good news.'”
“What good news?”
“She just announced that she found a hidden deed to David’s old lake house—the one you thought was sold years ago. She said she put it in her name last week using a power of attorney she found from 2010, and she sold it for cash this morning. She kicked you out so she could brag about the money without you claiming it.”
I slammed on the brakes. My sadness evaporated, replaced by cold, hard fury. Joyce hadn’t kicked me out because she was angry; she kicked me out because she was a thief.
I pulled a U-turn in the middle of the road. I wasn’t going home to cry. I was going back to the party to let her know that her little confession had just given me everything I needed to take her to court.
