I was struggling to get by when my dying neighbor offered me a deal: take care of her, and in return, she’d leave everything to me. I agreed, but at her will reading, I got nothing! I thought she’d tricked me, but the next day, her lawyer gave me something that made my knees give out.
I sat in a lawyer’s office across from Mrs. Rhode’s niece. Every few seconds, she looked at me the way people look at gum stuck to a shoe.
The lawyer cleared his throat, opened a folder, and started reading in a flat voice. “The residence on Willow Street will be donated to Saint Matthew’s Outreach Charity.”
I blinked. “What?”
He did not look up. “Personal savings are to be distributed between Saint Matthew’s Church and several charitable organizations. To my niece, I leave my jewelry collection.”
I sat in a lawyer’s office.
I sat still, waiting for my name. Mrs. Rhode had promised I’d get everything if I looked after her for the last years of her life!
The lawyer turned one page, then closed the folder. “That concludes the reading.”
I stared at him. “That’s it? But she promised me…”
A thought hit me so hard it made my stomach drop. Did Mrs. Rhode lie to me?
I stood and hurried out of there before either of them could see me cry.
Did Mrs. Rhode lie to me?
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