“Caught up in what? “You’ve retired!” I snapped, unable to conceal my rage. “Don’t take that tone with me!” she said before I could calm down.
“Sorry, Mom, I am just so worried about Gran-Gran,” I told the truth. “Another thing I need you to do is send some money to cover the hefty hospital bills.” Feeling guilty, my mother agreed to give her portion of the bogus $2,000 bill.
After dropping the phone, I went back in and spent some more time with my grandma before she asked to go take a nap. Taking advantage of the situation, I contacted all of the other family members who had not pitched.
I called my brother, Tim. “Where are you? Why didn’t you come to Gran-Gran’s brunch?”
“Something came up,” he mumbled. “Like what? Another video game marathon?” I retorted. “She’s in the hospital, Tim. Do you even care?” His breath caught in his throat before asking, “Is she going to be okay? What happened?”
I brushed him off, telling him I was too stressed to go into the details. But I rubbed in the fact that what happened to her wouldn’t have occurred if someone had attended her brunch.
The premise of my plan was to make them all feel guilty and to hit them where it hurts: their wallets. I also fed Tim the same story that hospital bills had to be paid and everyone was chipping in some money.
“I’ll hustle some cash from a friend,” he promised. By then, my mother had already sent some money. She was also asking for an update on Gran-Gran’s health since I hadn’t told her what hospital she was admitted to.
I made similar calls to my sister and a few other relatives. Each one, feeling guilty, agreed to send money. In no time, I had collected a significant amount! I kept them all in suspense, claiming Grandma was hanging in there. I revealed that visitation would be allowed the next day.
I slept over at Gran-Gran’s so she wouldn’t be alone. The next morning, I booked a trip for her and myself to a beautiful destination she’d always wanted to visit. I surprised her with the tickets.
“Gran-Gran, pack your bags. We’re going on a trip!” I said, grinning from ear to ear. Her eyes widened. “What? How did you afford this?”
“Let’s just say I collected a few IOUs,” I replied with a wink.
We spent a week at a beach resort, enjoying the sun, the sea, and each other’s company. I made sure Gran-Gran had the birthday celebration she deserved. We took countless pictures, capturing EVERY joyful moment.
Before we left I reassured everyone by informing them that Grandma was being discharged. I stated that her fall was due to stress. I assured them that I would take care of her and that they did not need to worry.
I shared the trip images on social media and tagged all of our family members. The captions included phrases such, “Best birthday ever!” and “Gran-Gran’s special getaway!” It didn’t take long for my phone to begin vibrating with calls and texts.
The first one was from my mom. “But you said the money was for the hospital!” she cried. “But you promised you would come to her brunch and you didn’t,” I replied calmly, then hung up.
Continued on next page 👇(page 3)👇
