It’s no secret that inheritances can be the straw that broke a family’s back – way too often, that’s because people sometimes care more about the money than their loved one’s death.
As this story proves, too many people don’t consider all of the angles while there’s still something that can be done about it.
OP lives in a country where military services after high school is compulsory. If you don’t want to serve in the military for ethical reasons, you are required to do a year of public service in another capacity.
Back in the day we still have mandatory service in the army for 12 months, but there was several way around it. I will only explain the most common way, since it is connected to our story.
You see instead of going to the army, you could say you refuse to go to the army for ethical reasons (which was really just a formality, you simply wrote a1 page essay why you think you being in the army would violate your personal ethics, and they pretty much had to accept it).
BUT that meant you had to go into civil service. Civil service could be any kind of job tat in a wider sense is a service to society. So these jobs ranged from kindergarden to retirement homes and anything in between like hospitals, homes for the physically or mentally disabled, meals on wheels, pretty much anything you can imagine.
You would be paid for that time the same amount of money you would get in the army, and had the right to certain perks like a free room, health insurance,m work clothes etc. the same stuff any soldier gets. Plus since soldiers get free food you either got free food or a food allowance.
He did his in a nursing home, and says he not only learned a lot, but matured during his time there.
I did my time in a retirement home, and it was an awesome experience.
I think a job like that really widens your horizon as young arrogant man, and really matures you and shows you what is actually important in life.
After he got out, a good friend of his asked if he would be willing to pass along some of his knowledge, as his grandfather was very against going into a nursing home.
I was just done with my time in the retirement home, and for one year imply wanted to job around and make some money. Then one of my best friends comes to me and tells me he needs my help.
His grandpa can no longer do everything by himself, but really only needs help in the morning to get ready and in the evening. Since I have learned how to do this from real professionals, he asks me to show him, so his grandpa does not yet have to go into a retirement home (he later admitted grandpa said he would rather off himself then get into a nursing home, and he seemed really serious about it.
He did not tell me at the time since he did not want to pressure me into help like that, which I really appreciated).
He was one of my best friends, and I really liked his grandpa (when I was younger, I did not have a grandpa, but we visited him all the time and I became his unofficial 5th grandson) so of course I said yes.
The original plan was to show him for 2-3 weeks, and then observe him for another 2-3 weeks, then he would do it on his own.
But we ended up doing it together for over half a year, then grandpa had a stroke and passed within 2 days in the hospital.
OP was invited to the reading of the will and went, even though he had no expectations of receiving anything at all.
2 days days later my friend asked me to come with him to the lawyer where the lst will would be spread.
His grandfather had specifically asked that his will should be read the day before he gets buried, which is quite unusual, but not illegal as such.
I asked why he wanted me there, and he told me the lawyer had officially invited me, since grandpa had left me something as a thank you for my service.
I was a bit embarrassed, but also happy that grandpa had thought so highly of my service he even put me in his last will.
He was disgusted at the behavior of the actual family as they waited.
Now my friends dad is an entitled jerk and the same goes for his uncle.
We arrived there, and went into the room. My friend is F, you get 3 guesses who ME is, entitled is ED an entitled uncle is EU.
ED (to me) : why are you here ? I know that dad called you in jest his 5th grandkid, but this is for real family.
EU : I bet the little golddigger hoped he would get some money in the will.
Me : I was asked to be here by the lawyer, take it up with him i have no idea why I am here.
ED : IF YOU PULLED SOMETHING TO GET TO HIS MONEY I WILL SUE YOU SO HARD EVEN YOUR KIDS WILL STILL NEED LAWYERS !!!!
F: show some respect and stop shouting, i know you 2 did not really give a crap about your dad, but show at least a minimum of respect.
EU: HOW DARE YOU TALK LIKE THAT TO YOUR ELDERS YOU LITTLE BRAT.
F : you 2 get exactly as much respect from me as you showed your own father NONE.
He really shouted the last word, and it finally shut the 2 up.
WE sat down and still had to wait for the other 2 grand kids to arrive. The 2 sat right behind us, and what they talked about relay made my blood boil.
Apparently the had both gotten new cars, new jewelry for the wife and had planned a huge holiday. All that was paid for by credit and they had planned to pay for it with the inheritance.
None of then said even a word about missing him, being sad that he died, NOTHING. ONLY me-me-me-me and money, money , money.
They seemed to be in competition who could spend the inheritance faster the way they planned away the money.
There, the lawyer revealed that the grandfather had implemented a “points” system to determine how much money everyone was left.
Then finally we were all there and the lawyer read out a short letter, what I tell you here is a much shortened version, but the real thing was several pages.
But it boils down to this :
IN recent years I more and more realized that some people in my family cared a lot more about me than others. I am especially disappointed in my 2 sons, but I wanted to be really fair and not biased, so I came up with a point system :
letter/phone call : 1 point + 1 extra if it is very long
Visit : 2 points per hour plus 1 point per hour of travel to me and back
Helping me out with something : 3 points per hour
This is the final result over the last 3 years of my life
ED : 8 points
EU : 10 points
EUkid1: 150 points
EUkid2: 133 points
Fbrother : 288 points
F : 7341
Me : 5883
My lawyer has already liquidated most of my assets except the house. Once it is sold, the money will be divided by the points, so we know what each point is worth, and then every person gets a share of the money according to his points.
OP came out second, and as such, was promised a rather large sum.
For about a minute you could hear a pin drop, then both ED and EU started shouting at the same time that they knew we would have pulled something and this will would never stand.
Of course they tried to sue (EU his kids and ED together), but they lost, and there was a secret clause in the will that if someone sue’s against the will, he loses his share of the inheritance.
After everything shook out in court, he wanted to give some of the money to the other grandkids, but his friend stopped him. In the end, they would honor their grandfather’s wishes.
It took nearly 3 years until all the lawsuits where over.
I was blown away when we finally got the money, I am not naming a sum, but it was way more then I felt comfortable accepting, so I wanted to give at least some of it to the other 3 grandkids.
My friend finally convinced me to accept by saying to me : you cared for him when he needed you, without expecting anything for it, which makes you 10 times more his family then any of those jerks.
They got what they deserved.
Does Reddit think this is brutal or ingenious? Let’s find out!
The top comment says this is pretty epic revenge.
This person says they can definitely see how the sons’ points were so low.
These men were just pretty arrogant to think they would get something for nothing.
It’s clear these guys just did not care at all.
Someone else’s death should never be about you.
I feel so badly for this man, but I’m glad OP and his friend were there.
No one wants to believe this is how their own children could turn out.
Want to read another story where somebody got satisfying revenge? Check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.