My precious grandma fought really hard and beat cancer. I was ecstatic to see her, but my heart fell when I learned I was the only one who came to celebrate. I was so disappointed with my family that I made the decision to give them a lesson they would never forget.
Hey everyone, I need to get this off my chest. My grandma is a sweetheart.
I have always loved her charming singing and her delicious pies and plum cakes. She used to pick flowers for my grandfather’s grave, which we would visit every weekend. My Rosie, she’s such a sweetheart!
However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, is it? With my grandmother’s cancer diagnosis, everything was turned upside down. For as long as I can remember, she has fought cancer graciously and has been an angel.
“Ronnie, don’t you know how strong your granny is?” Dad used to say. “She’ll triumph, I promise.”
With a tightened heart, I nodded. It hurt to see her hurting and struggling to remain upbeat. She was weaker after each chemotherapy session, but she never voiced complaints. Her spirit remained intact, her grin bright.
“Grandma, are you all right?” After a difficult session, I once asked while sitting at her side.
Her eyes glistened as she gave me a firm handshake. “Don’t you worry, sweetie! I’m not as weak as I look.
I smiled back, but I was crumbling on the inside.
A few members of my family ceased to believe that Grandma Rosie would survive. Some said silent prayers, while some, like my siblings, were content to let Grandma Rosie pass away quietly rather than go through the agony and stress of chemotherapy.
On the other hand, I, Veronica, her youngest grandchild, battled valiantly to preserve my grandmother’s life and extend her remaining days with us.
Then, a week ago, I received a call from the hospital one day. My prayers were miraculously answered. On her last day in the hospital, Grandma Rosie was expected to ring a bell, a custom shared by all cancer survivors.
The nurse exclaimed over the phone, “She did it,” her excitement palpable.
Tears began to bubble up in me. “She really did it?”
The nurse said, “Yes, she’s ready to ring the bell.”
I couldn’t stop smiling after I hung up. The war had been won by my granny.
With Grandma Rosie’s beloved daisies in hand, I hurried to the hospital. But I was surprised that none of my family members had shown up when I got to her ward. Not my parents, not my siblings, not even my aunt and uncle, Grandma’s other two children.
I halted, my eyes about to well up with tears. For this family, Grandma had always gone above and beyond. I carried the flowers into her ward while wearing a brave smile and a heavy heart.
“Hello, Grandma,” I said, trying to sound happy.
Her expression brightened. “You came, Ronnie!” she yelled.
“Of course, I did,” I said, handing her the daisies. “These are for you.”
With misted eyes, she accepted the flowers. “I’m grateful, darling. Where is everyone else?”
I bit my lip in an attempt to control my feelings. “Grandma, I know they’re on their way.”
“Oh, Ronnie, my darling, I’m so happy you came, honey. Where is everyone? Sweetheart, I have to ring the bell.”
My grandmother’s sparkly eyes broke my heart. How could I tell her that nobody had shown up and most likely wouldn’t? I sat down next to her and gave her a little squeeze, informing her that if no one was coming to visit, they must be preparing a surprise for her.
I know I lied. Lying to my grandmother wounded my heart. I couldn’t break her heart, though, not with that smile on her face.
I took out my phone and texted the group chat on my family, inquiring as to where everyone was. A few moments later, the response really shocked me.
In response, my dad texted, “We’re all busy.” “Can’t make it today.”
The rest of the family responded to me in the same way.
Even though I was furious, I tried to sound cool in front of Grandma. “Don’t worry, Grandma. We’ll celebrate together.”
My parents informed me that they were ready to take a Hawaii-bound airplane to attend a wedding. Really? My aunt and uncle texted me to say they were attending a baby shower celebration.
And my entitled siblings—I know I shouldn’t be talking about my own brother and sister—were shopping for a Dubai trip that would involve all of their friends while hanging out with their friends.
That doesn’t even begin to describe how furious I was at the time. Here was my Grandma, a brave elderly woman in her graceful 60s who survived cancer, and here were these people who literally FORGOT about her.
“Really?” I paced the hospital corridor, muttering to myself. “They can’t be bothered to show up for this?”
Grandma gave me a worried expression. “What’s wrong, Ronnie?”
“Nothing, Grandma,” I forced a smile and answered. “Now let’s prepare you to ring that bell.”
I urged my grandmother to wait in the car and promised to fetch her the greatest pastries and hot tea to celebrate as soon as Grandma and I drove out of the hospital.
I hurried to the café, where I decided to perform a little trick with my family while I waited for my order, while Grandma Rosie sat in the car.
I sent a small, fake text on the family group chat that I knew was wrong. But these arrogant brats deserved a lesson this sharp.
This is what I did, then! Since I was the only family member staying with Grandma, I left a message letting everyone know that she was going to the ER for unforeseen circumstances at the last minute and asking them to Venmo me money to cover the hospital fees.
I anxiously waited for their response.
Notifications buzzed across my phone. My dad emailed me, “Let us know if you need more,” and he transferred some money to my account.
My phone was buzzing with bank notifications as I drove up to my grandmother after gathering the tea and biscuits. My trick seems to have worked.
I was told to take care of by my uncle, aunt, and even my entitled siblings, who also transferred some money.
That is all. My Grandma was enjoying the warm croissants when I turned to her and asked, grinning broadly, “Grams, you know what? I feel like having a small celebration right now. Should we go shopping first, then have supper at your preferred restaurant?
When I then informed Grandma Rosie that I would be bringing her on a short trip to the seashore resort in the next town—her favorite vacation destination where she and Grandpa had first met all those years ago—she was overjoyed. Grandma Rosie was thrilled.
“Oh, Ronnie, that sounds amazing,” she exclaimed, her eyes welling with happiness.
This is what happened after that. Grandma Rosie and I were at this gorgeous beach resort drinking juice and tanning the very following morning.
My granny looked lovely. I took some great photos of us and shared them for everyone to view on my family’s group chat. Then BOOM!
I was bombarded with messages after messages, with my family calling me a LIAR and all sorts of names. The final straw came when my uncle called me a professional scammer.
That is all. I was texting on my phone when I issued this pretty BOLD response in the group chat:
“YOU SELFISH LIARS! Don’t you dare call me a liar! You had all promised to congratulate Grandma on her victorious battle with cancer. However, no one arrived. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
Grandma gave me a worried expression. “Ronnie, what’s going on? Are you alright, my love?”
“Uh, nothing, Grams!” Grandma and I enjoyed the stunning sea and sunset while I lied and tucked my phone away.
Since everyone was preoccupied with their own work and no one wanted to see Grandma Rosie in the hospital, I didn’t want to offend her.
I lied to Grandma when she thanked me for the unexpected trip and asked about how I handled everything, given that I had recently graduated from college and was working a part-time job in interior design.
I informed her that after such a trying trip in the hospital, my parents, her son, daughter, and my siblings had donated the money to sponsor our trip, which would help her unwind and enjoy herself.
Grandma Rosie, the sweet soul she is, believed me. That hurt, though.
“Thank you, Ronnie,” she murmured. “To me, this means everything.”
So, it was only two days ago that we got back from our fantastic short vacation. It was almost relieving that no one was home. I assumed that my family would move past the incident, move on, and be pleased for Granny Rosie.
Instead, that very evening, my uncle contacted Granny and angrily demanded his money back because, as he said, she was no longer sick. And not just that, he spilled the tea on how I got the money for the extravagant shopping and our little trip.
Grandma Rosie was in pieces and in tears after learning the truth. “Veronica, honey, why did you do this?” was the only thing she asked me as she cast her gaze my way.
I forced myself to say only, “Because I love you, Grandma,” and nothing more. After everything that you’ve been through, you deserve to be happy.
Grandma Rosie pulled me into a tight hug, and just this morning, a lawyer knocked on our door, saying, “Hello Ms. Hanks. I’m here to speak with your Grandma, Mrs. Bernard. She had given me a call to change her will. Please let me see her.
As the attorney skirted me, my heart began to rush. The next thing I knew, Grandma was telling me to wait outside while she went into her study with our family lawyer to change the will.
Though I’m still not sure how the drama would play out in the end, I do know that my grandma deserves to be happy, and I would stop at nothing to make her smile. How would you have responded if you had been in my position?