My darling grandmother overcame cancer via heroic battle. 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.
Hi everyone, I have something I need to talk about. My granny Rosie is quite cute.
I have always loved her charming singing and her delectable pies and plum cakes. She used to pick flowers for my grandfather’s grave in the garden, 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, you know your grandma’s strong, don’t you?” Dad used to say. “She’ll beat this, okay?”
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 okay?” After a difficult session, I once inquired while sitting at her side.
Her eyes glistened as she gave me a firm handshake. “You’re not worried, my love! I’m not as weak as I appear.”
I smiled back, but I was crumbling on the inside.
A few of my relatives gave up on Grandma Rosie’s survival. 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.
However, I, Veronica, her youngest grandchild, battled valiantly to preserve my grandmother’s life and buy her a little further time with us.
Then, a week ago, I received a call from the hospital one day. My prayers were heard amazingly. 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 answered, “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 quickly made my way 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 above. I carried the flowers into her ward while wearing a brave grin and a heavy heart.
I said, “Hi, Grandma,” trying to seem happy.
Her expression brightened. She cried, “Ronnie, you came!”
“I did, of course,” I answered as I gave her the daisies. “These are for you.”
With misted eyes, she accepted the flowers. “I’m grateful, my love. “Where are all the other people?”
I bit my lip in an attempt to control my feelings. “I’m sure they’re on their way, Grandma.”
“Oh, Ronnie, my darling, I’m so happy you arrived, honey. Everybody, where are you? Are they going to arrive? My 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’m aware that 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.
My mouth tightened with anger, but I said nothing at all to protect Grandma. “You’re OK, Grandma. Together, we will celebrate.”
My parents informed me that they were going to board their Hawaii trip 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 buddies while hanging out with their pals.
There’s no way LIVID could have captured my rage at that moment. Here were my grandparents, a courageous woman in her elegant sixties who had battled cancer, and here were these people who had completely forgotten about her.
“Seriously?” 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. “Let’s get you ready 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 incorrect. But these conceited brats deserved a lesson this shrewd.
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 was waiting tensely for their answer.
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.
And that’s it. 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 dinner at your preferred eatery?”
Then I told Grandma Rosie that I would be bringing her on a mini vacation to the seashore resort in the next town, which was her favorite vacation site and the place where she and Grandpa had first met all those years ago. She was overjoyed. Grandmother Rosie was ecstatic.
She answered, “That sounds wonderful, Ronnie,” with happiness welling up in her eyes.
This is what transpired after that. Grandma Rosie and I were at this gorgeous beach resort drinking juice and tanning the very following morning.
My grandmother had a beautiful appearance. I took some great photos of us and shared them for everyone to view on my family’s group chat. Then WHACK!
My relatives called me a liar and other derogatory terms in a barrage of messages. The final straw came when my uncle called me a professional con artist.
And that’s it. I replied boldly in the group conversation on the phone, my fingers flying over the screen: “YOU SELFISH LIARS! I will not be called a liar! Grandma fought cancer, and you all said you would be happy for her. However, no one arrived. You owe themselves an apology.”
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 upset her.
I lied to Grandma when she congratulated me for the unexpected trip and inquired 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 kind soul that she is, agreed with me. That hurt, though.
“I’m grateful, Ronnie,” she replied quietly. “This means the world to me.”
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.
Rather, that very evening, my uncle contacted Granny and angrily demanded his money back because, as he said, she was no longer sick. Furthermore, he revealed to me how I obtained the funds for our little vacation and our ostentatious buying.
Grandma Rosie was in pieces and in tears after learning the truth. “Veronica, honey, why did you do this?” was the only thing that sprang to mind as she glanced at me.
I was so weak that all I could manage to say was, “Grandma, I love you.” After all that you’ve been through, you deserve to be happy.”
I was hugged tightly by Grandma Rosie, and this morning we had a lawyer knock on our door and say, “Hello, Ms. Hanks. I’m here, Mrs. Bernard, to talk to your grandmother. She had given me a call to change her will. Can I gently 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.
I’m still not sure how the drama will play out in the end, but one thing is certain: I would do everything to see my grandmother smile because she deserves to be happy. How would you have responded if you had been in my position?
