Teen Girl Is the Only One Who Cares for Elderly Grandpa, He Kicks Her Out When She Turns 18 – Story of the Day

Emily was the only person in her family who helped her grandfather, Grandpa Collins after everyone else told her not to. She thought they were crazy and eventually moved in with him. But at 18, he kicked her out and finally realized the heartbreaking truth.

"Emily, don't do it," Rosalinda told her daughter, Emily, when the teenager said she wanted to move in with her grandfather and care for him.

"Mom, someone needs to help him out. Otherwise, his house would be dirty, and he would only eat junk. He's family," Emily insisted, shocked at her mother's lack of concern for her grandfather.

"Darling, I know what I'm telling you. I know he's family, but… well, he doesn't really need you. He's lazy," Rosalinda explained, but it seemed like she was reluctant to say something blatantly bad about her father.

"Emily, honey. What's wrong?" Rosalinda asked in shock and confusion after opening her door and seeing her daughter in tears.

"Mom, he does need me. He's my grandpa, and it's insane that everyone in the family wants to ignore his existence. You're all cruel," Emily accused, talking about her brother and some of the other family members.

Rosalinda crossed her arms. "I'm just going to tell you not to do it."

"Are you going to stop me?"

"You're 16 and moving in with a family member is not illegal. So, fine. You can do it if you want to. But I still don't think it's wise," her mother continued, her arms crossed.

"Why? Exactly why? Why is everyone in this family so callous?" Emily yelled, frustrated tears forming in her eyes.

Her mother hesitated. "He is not… the best person."

"Who cares? He's family! Yes, he's a little grumpy, but that doesn't mean he doesn’t deserve our help!"

Finally, the older woman had enough. She uncrossed her arms and gestured as if she was cleaning her hands. Her daughter was not listening, and sometimes, teenagers had to make their own mistakes to learn truly. "Fine. Do whatever you want!"

"I will!" Emily yelled petulantly and went to pack her bags.

Her grandfather lived several blocks away from her house in Houston, Texas. She could quickly move and still see her family. Furthermore, she didn't have to change schools, so everything worked out. And Emily knew that if she didn't help her grandfather, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

After finishing packing, she left her house and walked to his house, muttering. "Seriously. This family is crazy. How can they treat Grandpa this way? How can they be so thoughtless? They're going to regret it later," she said to herself.

Over the next few days, other family members called and urged her to return home. But she didn't listen to them either.

***

Two years later…

"Emily, honey. What's wrong?" Rosalinda asked in shock. Emily was at her door in tears.

"Grandpa just kicked me out of the house," the young woman answered, tears streaming down her face.

"What?" Rosalinda asked, still surprised. But she wrapped her arms around her daughter, not waiting for her to answer. "Come in. Come in."

Over the past two years, Emily had distanced herself from the family more and more, even if she lived with her Grandpa Collins close by. She hated that none of them offered to help her with his care. Not even when she needed them. She slowly started to resent them and would tell the older man that it was them against the world.

He would hum and nod at her, making Emily think that he agreed with her. But two days after her 18th birthday, Grandpa Collins decided he'd had enough.

Emily sat on the sofa in her mother's living room, sobbing. "He said, 'I allowed you to live here because you were a minor. But now you're old, and you need to get out. Besides, I have a new girlfriend. And I'm not going to give you any money for college or put you in my will. So, if that was your plan, you can forget about it.' I can't believe it! I moved in with him! I thought he needed me."

Rosalinda sat down next to her daughter, sighing heavily. "Honey, I don't want to say I told you so, but… I did," she began.

"No, you didn't! You beat around the bush. Did you know he was going to throw me out? I never wanted money from him! I sacrificed so much so that he wouldn’t be alone!" Emily stated, heartbroken.

"Not exactly. But I told you that he wasn't the best person. He only ever called us – me and my sisters – when he needed assistance. And you said he has a new girlfriend, which means he doesn't need you now. He never needed you. He needed a maid. Now, that girlfriend is going to do it," Rosalinda explained, trying to be gentle with her daughter's feelings.

"That's crazy! He's always been like that?"

"Always."

"You should've stopped me… begged me to come back," Emily whispered, her tears subsiding.

"Maybe. But you were determined. And you have a big heart. This is a harsh lesson you needed to learn on your own. Otherwise, you would've always felt guilty about 'abandoning him' or something. My dad hates everyone and only uses people. That's why we keep a distance. You only met him because I also didn't want to cut him off. But not cutting him off is not the same as helping him and catering to his needs. The fact is… he doesn’t care for anyone but himself. It's harsh to reveal. But it's the truth," the older woman explained, rubbing her daughter's back as she leaned her head on him.

"I was so stupid. I should've listened," Emily said after a comfortable silence.

"All that matters is that now you know. Now, you can have your room back, of course," Rosalinda said, and they stopped talking about Grandpa Collins.

When the whole family learned what he had done to Emily, they all sympathized with her, knowing he would pull something like that. They told Emily not to worry about him anymore. He wanted to be left alone, so they all should do that.

Many years later, when Grandpa Collins got sick, he called Rosalinda and her sisters, but none of them wanted anything to do with him again. His girlfriend had dumped him when she realized she couldn't trick him for money. Now he was sick and alone and no one in the family cared.

The old man finally realized his mistake, and part of him regretted it. But he still cursed at all of them on the phone until they hung up on him. In the end, he learned that you reap what you sow.

What can we learn from this story?

• Some family members will take advantage of those with big hearts. Emily only wanted to care for her aging grandfather, not listening to everyone who told her it was a bad idea. But she learned her lesson, and no one ever let Grandpa Collins take advantage of them again.
• You reap what you sow. While family members will be there for you through thick and thin, you can't alienate everyone and expect them to come running when you're in need.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a teen girl who acted out when she was left with her grandmother. But her grandmother taught her a lesson.

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