At Mom’s Funeral, Siblings Learn Her Inheritance Is Given to Elderly Couple They Never Knew – Story of the Day

A young woman steals her parents' jewelry box after marrying a farmer against their wishes. But she regrets that decision every single day. Despite living in abject poverty, she is afraid to return and ask for forgiveness from her parents. Years later, her children learn the truth.

Tucker and Becky had had a rough past few months. The crop on the farm was not doing any good, and the little they harvested hit the market at meager prices.

They could barely afford to buy other foods and survived mainly on the crop they grew on their farm. Then there were their two children who needed clothes and tuition fees. The rains had failed, and their hope was slowly slipping away.

How could they pay off their loans or even make car payments? "This is getting harder every day. What do we do?" wondered Tucker one morning as he prepared breakfast for the family.

The same thoughts had crossed his wife's mind a million times before, but she dared not utter a word. Things were rough as it was, and worrying about it did not help.

They had survived like this for months, and Becky was tempted to sell the jewelry she kept hidden in her bedroom. However, several times she had caught herself before she did something she would regret.

Becky was from a wealthy family. In fact, her family was one of the richest in the area. But how did she find herself here, worrying about affording food and clothes for her children?

"We are sorry for the loss, but Becky was our daughter. You are our grandchildren!"

Love. Love was what led her here. Years back, she had fallen hopelessly in love with Tucker. From the get-go, she knew Tucker's family was struggling financially, but her heart was after his love, not his money.

Her parents had tried dissuading her from marrying a dirt-poor man, but Becky was adamant that she would make things work for her and Tucker, and they would have a good life as long as they loved each other.

Against her parents' better judgment, Becky had run off and married Tucker, and moved to a farmhouse not far from the city. She also did something she regretted every day.

She stole her family's jewelry box containing her family's most prized jewelry -- expensive necklaces, bracelets, earrings, gold cufflinks, and even the family heirloom ring that her mother planned on passing down to her during her wedding.

It had been years, and she regretted that decision every waking moment. However, she was too afraid to return to her parents and ask for forgiveness. Every day, she woke up wishing she could go back in time and choose a different path, but it had been years, and it was way too late to undo what she had done.

One day, her son came running to her, holding the jewelry box. "Mom, what is this?" he said, placing the box on the table beside his mother. Luke was only 12, but he could tell the jewelry was expensive.

"Luke! Where did you find that? Take it back this minute!" she screamed. For a moment, Luke could see the anger in his mom's eyes, but when he tried to probe further, Becky only got angrier.

He returned the box where he had found it and never spoke of it again.

Ten years later...

Tucker fell ill and passed away, and after his burial, Luke moved to the city to start a new life for himself. Sadly he ran into some financial troubles. After struggling for a long time, Luke decided enough was enough! He would return home and ask his mother to help him out.

"Why should I be struggling so much when mom has a box full of expensive jewelry?" he wondered.

He arrived home the following day, ready to confront his mother about the jewelry box. But when he mentioned it, his sister, Amanda, who still lived at home, jumped. "What jewelry box?" she asked, eyes wide open with curiosity.

"Mom keeps a box filled with expensive jewelry in her bedroom, " Luke said, looking hopefully at his mother.

"Nothing more will be said about that box in this house," Becky said calmly.

"But mom..." attempted Luke

"I said not a word!"

It was an effort in futility, and Luke and his younger sister retired to their bedrooms. For another year, no one spoke about the box.

A year later, Becky died suddenly, and following her funeral, Luke and Amanda learned that they would inherit all their parents owned, including their farm and house. Everything except the jewelry box!

According to the lawyer, Luke and Amanda were to take the box to an elderly couple living in the city. Amanda and Luke had never heard of the Curtises and wondered why their mother would want the jewelry taken to them.

A few weeks after their mother's burial, Luke and Amanda traveled to the city to take the box to the Curtises and were met by a butler at the door.

They were welcomed warmly and, once inside, could not help but notice the owners' lavish lifestyle. Everything in the home looked expensive.

"Why would our mother ask us to bring the box to these rich folks? We could have had better use for it!" Amanda muttered under her breath.

The butler escorted them to a backroom where they met an elderly couple relaxing and sipping on some fresh fruit juice.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. I am Luke, and this is my sister Amanda," Luke said, stretching his hand for a handshake.

"Welcome to our home, Luke and Amanda!" answered Mr. Curtis, showing them empty seats.

After the pleasantries, Luke explained why they were there and passed over the jewelry box to Mr. Curtis. The elderly couple was ecstatic. It had been years since they had last seen the box that held so many memories for them.

Suddenly, Mrs. Curtis looked at Luke, then at Amanda, and asked, "Do you know who we are?"

"No, ma'am. Our mother just instructed us to bring the box here in a note she left before she passed away."

Amanda explained that their mother had looked for ways to apologize for years but never got around to doing it. The elderly couple stared at each other for a moment before Mr. Curtis spoke, "She should have just come to us. We are her parents."

"We are sorry for the loss, but Becky was our daughter. You are our grandchildren!" added Mrs. Curtis.

Luke and Amanda could not believe it. "What? What do you mean?" they answered in unison. "She never said anything about you!"

Mr. and Mrs. Curtis explained how Becky had become estranged from them all those years back, and it started to make sense to them. After talking for hours, the elderly couple apologized for never reaching out to their family but said they would make up by welcoming them to live in their enormous mansion.

After all, it was too huge for an elderly couple. Luke and Amanda would finally live the life their mother denied them for many years. It was the best day of their lives, and they lived in their grandparent's home happily for a long time. They also became part of the family business.

What can we learn from this story?

• It is always best to admit to a mistake and seek forgiveness before it's too late. Becky lived all her life afraid to ask forgiveness from her parents, and as a result, they lived a poverty-stricken life.
• The truth will always set you free. If only Becky had told the truth about her situation, her children would have created a relationship with their grandparents earlier on.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who gives his grandson $1 million in fake bills to test how he spends it before giving him the actual inheritance.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.