Poor Boy Fulfills Neighbor’s Last Wish to Restore Old TV, Finds Key to New Home inside – Story of the Day

A boy attended his old neighbor's funeral and overheard her last wish: to keep and restore an old television. He fulfilled it instead of her son and couldn't believe what he found inside.

"Everything is going to be alright, Maxwell. Mrs. Thornhill is now in Heaven, and we're here to say goodbye," Maxwell's mother said as she guided him through the grass toward the funeral site of their old neighbor Mrs. Thornhill. It was the ten-year-old boy's first funeral, and he was a bit scared.

The older woman had become like a grandmother to Maxwell; he loved hearing her stories and helping her. His mother would cook for them, and they started eating dinner together for a while. He also felt bad for her.

Mrs. Thornhill had raised three sons on her own after her husband abandoned them, and they all left at 18, never to return to their little town despite her requests and pleas.

"Mom, what's that? Is that normal?" Maxwell asked as Erica grabbed it.

Maxwell couldn't believe people would treat their mother like that, so he never let the old woman feel alone. His mother, Erica, was immensely proud of him for it, and she also treated Mrs. Thornhill with love. They didn't have much to give, as Erica worked minimum wage and barely made ends meet, but they shared their company, which the old woman appreciated. Sadly, life took its course, and she died in her sleep.

Maxwell walked through the grass toward the coffin. He also saw and recognized her three sons. At least they're all here, Maxwell thought and rolled his eyes.

The funeral took place with a speech from a priest and a few words from each of her sons. Finally, Maxwell stood up and said something kind about the older woman. It was his goodbye to her, and he could honestly say he would remember her forever.

When everything was done, he saw a man in a well-dressed suit giving a letter to Mrs. Thornhill's sons, and Maxwell couldn't help himself. He decided to stay behind and hear what the letter said, as the oldest of the bunch, Carson, read it aloud.

"My dear sons. My last wish is for someone I love to restore or at least try to fix our old television and keep it in their homes for as long as possible. Will you help me fulfill my wish?" Carson read and scoffed. "What is this? Is she crazy?"

"She means that old TV with that big back?" her second son, Walter, laughed too.

Mrs. Thornhill's third son, Nigel, shook his head. "So, who's going to keep it then?"

"I don't want it," the other two said in unison. And finally, Maxwell saw his opening.

"I can keep it!" he chirped. "I'm Max. Mrs. Thornhill lived next door and always let me watch whatever was on that television until it broke down a month ago. Would that be ok?"

The three brothers looked at each other and shrugged. "Sure, kid. You can keep it," Carson nodded, and they started to walk away.

"What's going to happen to her house?" Maxwell asked, concerned. Only Carson turned for a bit.

"I don't know, kid. We'll probably sell it. Although the meeting with the lawyer is in a few days," the older man responded, turned back, and kept walking. They were holding a small reception at Mrs. Thornhill's house.

***

Maxwell had been allowed to take the television after the reception, and soon enough, he started researching how to fix it. He watched Youtube videos, but the model was pretty old for people to post about fixing it online. However, his mother joined the search and helped him ask questions on forums, which led to some great insights.

She also bought him some tools, and they finally got it open. However, instead of seeing the regular insides of the gadget, an envelope fell out.

"Mom, what's that? Is that normal?" Maxwell asked as Erica grabbed it.

"To the person I love who restores the TV," she read. "Weird. It seems that Mrs. Thornhill left this inside the television. Restoring the TV was her last wish, right?"

"Yeah. Open it! Open it!" he said, excited to see the last message from Mrs. Thornhill.

"Oh, my," Erica breathed after sifting through the documents in the envelope. Suddenly, she turned it upside down and shook it to reveal a set of keys. "Wow."

"What is it, Mom?" Maxwell insisted, touching the keys.

"If someone I love keeps and tries to fix this television, they become the sole inheritor of my house, and these are the keys. But there's more. These keys also lead to a new condo complex in the city, and I know that whoever took the time to fulfill my last wish deserves it all," Erica read so her son would understand.

"We got a house and a condo?" Maxwell asked, his eyes wide and bright with excitement.

But Erica was not sure about the legalities of the whole situation. She searched through the papers and found Mrs. Thornhills' lawyer's number.

To her shock, the attorney, Mr. Geller, confirmed the situation. Apparently, Mrs. Thornhill had decided to make a conditional inheritance to test her sons. But she knew that maybe none of her sons would even try to fix the television. So, instead of just naming them in the will, she decided to leave everything to "someone she loved."

"Mr. Geller, but is that legal? Wouldn't her sons fight this?" Erica asked. "We don't have the kind of money for court or any desire for anything. We just loved Mrs. Thornhill."

"Yes, it is, Ms. Barrino. We worked very hard to specify this will, and I won't go into the difficult legal jargon, but it's solid," the attorney continued. "And I know you two were the only ones keeping an eye on my client for a while. Rest assured, Mrs. Thornhill knew this scenario was likely. She loved you too."

Erica's eyes watered, and she felt Maxwell hugging her tightly, sobbing into her chest.

Obviously, the late old woman's sons were not happy when Mr. Geller explained the will and the condition. They thought Maxwell had tricked them. But Mr. Geller warned them not to try to go to court because he had proved that they hadn't even visited the older woman in years, unlike Maxwell and his mother. That would not go well with a judge. Therefore, they finally let it go.

And Erica and Maxwell moved into the new condo in the city with the vintage television, and they restored it. Later, Erica sold Mrs. Thornhill's old house, paid the inheritance taxes, and placed the rest of the money in a fund for Maxwell's college.

Maxwell insisted on placing a picture of the old woman on top of the old television, but he no longer called her Mrs. Thornhill. She became Grandma in his heart and in his memories of her.

What can we learn from this story?

• Good deeds are always rewarded one way or another. Maxwell was the only person Mrs. Thornhill loved that fulfilled her last wish, so he earned her conditional inheritance in the end.
• No one is entitled to an inheritance. The individual gets to decide who deserves it more. Mrs. Thornhill's three sons abandoned her and thought they were entitled to the will even if they didn't care about her last wish.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who cleaned a woman's yard all day, and then all the neighbors showed up.

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.