Grandkids Want to Get Rid of Grandma and Rob Her, She Turns out to Be Smarter — Story of the Day

When Kevin and Scott discover their grandmother’s house is worth a small fortune, they devise a plan to steal her property. However, neither of them counted on Granny outsmarting them.

Kevin's truck skidded to a stop in front of Grandma Rachel's house, shaking his brother, Scott, in the passenger seat so violently that he had to brace himself against the dash.

"You need to stop driving like such a maniac," Scott said as he opened the door. “Why are you always in such a rush during our weekly visits to Granny?”

"Because we have things to do, we are now walking on a razor's edge with all these debts. I would not be surprised if tomorrow the investors demanded their money back." Kevin retorted.

"Ha!" Scott exclaimed as he reached into the truck bed to grab a bag of groceries. "It's pretty tough to sell a service to people when it costs more than they can afford, Kev. I told you it was a mistake to get so much of that fancy rubberizing roof paint."

"And I told you it's about quality." Kevin also grabbed a bag of groceries from the truck bed. "Now let's hurry this up so we can get back to the business of finding more business."

Kevin marched up to Grandma's front door. He was about to knock on the heavy wooden door when it banged open to reveal Granny arguing with a stranger.

"...now you take your fancy words and important papers and be off with you, son," Granny said.

"You should take the time to consider the offer, ma'am," the strange young man in the suit replied.

"Thank you, but no thank you." Granny noticed Kevin on her doorstep then and smiled.

"Kevin, won't you be a dear and show this insistent young man off my property?"

"Of course, Granny." Kevin set his bag of groceries down and rolled up his sleeves. "Are you going to come the easy way, sir, or the hard way?"

The man in the suit looked at Kevin and sighed. "This won't be necessary, sir. I'm just going to leave you my card, alright Mrs. Campbell?"

Granny huffed and pointedly looked away. The man set his card down on the hall table and hot-footed it down the path to the gate.

"What was that about, Granny?" Kevin asked as he watched the man walk away.

"Some developers want to buy my house." Granny shook her head and gestured for Kevin to come inside.

Kevin chuckled and glanced back at Scott, who'd just joined them. "I never thought anyone would be interested in this old house, Granny. What did they even offer you for it?"

"Around 350 thousand," Granny replied.

"That can't be right." Kevin looked over the bowed floorboards, crude wooden beams, and faded wallpaper as he followed Granny to the kitchen. "No offense, Granny, but this house isn't worth that much."

Granny turned and arched her eyebrows at Kevin. "You'll have to eat those words, son. See, what those developers fancy about this place is the land. They want to build some exclusive housing estate here, and are willing to offer a lot of money for my little plot of land."

"That sounds like a great deal, Granny." Kevin set his bag of groceries on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah," Scott added. "Why don't you want to sell it to them?"

Granny huffed and shook her head. "This house is worth far more than that measly amount. Come with me and I'll show you."

Kevin and Scott hurried after Granny. The house was ancient and had been in the family for a long time. As Kevin glanced at Scott, he knew they were both thinking the same thing: Granny was about to reveal a family treasure!

"See this?" Granny rested her palm against the stone mantlepiece. "Your great-great-grandfather built this mantle with his bare hands." She stepped toward the hallway. "Your great-grandmother gave birth in that bedroom, and that chunk knocked out of the beam over there?"

"That was from the time great-aunt Susie fought off a burglar," Kevin finished with a sigh. "We've heard all these stories before, Grandma."

"And you'll hear them again, I'm sure. One day, I hope you'll tell them to your children, because that's what makes this house so valuable, boys. It's not the land or the building, it's the love it was built with and the memories that live on inside it."

Granny smiled and traced her fingers over a deep gash in a beam by the door. "Our family lives on in this house because of the memories they made here, and the little imperfections that help us remember their stories. You can't put a price on that."

"You should be practical about this, Grandma," Scott said. "I know this place has sentimental value, but it also costs a lot in upkeep and these people are willing—"

"Don't you dare suggest I sell." Grandma pointed at Scott. "I intend to live out the rest of my days here, Scott, and that's that. If the history of our ancestral home means so little to the pair of you then you can sell it after I'm gone from this world."

Kevin and Scott tried to convince Granny to change her mind, but she was as stubborn as she was sentimental and wouldn't give an inch.

"I'm sure you boys have the best intentions, but I won't listen to another word of this, you hear me?" Granny went to sit in her rocking chair by the fireplace. "I'm not ever going to change my mind about this."

"As you wish, Granny." Scott ran his fingers through his hair. "But I wish you'd be a bit more open-minded about this."

"Aint going to happen." Granny lifted an unfinished knitting project onto her lap and started working on it. "Now, thank you very much for the groceries, boys. I greatly appreciate them, but this topic is irking me."

"I can't believe Granny is being so foolish about this," Scott said as he and Kevin returned to the car.

"It's more than foolishness, Scotty." Kevin glanced back at the house. "You do realize that money is the solution to all our problems, don't you? It would cover all our debts and allow us to invest in new projects."

"Like that landscaping business you were telling me about?"

"Exactly! But unless Granny passes away soon, we won't see a penny of that money."

Both men climbed into the car. While Kevin tried to get it to start, they continued their conversation.

"I don't think we can rely on inheriting the house anytime soon, Kev. What do you suggest we do?"

"I've been thinking about that." Kevin grinned as his car started with a thunderous roar. "We'll have to take matters into our own hands, Scott, but I've got a plan, and it doesn't involve hurting anyone."

A week later, Scott and Kevin visited Granny for a family lunch. They sat down to a delicious meal of pot roast and potatoes with the promise of apple pie for dessert.

"This is delicious as always," Kevin exclaimed. "Don't you agree, Scott."

"Uh, yeah," Scott mumbled.

Kevin looked across the table at his brother. He'd barely touched his pot roast and had a strange expression on his face.

"Is something the matter?" Granny stood and circled the table, resting her hand against Scott's forehead. "You aren't warm, but you don't look well."

"I don't feel well, either." Scott rose from his seat. "I think I should go lie down a while."

But before Scott took two steps, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the floor.

"Over here, please hurry!" Kevin had waited outside for the ambulance to arrive and now ran inside to show them where his brother lay prone on the floor.

"Has he regained consciousness at all?" The first paramedic asked.

"No," Granny said, a quaver in her voice.

"He's just been lying there still all this time. Oh, please help him!"

The paramedics asked Kevin and Granny to step back while they got to work. It was difficult to see precisely what they were doing to his brother, but Kevin trusted that he was in good hands. He put his arm around Granny and tried to reassure her that everything would be okay.

"Your brother's condition is stable for now," The paramedic said eventually. "But we'll have to transport him to the hospital."

"Then get going!" Granny urged them. "You must do everything you can for my grandson!"

Kevin stayed by Scott's side as the paramedics transferred him to a stretcher and took him outside to the ambulance. Kevin climbed in the back with Scott and the paramedic.

Scott lifted his head as the door slammed shut. "Is the coast clear?"

"Everything worked perfectly." Kevin slipped the paramedic a hundred-dollar bill and patted his shoulder. "That's a tip for a great performance."

"Thank you, sir." The paramedic grinned. "It's been great doing business with you."

"Now, you're going to have to stay in the hospital a while, Scotty," Kevin told his brother. "I've made all the arrangements with the doctor so we can get the appropriate letters from him."

Scott grinned up at Kevin and relaxed back on the stretcher. "Sounds like everything is going smoothly, bro. I've got to admit I had some doubts about this plan, but it's looking good so far."

"You shouldn't have doubted me," Kevin replied. He glanced out the back window as the ambulance pulled away and saw Granny watching them from the front door.

A few hours later, Kevin returned to Granny's house. He let himself in and found her sitting in her rocking chair, staring at a family photo. She looked up when Kevin sat down on the sofa across from her.

"We need to talk, Granny. Scott's situation is bad." Kevin took a folded page from his pocket and passed it to Granny. "That's the doctor's diagnosis. As you can see, he's advised a treatment plan, but it will be very expensive." Kevin hung his head. "I don't know what to do, Granny."

Kevin watched through his eyelashes as Granny read the diagnosis, her hands shaking as she scanned the page. He knew she'd reached the worst bit when she raised her hand to cover her mouth.

"This is terrible news." Grandma set the page down on her lap and looked at Kevin grimly. "And I'm sorry to add to your stress at a time like this, but I have a confession to make."

Kevin scooched forward on the sofa. "A confession? What's going on, Granny?"

"I'm also sick, Kevin." Granny turned her gaze to the fireplace. "The doctors advised me to have surgery before it gets too bad. They said it’s the only way to improve my quality of life, but it would cost me everything I own."

Kevin couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He put his face in his hands. It seemed to him now like he'd been tempting fate when he devised his plan to fake Scott's illness because it was just too big a coincidence that Granny was also ill.

"There's got to be something we can do, Granny." He looked up to meet her gaze.

Granny made a dismissive hand gesture. "No, no. We need to focus on Scott. I wasn't going to have the surgery anyhow because I want to ensure you and your brother get some inheritance from me. After all, the three of us only have each other."

Kevin took a deep breath. He felt backed into a corner by his own lie. He could tell Granny the truth now and help her get the surgery she needed, but then he'd have to give up his plan.

"Your health is important to me, Granny," Kevin spoke slowly, still unsure what to do. "I don't want to see you suffer, but..."

But she was old. Kevin clenched his jaw and interlaced his fingers. She'd lived a good, long life, and everyone had to go some time.

"...but if that's what you want then I'll honor your wishes, Grandma. Now, how can we get the money for Scott's treatment?"

"Tomorrow, I'll contact those developers and let them know I've decided to sell them the house." Tears rolled down Granny's cheeks as she looked up at the mantel. "I don't want to let this place go, but it's the only way."

Kevin's heart clenched as he watched Granny rise from her rocking chair to run her hands over the chipped stones and slide her fingers through the notches in the old beams.

Maybe he shouldn't do this. He didn't even have to reveal his lie; he could just ask the doctor to write another letter stating that Scott had miraculously healed.

But then he remembered how much that crooked doctor had charged him for the first letter, the money he still owed to all the other participants in his scheme and all the business debts he'd incurred over the past year.

The 350 thousand the developers were willing to pay for this old house would clear all those debts and secure his future. After all, moving to a nursing home was not the worst option for Grandma.

"It'll be okay, Granny." Kevin rose to hug her. "I know this place means a lot to you, but everything will work out for the best, you'll see."

Two weeks later, Kevin returned to Grandma's house armed with grim determination. His conscience had gnawed at him the past few days, but he had to follow through with his plan.

Kevin marched up to Granny's front door and let himself in. "Granny!" he called as he walked down the hall. "I've got news."

Granny appeared at the entrance to the sitting room. "Is it Scott?"

Kevin shook his head. "No change there, not yet. I'm here because I found a great nursing home for you. They have nurses on staff, and I've made all the arrangements for you. They're expecting you and we need to leave right away."

"Oh." Granny hunched her shoulders and hung her head. "So, everything is settled then. I guess it's time for me to move on."

"Yes, Granny." Kevin put his hand on her shoulder. "I know this is a sad moment for you, but this nursing home will provide all the care you need."

"Alright, Kevin. If you and Scott think it's for the best, then I'll go along with your plan." Grandma headed for her bedroom. "My lawyer is preparing the paperwork for the house according to your suggestions."

"So the ownership of the house will be transferred to me and Scott?" Kevin grinned as he put a hand under Granny's elbow.

Granny nodded. "I thought about it and you're right. It's better if you boys handle the sale to the developers."

"It really is for the best, Granny. This has been a very emotional time for you and I want to spare you the stress of dealing with paperwork and such."

Granny nodded, her expression grim. "I guess I'll just be packing the necessities for now. Won't you go and fetch the suitcases and my Grandpa's old trunk from the cellar?"

"Of course, Granny, and don't you worry about a thing. I'll make sure all your precious possessions are packed up and safely stored once we're out of here. You'll let me know if there's anything in particular you need?"

Granny nodded. There were tears in her eyes as she started removing her clothes from the closet.

Kevin drove Granny to her new home. It was the least he could do, considering how rich Granny would make him. He waited to hear from Granny's lawyer about the paperwork, but his patience soon ran out.

"The place is as good as ours anyhow," he explained to Scott when he visited his brother in the hospital. "We might as well get moving with our plan."

Scott was nestled in a web of tubes and wires hooked to beeping machines. The doctor had assured Kevin that this would convey a suitably dramatic appearance of dire sickness to any layperson who visited Scott while he was in the hospital.

"You're saying I can get out of here?" Scott sat up in his hospital bed.

"Post haste, brother. We have lots of work to do and everything is already in place."

"Finally!" Scott threw aside his bedcovers, tugged off his fake IV, ripped off the other wires and tubes connected to his body, and tossed them aside. "Let's go get our money!"

A bulldozer, a dump truck, and an excavator crowded the road in front of Grandma's house. Kevin and Scott grinned at each other as they drove past and found a place to park a little way down the street. It was all coming together.

"Do you think we should ask them to save some of the beams and stones from the mantel? You know, for keepsakes for Grandma?" Scott asked as they walked back to the house.

"Are you kidding? Don't you know we can make even more money off this deal by selling that stuff? People pay for reclaimed wood and building rubble." Kevin moved ahead of his brother to greet the construction workers milling on the pavement.

"Good day, fellas! Nice to see you all responded quickly to my call. When are you going to start the demolition?"

"Soon as the place is unoccupied." A man wearing a reflective vest with the word 'foreman' on the breast stepped forward to meet Kevin. "You said the house would be empty."

"It is empty," Kevin replied.

"Then who is that?" The foreman pointed at the house.

Kevin stared at the man cutting the long-neglected lawn in front of Granny's old house. Kevin now noticed three children playing at the base of the old tree shading the porch.

"I don't know who these people are," Kevin said, "but I'm going to get rid of them right away."

Kevin marched across to the man cutting the grass. Once he turned off the mower, Kevin demanded to know what he was doing there.

"We live here," the man replied with a big smile. "The kind old lady who used to own this house sold it to us for a token price and a promise that we’d treasure the place. Are you friends of hers?"

"We're her grandsons, and this place belongs to us!" Kevin pointed at the man. "You're trespassing and illegally occupying our house."

"Oh, I understand now. Mrs. Rachel said you boys might come back here and be confused about her arrangements. She left a letter explaining it all." The man turned toward the house. "You wait right here while I fetch it."

Kevin rubbed at the furrows on his brow while he waited for the man to return. Scott kept asking questions, but he ignored his brother. He didn't understand what was going on.

When the man returned, Kevin snatched the envelope he held out and removed the letter inside it so quickly that a corner of the page tore. Scott pressed against his side to read over his shoulder.

Dear Scott and Kevin, you cannot imagine how frightened I was when Scott collapsed in my house. I feared for his life and couldn't sit idly by after he was rushed to the hospital, so I followed you.

I could never have imagined the deception I'd uncover that day. I was in the hallway outside Scott's room when the two of you were celebrating the success of your plan, and I overheard everything.

You boys broke my heart that day and forced me to make a painful choice. See, a part of me couldn't believe you'd go through with this trickery, so I devised a plan of my own.

My goal was to test your convictions and expose the true nature of your hearts. I wanted to see how far you were willing to go in pursuit of your greed and worldly desires, so I told Kevin I was sick.

I know you boys too well to think Kevin would admit to his lie, but I expected this news to change his mind. However, I was disappointed. I realized then that there was no hope for either of you. You'd both committed to your lie and taken greed as your master.

So, I sold my home to a young family who appreciates the true value of the place. They even recorded a video of me telling the stories of every scratch and imperfection so they could preserve them for their kids. Can you imagine that? Strangers value our family history more than you two.

Now, I thank you for arranging such a nice nursing home for me, but I really don't need the extra care, so I've made my own arrangements. I will not disclose that information here, however, because I never want to lay eyes on either of you traitors again!

What can we learn from this story?

• Greed only leads to sadness and destruction. Kevin and Scott chose greed over their grandmother’s happiness, sacrificing what goodness they had in their hearts in the pursuit of unnecessary things.
• No lie can remain hidden forever. Despite how cleverly a liar might conceal their deceit, the truth will always come out eventually.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an elderly lady who discovers the money she secretly hid away as inheritance has grown 20 times.

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.