When an 87-year-old man returns home from the hospital, he finds his belongings gone…

“Dad, do not worry. I’m going to work things out. But I can’t see you because I don’t have any more PTO at work,” Angelina told her father, 87-year-old Chris Harvey, who contacted her from the hospital.

He had phoned 911 after a heart attack, believing it was more serious. However, the physicians stated that more tests were required before he could return home. He contacted his daughter in Miami and asked her to come home to Austin, Texas, and assist him.

But she couldn’t. “Okay, darling.” “I believe the doctors are just concerned about my health at my age, and they’ll tell me more soon enough,” he whispered, cradling his telephone to his ear in his hospital bed.

“Calm down, Hannah. That’s OK. “It just messes up our plans for a while,” he reassured. Plans?

They eventually hung up, and the doctors requested Chris stay in the hospital for a few days while they checked everything and decided on his treatment plan.

***

“You should travel to Austin and check on your granddad. “He’s alone,” Angelina stressed to her son, Peter.

“I am not sure if I can, Mom,” he said. They were talking on the phone, and Angelina would not accept no for an answer.

“Peter, you should be there for your grandfather. Who knows how long he will survive after this, especially if his heart fails? Angelina attempted to persuade him that he was his only grandchild. “He always claimed you’d inherit his house and belongings when he died. Please inspect the house to see what repairs are needed so he can live comfortably for the rest of his life. And it’s an excellent opportunity to bond with him.”

Peter was quiet for a second, and his mother assumed he had hung up. But he eventually responded in an odd tone. “Ok, ok. I will go. Hannah and I will travel together. I suppose I can request some time off work because I haven’t had a holiday in a long time.”

“Good. Thank you, Son. My work will not budge, but I trust you to do the best you can for your grandfather. “I love you, sweetie,” she uttered, delighted that her father wouldn’t face isolation following his hospital discharge.

“I love you, too, Mom. Bye.”

Unfortunately, Angelina had no idea what her kid was actually thinking.

***

After a few days, the physicians gave Chris numerous drugs based on his test findings. They released him from the hospital, urging him not to overwork himself since he needed to take care of his health even after he recovered.

Chris nodded at each of their explanations, but he wasn’t paying any attention. He was concerned since Angelina had not called the day before, and she had informed him that Peter was coming to stay with him.

He didn’t have his grandson’s phone number, but he hoped to meet him at home. So he got a cab from the hospital to his house.

He was shocked to find some furniture on his front lawn and identified it as his own. Furthermore, his door was slightly ajar, but he remembered that the paramedics who transported him to the hospital had completely closed it. What was happening? But the most stunning event occurred when he entered.

The whole home was empty. Artwork, military souvenirs, and a credenza adorned his walls. The kitchen table and chairs, along with everything else he hadn’t seen outside, had disappeared. There were multiple plastic coverings in certain spots as if someone was painting or conducting construction work on the property.

“Hello?” He screamed out of the empty space and heard footsteps coming from the corridor where the bedrooms were.

“Grandpa?” Peter inquired, perplexed at seeing him. But Chris paid no attention to the reaction. He exhaled with a sense of relief.

“Peter! Oh bless God! I assumed someone had broken in and stolen everything I owned. “What is happening here, my dear boy?” He questioned his grandson and approached, giving him a tight, masculine embrace.

Oh well. Yes. “No one broke in,” Peter said, pursed his lips, and reciprocated the hug.

Chris finally recognized he was acting weird. “What’s going on then?”

“I… well, we wanted to surprise you,” he blurted out.

“We?”

“Yes, Hannah and I.” “She’s here,” Peter announced, turning toward the hallway to summon his wife. “Honey!”

“What?” she said, her eyes widening as she noticed Chris. “Hmm, Mr. Harvey.” “Hello there.”

“Hi, sweetie! It’s lovely to see you.” I haven’t seen you since the wedding,” Chris said to his grandson’s wife, kissing her on the cheek. “So, tell me, what’s going on with my house?”

Peter and Hannah exchanged a strange, brief, sidelong glance, but Peter responded first. We intended to rebuild it before you left the hospital. It was in desperate need of some TLC, and we hoped it would make you feel better. But you’ve left sooner than we thought.”

Chris smiled broadly at the two young individuals in his living room, thinking about how kind they were. “That is fantastic! However, I hope you aren’t spending too much money.

“Oh, no. Do not worry. “I know a guy,” Hannah said, putting her hands in her pockets. Her smile seemed odd, but the older man did not notice.

“Cool. “Where are my belongings?”

“They are currently in storage, except for a few items we want to replace as a gift.” Those are outdoors, waiting to be picked up by rubbish collectors. “We had to put it there for the remodel,” Peter stated after an odd pause. “But the bedrooms still have everything. Do not worry. We’ll be able to sleep soundly at night.

“Thank you. Thank you so much, my boy. “You are amazing!” Chris remarked, hugging each of them simultaneously. He was filled with joy upon seeing his family again and realized their deep concern for him through their actions. “Now, listen. I need to have some medicines filled, but I will be back shortly.”

“Sure!” Peter and Hannah said it together and chuckled awkwardly.

Chris stared at them for a moment but didn’t think much about their attitude. He headed for the neighborhood drugstore, which was within walking distance.

He returned a few minutes later and saw neither Peter nor Hannah in the living room. He heard their sounds coming from Angelina’s former bedroom and approached to inquire what they wanted for supper. But Hannah’s words halted his progress.

“What are we going to do, you idiot?” She insulted her husband, something Chris had never heard her do.

“Calm down, Hannah. That’s OK. “It just messes up our plans for a while,” he reassured. Plans?

“A bit? A BIT? You told me he was dying, and this was going to be our home. That’s why we’re spending so much money on it. You think I was going to utilize my money to help fix someone else’s house while we were still paying rent?” Hannah asked, almost mockingly.

Chris’s eyes widened, and his palm shot to his lips, preventing any sound from coming out. He wanted to hear the rest of the exchange.

“Hannah, it’s okay. The home will be mine eventually, and he has a lot of money stored up. “Just think of it as an investment,” Peter said, annoyance seeping into his voice.

But Hannah was very outraged. “NO! We will not spend another dollar, and I do not care about him! Tomorrow, we’ll board a plane and return home! “This was a waste of time!”

“We can’t leave this house like this!”

“Certainly, we can and will!” she yelled at Peter, and Chris had had enough. He returned to the front door, claiming he had just arrived from the pharmacy.

“I wanted to thank them for all their work on my house… because I’ll enjoy it forever.”

He yelled out to them, and both pretended nothing was wrong. They discussed what to serve for dinner and were really courteous about Chris. However, he now knew the truth, and it was time to teach them a terrible lesson.

They were sitting on the vacant living room floor eating spaghetti and meatballs, one of Peter’s favorite dinners, when Chris finally cleared his throat and spoke up.

“Peter, I wanted to talk to you about something important,” he continued, noting that Peter and Hannah had perked up for some reason. “I’ve considered permanently relocating into a nursing home. I do not want another emergency to occur when I am alone here. I think it’s the proper decision, and you two should get the house.

Peter and Hannah exchanged delighted looks as their jaws fell. “Are you serious?” his grandson said, obviously excited.

“Yes, I’m serious.”

Thank you, Grandpa! It is an honor! We’re going to make this place seem so wonderful!” Peter eventually spoke, and Hannah reciprocated his thanks.

Peter and Hannah spent the following few weeks remodeling the house as best they could. They had really preserved a few of Chris’s belongings in storage, but they got rid of some old stuff, and he pretended everything was good. But it wasn’t.

Chris suggested hosting a housewarming celebration after completing the house. He informed Peter and Hannah that he was moving into the nursing home shortly and that they should begin preparing to live there permanently.

They were thrilled and decided to invite a few pals who had flown from Miami to Texas. Everything was excellent for a while. They chatted. They ate. It was a fun celebration. Chris had been faking all along until he stood up from the table and demanded everyone’s attention.

“I would like to make a toast…to my grandson and his lovely wife,” the elder man said, and everyone in the room shouted swiftly as the pair hugged and looked at Chris. “I wanted to thank them for all their work on my house… because I’ll enjoy it forever.”

Chris’s toast startled the couple’s friends, who had assumed he was leaving. Meanwhile, Peter and Hannah were astonished, with confused expressions on their faces.

“Did you know they came here under the notion I would die soon? They completely rebuilt the house, took away some of my belongings, and began working on it as if it were already theirs. And when I came home from the hospital, which they didn’t expect, they were going to simply up and leave me here with a half-remodeled, empty house,” he informed the guests, who began to realize how unpleasant the night was turning out to be.

“Grandpa, why don’t we speak privately for a second?” Peter proposed something, but Chris shook his head.

“There’s no need. I overheard you two conversing that day. So you two came here, telling your mother that you were coming to take care of me, but you ended up taking over this place. Well, Peter, it will never happen. I’ve already amended my will. “This house is going to charity when I leave,” he declared, startling everyone.

Hannah was red-faced and wanted to create a scene, but she didn’t want to be embarrassed any further.

Chris caught everyone’s attention once more. “Now,” he said, clearing his throat and raising his voice. “Everyone, get out of my house right now before I call the police!”

Peter and Hannah’s friends didn’t require further information. They raced to get away, and Peter yelled at Chris because he still wanted to say something. But the elder man did not want to hear any explanations. “GET OUT!” he shouted, and Peter and his wife departed.

The next day, Chris informed Angelina exactly what her son had done and what they had planned together. He didn’t tell her right away since he knew it would crush his daughter’s heart. But she needed to know that everything was out there.

Angelina felt ashamed of her child, but she also disliked how Chris tricked them. She couldn’t do anything about it. “You’re correct, Dad. It is your house. But are you okay ending your friendship with Peter like that?”

“Honey, he severed it the day he intended to murder me early and take my house. As their conversation ended, he told his daughter, “Watch out, because who knows what they’ll do with you.”

Chris survived for another 11 years. And, as planned, his lawyer sold his home and gave the cash, along with the remainder of Chris’s fortune, to a charity for the elderly.

What can we glean from this story?

Nobody should feel entitled to another person’s property. Peter felt the home was already his and was unconcerned about his grandfather’s health.

Sometimes separating from some family members is the greatest decision for your personal benefit. Chris lost relations with his grandchild as a result of his actions and has not looked back.