Tetyana Sergiivna was left alone when her husband died; her daughter and son had already gone away with their own families. They didn’t think much of Tetyana Sergiivna. Her daughter called once a month to check on her, and her son came by even less regularly to provide food. The kids didn’t realize Tetyana Sergiivna was having difficulty caring for herself and her apartment.

The flat was the one thing that actually bothered them. Both the brother and sister requested their mother on several occasions to sell the flat and share the proceeds between them. They apparently thought it would be preferable for Tetyana Sergiivna to relocate to a nursing facility. Tetyana Sergiivna was not interested.

It was true that she lacked muscle and couldn’t adequately clean the flat, but she had no intention of leaving. Valya, her next-door neighbor, was a grandmother much like her. Tetyana Sergiivna and Valya frequently discussed their children’s conduct, trying to figure out how to make them more sensitive to their needs. And, as they suspected, they discovered a solution. Tetyana Sergiivna phoned her children one day and said she was going to create a will. Then she sat down on the bed, as if on her deathbed, and began to wait. She wasn’t left waiting for long. Tetyana Sergiivna notified her children, who had their own families, that she was leaving her flat to her neighbor Valya.

The relatives were in a frenzy, and they began begging their mother not to do this, promising to look after her just as well as some adventurer with no connection to her.

The son and son-in-law dashed out the door to get groceries, while the daughter and granddaughter began cleaning and straightening up. The daughter even attempted to make something in the kitchen, but returned to the bedroom on several occasions to persuade Tetyana Sergiivna that they couldn’t find a more deserving heir than themselves and their brother. And the others were concerned about the inheritance as well, and no one inquired as to why Tetyana Sergiivna was laying in bed or how they might assist her. In summary, this strategy was a failure. For a time, the youngsters pretended to be worried relatives, but then everything went back to normal.

They came in less frequently and primarily talked about the apartment. They insisted on selling it and splitting the proceeds. So Tetyana Sergiivna and Granny Valya continue to chew over their children’s conflicts, realizing that they can only rely on each other.