Two old ladies pretending to be sick to check on their sons end up choosing the same heir – Story of the Day

Molly Clark and Elizabeth Blair became good friends and joined forces to raise their sons. But after a conversation, they decided to see which of their children was the best child, and they pretended to be sick to see which of them would visit their mothers. Neither of them expected what would happen next.

“It’s a crazy idea,” Molly told her friend Elizabeth. They are both in their 80s and have often spoken well of their sons. Molly’s son Brad is a wealthy businessman who owns his own company and has had success in the country. Elisabeth’s son Christopher had a simple office job with a modest salary, but, she said, he was a wonderful person.

During one of their conversations, they both complained that they didn’t see enough of their children, and Elizabeth had a crazy idea: check on them by pretending to be sick. “I know, but we’ll tell them the truth soon enough. We won’t pretend for long,” Elizabeth suggested with a sly smile.

Although Molly did not want to disturb her busy son, she agreed. After all, if he was so successful, surely he could find time to see her. At the very least, he would send someone to look after her.

“OK, let’s do it,” Molly agreed and they finished eating their biscuits.

That evening they both called their sons and told them that they were ill with a severe flu and were bedridden for a while.

To Elizabeth’s surprise, Christopher came to her with a pot of soup that his wife Kira had made especially for her.

“Darling, you shouldn’t have. I’m sick, but it’s just the flu,” the elderly woman told her son, feeling guilty because she wasn’t really sick.

“This is ridiculous. At your age, we should be taking care of you. Maybe you should come and live with us,” Christopher suggested, holding out the soup to her.

“No!” – Elizabeth replied vigorously, then lowered her voice. “Don’t take this the wrong way, darling. But your house is noisy when my grandchildren are around. And I need peace of mind.”

Christopher smiled and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll think of another solution.”

“Actually, I was hoping you could visit my neighbour, Molly Clark. She has the flu too, and I was wondering if her son came to see her. She called him too,” she said.

“Oh, I’ll get her some soup. Kira made a lot of soup,” he replied, getting out of bed and heading for the kitchen.

Elizabeth sighed, feeling guilty about lying, but she was curious to know how things were going with Molly.

***

Molly opened the front door and a middle-aged man who looked like Elizabeth’s late husband stood in front of her door. “You must be Christopher,” she told him.

The man smiled and said: “Hello Mrs Clark, how are you feeling? Mother told me you were sick too and I came to bring you something to eat. She also wanted to know if your son came or sent someone.”

Molly hesitated for a second, not wanting to answer this question because her son didn’t come and she felt jealous that Christopher was here. “Come in, lad. Thank you very much. I feel a little better already,” the older woman said as Christopher came in and put the soup on the kitchen table.

“So, is your son coming soon?”

Finally, Molly had to answer. “No, dear. He’s not coming.”

She remembered their conversation yesterday.

“Could you come and look after me for a bit, dear?” – She asked her son.

“Why don’t you hire someone?” replied Brad.

“But… I don’t want a stranger in my house,” Molly explained, feeling uncomfortable that it was a trap. Still, Brad should be ready to visit her.

“Mum… I can’t. I don’t like looking after sick people and I’ve been too busy lately.”

“You’re the boss, Brad. You can take time off for your mother.”

“No, mother. I’m a businessman, not a caretaker. Hire someone! You’ve got plenty of money!” replied Brad, hanging up the phone. Molly almost cried and spent the rest of the night pondering his words.

“Mrs Clark?” – Christopher asked, interrupting her musings. “Would you like me to heat up some soup?”

“What?” – she asked, a little confused, but then she realised what he had said. “Oh no, thank you. I’ll eat later. I think I’ll go to bed.”

“OK, I’ll let you get some rest. But I can check on you later, or if you need anything, phone my mum. I think I’ll sleep here tonight,” Christopher offered before he left, smiling at her.

Christopher looked after both women for the rest of the week, although neither of them needed it. He came every evening after work and checked on them. Eventually they told him that they were better and that he no longer needed to worry about them.

“I felt so sorry for his dedication. I couldn’t tell him the truth,” Elizabeth said one evening while having dinner with Molly.

“I know. He’s been so good to me too,” Molly admitted bitterly. “I think you’ve raised a better man. Sometimes having money and giving them all the opportunities in the world isn’t the best thing to do.”

Elizabeth finally realised her friend’s discomfort and reached out her hand to comfort her. “You did the best you could. Some people are just different. Some are better at nurturing, and some are more… career-oriented.”

Molly shook her head and quickly changed the theme. She didn’t want to talk about it any further.

Years later, when Molly passed away, she left Brad a short letter and bequeathed all of her hard earned money to Christopher. She told her son that Elizabeth’s son had been there for her over the years, while Brad was always busy and didn’t want to be bothered, so Chris deserved the money.

Brad pretended not to care, but in fact he did. At least because of the money.

Elizabeth died a few months after her friend, and although she did not have a large inheritance, she also gave it to her son, who donated most of the money to less fortunate nursing homes and kept some for himself to secure his children’s future.

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