When Mary and George became grandparents, their hearts were set on one thing: spoiling their precious granddaughter, Ellie. But as Ellie grew up and neared the end of high school, ready to step into college life, Mary and George faced a tough challenge. They had to teach her a valuable lesson about who to trust with her heart and their money.
The day my daughter, Monica, got married, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. George and I had finally reached that stage where we could relax. We were now the proud parents of a married woman, and soon enough, we’d be grandparents.
Until that day came, we were determined to enjoy the healthy, active years we still had.
A few years later, Monica and her husband Eddie welcomed our one and only granddaughter, Ellie, into the world.
From the moment Ellie was born, George and I were smitten. We saw this as our second chance at parenting, a chance to do everything right.
“This little girl is everything,” George whispered, cradling her in his arms the day we brought Ellie home from the hospital.
“We’re going to give her the best of everything, Mary, okay?” he said as we got into bed that night.
I nodded in agreement. This was our moment to spoil her like we never could with our own child. And now, with money in our pockets, we could afford to do just that.
Fast forward eighteen years, and Ellie had grown into a vibrant young woman, full of the same spunk that her mother, Monica, had as a child. George and I cherished every moment with her.
But then, something changed. Ellie’s spirited personality turned into something more unsettling. It was no longer the playful attitude we adored; it was something more serious, something that worried us.
One Sunday morning, as the gentle breeze filled our kitchen and I flipped pancakes on the stove, the doorbell rang, slicing through the peaceful routine George and I had cherished for so long.
I turned off the stove and went to answer the door.
There stood Ellie, our beloved granddaughter, but something was off. She wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Hi, darling,” I greeted her warmly, stepping aside to let her in. “You’re just in time for breakfast!”
Ellie gave a faint frown and nodded to George when he appeared at the door.
“Come on in, the bacon’s extra crispy,” George said, reaching out for a hug.
But Ellie shook her head, refusing the embrace.
“Look, I’ll get straight to the point,” she said, her voice trembling slightly as she tried to maintain a tough exterior.
Her behavior was strange, to say the least. Usually, Ellie would burst in with hugs, kisses, and questions about our well-being. She’d even bring us cookies, always mindful of the sugar content. She’d always made her love clear.
But today, Ellie was a shadow of the child we’d watched grow up.
“Do you remember Tom?” she asked, almost casually.
Tom was her boyfriend, already in college and living off student loans. George and I had met him a few times. He seemed decent, but there was always something about him that didn’t sit right with me.
“I don’t know what she sees in him, Mon,” I once confided in my daughter during a coffee date.
“I don’t know either, Mom,” Monica replied, taking a bite of cake. “Eddie’s not thrilled about her dating someone older, but you know Ellie. She’s convinced herself Tom is good for her. She says he’s helping her navigate the transition between high school and college.”
Now, leaning against the wall, Ellie continued.
“Tom’s got this startup idea, okay? It’s all about renewable energy or something like that. He’s been talking to lots of people—advisors and such. It could be huge. But there’s a catch. He needs money to get it off the ground.”
I watched as Ellie pulled out her phone, still avoiding eye contact.
George and I exchanged a knowing glance. We had a feeling where this was going.
But nothing could prepare me for what she said next. It felt like a punch to the gut, delivered with a coldness I never imagined from her.
“I need you guys to sell the house and move in with Mom and Dad. You’ll get a ton of money from this house, especially in this neighborhood. It’s a good idea. And you’re getting older anyway, don’t you want to be with Mom?”
“And then what?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
“And then you can give the money to Tom for his project!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration.
George’s cup clattered against his saucer, his face twisted in pain and disbelief at the disrespect coming from Ellie.
“Ellie,” he said sternly, “this is our home, not some investment to cash out. It’s filled with our memories, our family’s memories. Why would you ask us to just give it up for a business venture that sounds like a scam?”
I stayed silent, letting George take the lead. I sat down on the couch, hoping he could talk some sense into Ellie like he always did.
Ever since she was little, George had been the one to calm her down, to bring her back to herself.
“Because you’re my grandparents!” Ellie’s voice cracked, her tough exterior crumbling. “You should want to help me. Tom’s idea will work. You’ll see. We just need this startup money.”
The room grew tense, the air thick with the kind of silence that suffocates.
I could see the desperation in her eyes, a wild determination that scared me. It was clear she was blinded by her feelings for Tom, seeing only what she wanted to see.
But deep down, I knew Tom wasn’t right for her. Despite the age difference, there was just something wrong about him.
George and I exchanged a look, sharing the same heartache. We both knew that confronting her head-on wouldn’t work. It would only push her away, and she’d probably find another way to get the money.
“We’ll see what we can do,” George finally said.
After Ellie left, we sat in heavy silence, the weight of her visit pressing down on us. I started washing the dishes, letting George think of a plan.
“We need to show her, not just tell her, about this guy’s true intentions,” George said with determination in his voice.
George came up with a plan—a harmless trick to reveal Tom’s true character without causing lasting harm. He decided to create a fake lottery ticket.
“Don’t worry, Mary, Johnny’s a whiz on the computer. He’ll whip one up for us.”
Johnny was our neighbor’s son, always making posters for lost pets in the neighborhood. George’s idea was simple: a fake lottery ticket designed to look like a winning jackpot. We’d send it to Tom anonymously, making it look like he’d won a lucky draw from a local store.
The outcome was quicker and more heartbreaking than we expected.
Two days later, as I vacuumed the living room, Ellie came back, her face pale and streaked with tears.
“What happened?” I asked, pulling her into my arms.
“Tom’s gone,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Grandpa told me what he did. And as soon as Tom thought he’d won, he packed his bags and left to start a new life in the Caribbean—without me.”
Her voice broke, and so did my heart.
I knew Tom would break her heart, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
“I thought he loved me,” she whimpered. “How could I have been so blind?”
I stroked her hair as she sobbed, my own eyes filling with tears.
“Oh, sweetheart, we never wanted to hurt you,” I murmured, holding her close. “We just needed to see if he was the real deal before our lives changed to help him.”
As the weeks turned into months, Ellie slowly healed. She spent more time with us, bringing her art supplies and setting up in our living room.
Eventually, Tom became just another chapter in her growing-up story.
So, what would you have done?
