When people believe they are entitled to other people’s money and assets, a number of issues arise, especially if members of a family are involved.
A woman shared a story on Reddit of how her in-laws kept ‘forgetting’ their wallets at home after she inherited money from her mother.
The woman, Julia, explained that her mom wasn’t very rich but following her passing, she left everything she had to her daughter. What’s most, the mom was always very supportive of Julia, even when she decided to drop out of law school. So, after she died, Julia talked to her husband, David, and the two made a decision to put some of the money into their dream house and use the rest for Julia to continue her studies, which was a huge wish of her late mom.
Sadly, her in-laws seemed to have another plan of how those money should be spend.
“While David and I are saving up for our home, we’ve been renting a place with David’s parents. And they had a very different interpretation of the situation — somehow, they were convinced that I had become a millionaire overnight, yet they never explicitly mentioned the money,” Julia explained, adding that her mother and father-in-law found a way to make her spend the money.
Namely, Julia explained that the family enjoyed dining out and visiting different restaurants where they could taste different cuisines.
“Restaurant hopping will be our thing until we can travel to places,” David always joked.
But, ever since the inheritance came in, every restaurant outing turned into a game of “wallet roulette,” and guess who had always needed to pay the bill?
Apparently, as they wanted her to cover the bill every time, the in-laws pretended to have forgotten their wallets at home.
One Friday, however, as the four were getting ready to go out, Julia spotted her in-laws wallets resting on the table next to the door.
“I think your parents forgot their wallets,” she told her husband, standing up.
“Don’t they always?” he asked. “Here, put them into your bag.”
The family then went to a Chinese restaurant and Julia enjoyed the Chinese food she craved the entire week, while David had spring rolls.
“Then, as the bill arrived, I, with a feigned innocence, claimed that I had forgotten my bank card at home. The in-laws, with their trademark smiles put in place, mirrored by forgetfulness and looked to David,” Julia explained.
But at that moment, David intervened and said, “Don’t worry. I put your wallets in Julia’s bag as we left the house. You can cover dinner this time.”
“The shift in the room was palpable. You could almost hear the gears grinding to a halt as the reality of the situation sank in for my in-laws,” Julia wrote.
She further explained that she didn’t try to take advantage of them, but they needed to become aware that Julia and David were saving money for a home, a home where his parents would also move in because David felt like it was upon him to take care of them. And yet, they never tried to help their son and daughter-in-law save up.
After a moments of silence, the father-in-law stretched his arm to take his wallet. He not only covered the bill, but he also left a huge tip to the waiter, as though he was trying to save face.
“Thanks, Dad,” David said. “You know, we’ve got to share the responsibility of family dinner. Surely, you cannot expect to cash in on Julia’s inheritance every time we go out. She has plans for that money, and you must respect it.”
Julia then grabbed David’s hand beneath the table, feeling seen and appreciated.
“I’ve got it next time,” the mother-in-law chirped.
In the weeks that followed, the in-laws never forgot their wallets again, but as David said, they all needed to take responsibility and pay for the bill when it’s their turn.
The in-laws learned a thing or two about responsibility. And not only that, but the mother-in-law started cooking without Julia asking her to because she knows her daughter-in-law studies after work.
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