It can be really tough growing old, and often children forget that their parent or parents could be lonely. There are not many things sadder than being forgotten by your own children. That is why, in this story inspired by the readers at AmoMama, a mother hatched a plan in the hopes her children would remember her again.
Maggy had been alone for many years, she raised her three sons alone too. You see, her wonderful husband had passed away when their youngest child was only 12 years old. So, Maggy did it by herself. Luckily, however, her husband had been a very wealthy man. Which Meant that Maggy would want for nothing for the rest of her life.
Even though Maggy had raised her sons and always had a good relationship with them, by the time she was too old and needed someone to care for her, all her boys had seemed to forget her. None of them came to visit, they hardly called. In fact, when she called them they would not even pick up the phone or call her back. Maggy was 85 years old and getting on in her old age. One day, she had a heart attack.
Nobody Cared
All three of Maggy’s boys knew their mom was in the hospital recovering from her heart attack, but not one of them came to visit her. While two of the boys lived out of state, even the youngest who lived just 20 minutes away could not be bothered. Maggy’s assistant, Lara, called all three of the sons often, in hopes that they would come to see their mother. Eventually, they told Lara to stop calling, they were far too busy to fly all that way. The youngest son claimed to be out of town, but Lara had driven by his house and seen him watering his garden. She was so sad for Maggy.
Lara told Maggy again how sorry she was that none of her children had come to see her. Maggy assured her that it was alright, she’d not expected them to visit anyway. But, because of how her children were treating her, Maggy called up her lawyer and set up an appointment to see him on the day she was to be discharged from the hospital. She knew she had to make some changes. She also had a plan in mind…
The “Death”
The day had come and Lara called up each of the three boys. She called the eldest first. When he picked up the phone, he snapped at Lara, reminding her that he asked not to be bothered anymore. Lara finally got a word in and told Jason that his mother had passed away. Jason paused, he thought about all the money his mother had. Even though he was not in the mood to jump on a plane, he figured it would be worth it for the reading of the will. He could do a new car.
It was a similar call to the younger brothers, and two hopped on a flight to their mother’s funeral, the youngest, who lived nearby, met up with them at their mother’s home. Lara was there and she could see that none of them cared too much. They had arrived a day early and gone out for drinks, getting back late and drunk and full of cheer. Lara listened in her room, feeling sad that Maggy’s children did not care about their mother being dead.
The Funeral
The next day, the three sons got ready for their mother’s funeral. Lara drove them to the church where the service was to be held. They noticed that the car park was empty. Reggie, the youngest, laughed and made a joke about his mom not being too popular. The other boys laughed too. Lara glared at them and instructed them to go into the church.
The three boys made their way into the church, they pretended to be sad about their mother’s death, but it was painfully obvious that none of them really cared to be there. They saw their mother’s coffin as they all walked in.
Jason looked toward Lara and asked: “What is the point of this? Nobody else is here!” to which Lara replied that their moms last wish was for a private farewell with just her beloved sons. Sam, the middle son, looked at his mom and wiped away his fake tears. He rolled his eyes and looked at the empty church seats.
“Well, children,” Lara said, “your mother loved you a lot. The very least you can do for her is pray for her one last time and kiss her goodbye.”
The boys all sneered. But decided to just get it over and done with. Jason whispered to Reggie that he could not wait to see how much they were getting and that he really wanted a new car so the timing was perfect. Lara wanted to cry when she overheard this.
The Surprise
The three boys made their way up to the coffin where their mother lay still. Jason leaned over to kiss her on the head, but just as he did, he noticed his mother’s eyes move. Jason thought to himself that it must just be the hangover from the night before and that he was underslept.
Then it happened again. This time, Maggy’s eye’s fully opened. Jason yelped. “Oh my gosh, guys, look, her eyes have opened! What is going on!?” The other boys looked and saw that their dead mothers eyes were in fact, open. They were all very shocked and confused. Then, Maggy sat up. She was very much alive. She looked at her three children and began to speak.
The Truth Hurts
Maggy told her sons how disappointed she was. But, that she loved them dearly. Lara helped her out of the coffin as she spoke. She asked them each to think about how they had treated her, and how much they had hurt her. The boys were ashamed. Maggy went on to tell them how hard it was to raise three boys without their father, and that she felt she had failed at bringing them up the right way.
She told them how alone she felt, and how she wished she could turn back time to when they were all little. She spoke about how they all loved her so much back then, she spoke about how she missed her children.
Without another word, Maggy and Lara walked out of the church. The three boys were mortified, and sorry. But their mother refused to listen to them. She told them once again to think about how they treat others and let them know that this was their second chance. Maggy also let them know that she was not going to give them anything in her will. She and Lara left together.
Making Changes
Maggy’s boys were very sorry, and they did not care about the money. Over the next few years, all three of them made sure to call their mother often. Reggie made the effort to visit her almost weekly since he lived close by. Jason and Sam flew to see her as often as they could. Maggy could see that her boys had changed and that they were genuinely sorry for the way they had treated her. Reggie and Jason often got together to skype call their mom, since they were not able to fly up constantly.
Five years passed and eventually, Maggy’s death happened, this time, for real. This time, the church was filled with people who loved Maggy, including her three sons.
The boys were heartbroken. The time they spent with their mother had not been enough. They regretted all the years ignoring her but were so glad that they had those last few years to make things right again. They just hoped their mom had died happy. None of them expected to receive a cent from her estate, so, when their mother’s lawyer called, they were all surprised to find out that they would each be entitled to a third of half of her estate. The rest was left to Lara, her loyal assistant.
We never know how much time we have left, and we often do not realize how our actions (or lack thereof) can hurt others. Be kind, no matter what you may or may not be getting in return.
Keep Reading: After Dad’s Death, Woman Finds His Will and Learns She Is Not Entitled to His Inheritance – A Short Story
This story was inspired by an original piece of fiction that first appeared on AmoMama. Any similarities between this story and actual people is purely coincidental
