“Why Would I Give Michael $60,000?”

Emma laughed at first.

She genuinely thought it was a misunderstanding.

Her older brother Michael was thirty-two.

He was married.

He had two young children.

Emma loved him.

But their grandmother’s will had been clear.

Michael received several personal belongings and a smaller cash gift.

Emma received the remaining investment account.

Approximately $120,000 after expenses.

The reason wasn’t a mystery.

Emma had lived only fifteen minutes from Margaret during the final six years of her life.

She drove her to appointments.

Bought groceries.

Fixed things around the house.

Helped organize bills.

Visited almost every weekend.

Michael lived several states away.

There had never been a competition between them.

At least Emma hadn’t thought there was.

Her mother tapped the transfer form.

“Michael has two children.”

Emma stared at her.

“I know.”

“He has a mortgage.”

“I know that too.”

“You don’t.”

Emma slowly put the paper back on the table.

“So?”

Linda’s expression hardened.

“So you don’t need all that money.”

Her Father Called It “Balancing Things Out”

Emma looked toward her father.

She expected him to tell Linda this was ridiculous.

He didn’t.

Instead, he said:

“Grandma wasn’t thinking clearly about everyone’s needs.”

Emma’s expression changed.

“She had an attorney.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“She knew exactly what she was doing.”

Her mother sighed.

“Emma, nobody is saying you should get nothing.”

“How generous.”

“You’d still have sixty thousand dollars.”

Emma couldn’t believe the conversation.

Her father leaned forward.

“Think about what sixty thousand means to Michael.”

Emma replied:

“Think about what it means to me.”

“You’re twenty-four.”

“And?”

“You have no kids.”

There it was again.

Emma looked between her parents.

“So because Michael has children, my money becomes family money?”

Her mother responded:

“It shouldn’t have been only yours in the first place.”