I never thought I would get my stepmother Linda’s $2.5 million vacation home, especially since our relationship is confusing and often tense. What a treat, though! This one would make everything different. As I learnt more about Linda’s shocking choice, I found a complicated web of family issues, guilt, and forgiveness.
As a child, I often felt like I didn’t belong in my own home. The second time my dad got married, Linda, brought her two girls, Amanda and Becca, into our lives. I was 12 years old. They got all the attention, but I was pushed to the side and always felt like a throwaway.
Linda never did anything openly mean to me, but she always treated me badly. She was proud of Amanda and Becca’s successes but not of mine. They were always the centre of attention at family events, which made me feel invisible and unimportant.
I learnt that Linda’s behaviour wasn’t just about me as I got older; it was also about her own fears and doubts. She set up an order in our family so that Amanda and Becca were always put first and I was left to take care of myself.
When I learnt that Linda had died and left me a shocking inheritance, I was shocked. Why would she leave me her most important thing when her daughters only got $5,000 each? I soon found the answer in a letter she had sent me, in which she explained her reasons and said she was sorry for what she had done in the past.
As I read the letter, I had a range of feelings, from sadness to anger to forgiveness. Linda finally admitted that she had hurt me and was now trying to make things right, even though it was too late.
The letter also said that Linda had set up a $5 million trust for Amanda and Becca, but there was one catch: they had to agree to the terms of the will without being mean to me. Since they behaved badly, it wasn’t a wonder that they broke the trust. The money was then given to a nearby charity.
When I thought about Linda’s last act, I saw that it was both an apology and a gift. That woman gave me a chance to take back a part of my past and make new memories in the vacation home that used to be my dad’s favourite spot.
Today, as I sit on the porch of the vacation home and look out at the peaceful lake, I feel at peace and ready to move on. I don’t think Linda was the mother I wanted, but her death has given me a chance to heal and move on.
It’s never too late to make things right and start over, and the vacation home has become a sign of healing and forgiveness. I finally feel like I fit and am at peace when I look out at the lake. That is the best gift I could have received.
