Richard’s world falls apart when his granddaughter Emily runs away and spends all of his life savings on a fancy vacation. Richard chose to teach her a lesson about family and respect because he felt betrayed. Does his tough love push Emily away, or does it help them heal and understand each other better?
When I was 73 years old, my last wish was to see my beloved niece Emily walk down the aisle in a beautiful wedding dress. Emily made my life better after I lost my wife Joanne six years ago.
The bond between Emily and I got stronger when Joanne wasn’t around. Emily was my whole world and reason for living, and I spent all $38,000 I had saved up for her dream wedding.
We spent a huge amount of time planning everything together. Everything was set, from the place to hold the wedding to the flowers to the type of cake. I remember how excited Emily was when we went to the florist. She asked for flowers like the ones Joanne had at our wedding.
“Gramps, these are perfect, don’t you think?” She held up a bunch of white flowers and asked.
“Emily, they look beautiful. “Just like your grandmother’s,” I said, my heart swollen with pride and pleasure.
Emily’s big day was coming up quickly, and the days before it were very emotional. Even though I wanted my beloved niece to be happy, the thought of leaving her made me sad. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the shocking news that hit me.
In the family group chat, I woke up one morning to a message that broke my heart. “WOW! Emily sent a message that said, “WE ELOPED!” It had a close-up picture of her and Mark’s hands, with their wedding rings clearly visible.
I looked at the screen with a heavy heart. Getting used to the truth took some time for me. There wouldn’t be a big party, a family get-together, or a pretty wedding dress.
Emily just left without saying a word, ending the dream I held so deeply. She didn’t think about how her choice would hurt me.
I reached out to her because I was confused and sad. I love her so much and don’t know why she did that. I had a lot on my mind—where did the $38,000 go? When I finally talked to Emily about it, what she said made me cry.
I typed an answer even though my hands were shaking because I was trying to stay calm. “Honey, I would have liked to see your wedding.” Where did all that cash go?”
Emily’s answer came out quickly, but every word was sharp. “Oh, please. Dear Gramps, please don’t be so emotional. Just be happy for me, please. Don’t forget that it’s MY WEDDING and I can run away if I want to. Don’t worry about the money either. “I used it well.”
I was shocked. “Wow…” I typed because I didn’t know what else to say. Still, I was adamant—I had to know for sure what she had done with the money. “What do you mean you’ve put it to good use?”
The next message from Emily hit me hard.
“Grandma, Mark and I used the money to pay for a fancy honeymoon and make some really expensive purchases.” We bought brand clothes and jewelry and stayed in fancy resorts and ate at the best restaurants. We thought that eloping would be the quickest way to live out our fantasy life, even if it was only for a short time.
I put down my phone and looked at the wall in silence. As the walls closed in, the room got colder.
Everything you worked on, dreamed about, and saved for hours was gone in an instant. I lost sight of Emily in her beautiful wedding dress, the pride I would have felt walking her down the aisle, and the joy I would have felt seeing her with family and friends.
“Emily…” As tears came to my eyes, I whispered to myself. “How could you?”
So I could hear her voice and figure out why she did what she did, I called her. She picked up after a few rings.
She spoke in a tense voice, “Gramps, you really need to let this go.”
“Emily, did you really mean everything you wrote in your text message?” Just… I don’t get it. Why would you do that? We made plans for everything. “It meant so much to me,” I said, and my voice broke.
“Mark, I, and my grandparents wanted something different.” We did not want a big wedding with a lot of stress. “We just wanted to have fun and enjoy ourselves,” she said, but her words didn’t ring true.
“Emily, what about the money?” “That was everything I had saved up,” I begged.
“I told you before. Grandpa, we used it for our honeymoon. We made memories and did things. Isn’t that what life’s all about?” She talked back as if she were trying to convince herself just as much as I was.
“Rememberions, times, events Em, you and your family could have made those here. With me,” I said softly, feeling down because I was let down.
She said, “Gramps, please try to understand,” but I could tell she was angry in her voice.
“Look, Emily, I’m trying. “I really am,” I said, and each word made my heart break a little more.
I was crushed. It broke my heart to not only miss Emily’s wedding but also feel let down. The girl I thought I knew had put short-term pleasure ahead of family ideals. I began to wonder if I had ever really known my child. My love for her was stronger than the pain.
“Emily, do you even realize what you’ve done?” My voice was barely above a whisper as I asked.
“Gramps, we had to do what felt right,” she said in a protective tone.
“I wished I could be with you. I told her, “To see you walk down the aisle, to share that moment with you,” to help her understand how hurt I was.
She sighed. “I understand, but Mark and I would like something different.” It’s not about you, Grandpa. It’s about us.”
What she said hurt. When I hung up, I felt even more alone. It hurt like new when Joanne wasn’t there. She would have known what to say and how to deal with this.
I had to make a tough choice because I wanted to teach Emily a lesson about duty and what family really means. I met with Mr. Walker, my lawyer. He is a nice middle-aged man with a very thin beard.
He looked at me through his glasses and asked, “Mr. Anderson, are you sure about this?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” She needs to know that what she does has effects. As I made my choice, I felt the weight of it: “I love her, but she can’t treat family this way.”
Mr. Walker said “yes.” “Okay, then. She will be taken out of the will.
As I walked out of his office, I felt both sad and determined. I hoped this would make Emily think twice about what she was doing.
After a few days, Emily called me on the phone. Her voice was rough.
“Gramps, I heard from Mom that you… you REMOVED ME FROM YOUR WILL?” She spoke in a tone that was both shocked and hurt.
Emily, I did it. “It wasn’t easy, but you need to learn that you can’t do whatever you want without thinking about what will happen,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.
“This can’t be true, Grandpa!” About a wedding? “We meant for something different!” she cried.
“Emily, it’s not just the wedding. It has to do with family, honesty, and respect. You skipped out on me without even telling me. The money I saved for your wedding was spent on a fancy trip by you. Do you know how that makes me feel?” I asked, but my voice was shaking.
The other end was silent. She finally spoke. “I… I didn’t think that way.” I’m sorry, Grandpa. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
Even though she said she was sorry, the damage had already been done. “I feel you, Emily. But saying sorry isn’t always enough. What you do speaks louder than what you say.
I felt a little better after I hung up the phone. This might wake her up.
Weeks went by, and I tried to forget about Emily, but the thought of her kept bothering me. A knock on the door woke me up one night as I looked through old picture albums in my living room. Emily stood there with tears in her eyes when I opened the door.
She asked in a soft voice, “Gramps, can I come in?”
“Of course, Emily,” I said as I moved out of the way.
Her hands were shaking as she sat on the couch. You know I’ve been thinking a lot, Gramps. Almost everything. That’s right. I was rude to myself. I didn’t think about how you felt or how important what you wanted was. “I’m really sorry.”
I grabbed her hands. Emily, that makes me happy to hear that. “I love you so much, and I want you to know how important family is.”
“Yes, Grandpa. I’ve been helping out at a nearby shelter as a way to give back and make things right. She said, “I know it’s not enough, but it’s a start.” Tears ran down her face.
My heart got softer. “That’s a good start, Emily.” It was a small but important step in the right way.
She gave me a tight hug. “Thank you, Grandpa. I’m going to fix it.
As I held her, hope came back to me. This could have been the start of a new part of our lives. A chance to fix things and make our bond stronger. Maybe it was time for me to stop being so angry and think again about what I was going to do.
Should I write Emily’s name again in my will? Has she really become better? I want to believe her because she is my beloved granddaughter. But something makes me want to think about this more.
What would you have done if you were me?