A woman is mocked by her younger sisters because all she inherits from her late mother is an old trunk. But everything changes when she discovers what’s inside the trunk.
Catherine, Lydia, and Lily’s father, Edward, had died of cancer when Lily was only five years old. Lydia was eight years old at the time, and the oldest of them, Catherine, was ten.
Following Edward’s death, their mother Amelia raised the three sisters alone, ensuring that they never missed out on anything. Amelia had the impression that her three daughters adored each other and would support each other after her death. But in reality, things were quite the opposite.
Amelia left Catherine with an old trunk | Photo: Shutterstock
The three sisters had always been competitive with one another, and as they grew older, things became even more serious. Catherine relocated to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer, while Lily and Lydia remained at home with their mother because they did not want to work. Their mother provided them with everything they needed, and they were more than happy for things to stay that way.
Unfortunately, Catherine received a phone call one day from her sisters informing her that their mother had died of a heart attack. She hurriedly packed her belongings and flew over to say her final farewells to her beloved mother, but she was taken aback when the lawyer read out their mother’s will.
According to the terms of the will, Lydia and Lily were to receive an equal share of Amelia’s California house, while Catherine would receive only an old, rusty trunk containing her mother’s belongings.
Up to that point, Catherine believed her mother loved them all equally, but after learning about her will, doubt started to set in. The woman was furious and lashed out at Lydia and Lily. “Are you guys happy now? You took everything from me and left me with nothing but an old trunk.”
Lily laughed. “Well, sis, it’s not our fault if mom loved us more. So stop acting like that!”
“I agree with Lily, Catherine,” Linda said with a smirk. “After all, we were always by her side while you were busy chasing your stupid dream! You know you’ve been away from home for 4 years, right? You couldn’t even stand on your feet during that time. You’re still struggling and trying to make a name for yourself!”
“But that’s what mom wanted all three of us to do!” Catherine snapped. “She always supported my dreams, and she was the one who sent me to the best designing school in New York! You guys were just living off her all your life!”
“Calm down, Catherine,” Lily said. “There’s no point in making a scene right now. Just make sure you get all of your belongings out of the house as soon as possible. We’re going to enlist the house for sale and toss all of the unnecessary items in the dumpster. I hope you don’t want that happening to your things.”
“What?” Catherine was stunned. “I understand mom didn’t want to give me the house. But how can you guys just sell it off like that? It holds all of our childhood memories. Mom would have never liked that!”
“Who cares about what mom would have wanted, sis. She’s dead and gone while we still have our lives to live. It’ll be good for you if you accept reality sooner.”
Catherine was well aware of how stubborn her sisters had been throughout their lives, so there wasn’t much she could do to change their minds at this point. She left the house, dejected, bringing with her the old trunk her mother left her, and spent the night in a hotel.
When she returned to New York the following day, she tossed the chest in the storeroom, intending to sell it to a vendor for money. I still can’t believe this, mom! I really hate you for this! the young woman moaned.
Catherine had become so engrossed in her work that she completely forgot about the trunk until she relocated to a new apartment five years later.
The rusty old trunk appeared even more weathered by then, with the paint scraped off in a few places and the majority of it adorned by spider webs.
Catherine dragged the trunk slowly from the storeroom and sat on the living room couch, cleaning it and wondering why her mother had been so cruel to her. But when she opened the trunk and looked inside, all her complaints faded, and tears began streaming down her cheeks.
Catherine found an antique sewing machine inside the trunk | Photo: Unsplash
The trunk housed an old sewing machine, and a letter addressed to her from her mother. Catherine’s tears flowed uncontrollably as she read it.
Dear Catherine,
I hope you don’t think your mom doesn’t care about you. Honey, I love you. I love you three more than anything else in the world. Unfortunately, my health isn’t doing so well these days, so I decided to write a will and leave everything to the three wonderful daughters the Lord blessed me with.
Yes, I know you’re probably wondering why I just left you with a trunk while your sisters got an equal share of my property. You know how reckless they are, honey. I’ve always been there for them, and I’m worried about what will happen to them after I’m gone.
I left the house to them so that, if nothing else, they would have a roof over their heads. You have big dreams, honey, and I want you to achieve them. I was, am, and will always be proud of you.
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The sewing machine you see in there is not a regular one. It’s something I inherited from my great grandfather, and the antique dealers are dying to find something like that. Also, don’t forget to look inside the box where tailoring accessories are stored. I’ve left you with something that might help you start your own clothing line one day. With love, mom.
Catherine wiped her tears slowly and rummaged through the trunk, discovering a box inside. She tried to open it, but it was too tight, so she used her full force, and suddenly the box cracked open, spilling all the threads and needles inside to the floor. But among these contents was another gift Catherine’s mother had left her. It was a $100,000 check.
As Catherine saw that, her heart was filled with guilt for judging her mother. She decided, as her mother had hoped, that she would start her own clothing business. And that’s exactly what she did.
Two years later, Catherine started her own clothing line called Amelia Designs. Within a few years, the company was a huge success, and Catherine signed deals with brands all over the world.
One day, she was invited to a TV show to discuss her achievements when Lily and Lydia learned how successful she’d become. They were on the verge of going bankrupt due to careless spending and called Catherine, hoping to emotionally manipulate her into financially supporting them. But Catherine was no fool. She hung up the phone and instructed her manager to never accept a call from that number again.
What can we learn from this story?
Parents love their children equally, and their choices are made with their children’s best interests in mind. Amelia loved all her daughters equally, and she divided her inheritance in a way that none of her daughters were left empty-handed.
You can’t avoid karma. Lily and Lydia mocked their sister when she inherited nothing but an old trunk, but karma caught up with them in the end, and they went bankrupt.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a teacher who mocks a poor girl who has no money to pay for a school party.
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