Janet had always been a difficult daughter and an estranged grandchild. She didn’t care much about family and always prioritized herself. Even as an adult, she behaved like an ungrateful teen. But she was about to confront the most difficult lesson of her life.
Janet, 24, reclined casually on the couch, looking through her phone and feeling entitled.
The only sound in the silent living room was the clang of dishes from the kitchen, where her mother, Helen, was working on chores.
Janet and her mother had been at odds for several months after Janet’s grandmother, Judith, passing.
Helen was upset about losing her mother, but Janet didn’t seem to care. She had always been distant from Judith, rarely visiting her and even missing her ғᴜɴᴇʀᴀʟ. Helen was left heartbroken and angry.
Helen’s irritation could no longer be hidden as she stepped into the living room, wiping her hands with a dish towel.
“Janet, have you decided what you’re going to do with the storage unit your grandmother left you?” she asked, her voice filled with both impatience and sadness.
Janet barely looked up from her phone, still tapping away.
“What’s there to think about? It’s probably just a bunch of old junk. I don’t even know why she left it to me,” Janet replied, sounding uninterested.
Helen’s grimace deepened, her irritation scarcely masked.
“That ‘old junk’ belonged to your grandmother,” she said, trying to stay calm.
“It might have sentimental value, or there could be something worth keeping. You should at least go check it out,” Helen urged.
Janet rolled her eyes, remaining uninterested.
“I doubt there’s anything good in there. Simon got the house, and all I got was a dusty old storage unit. It’s not fair,” she grumbled, her voice full of bitterness.
Helen took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. “Life isn’t about what’s fair, Janet. You should at least respect your grandmother enough to look at what she left you. If you don’t, I’ll have Simon go through it.”
Janet’s expression darkened when her older brother’s name came up. She hated the idea of Simon receiving anything extra from their grandma.
Just the thought of it made her angry.
“Fine, I’ll go tomorrow,” she replied, her voice filled with annoyance.
The only reason Janet consented to attend was to prevent Simon from getting anything else, not because she was interested in the storage unit or what was inside.
Helen observed her daughter with disappointment and anxiety, aware that Janet’s selfishness impaired her judgment. She could only hope that viewing the storage facility would instill in Janet a sense of duty or, at the at least, sentimentality.
The next day, Janet drove to the storage facility wearing a grumpy attitude. She had been dreading this task since her mother suggested she see what was inside. She had little interest in searching through old, dusty stuff. She was annoyed by the entire thing, sure her time could be spent doing something better.
When she arrived and unlocked the storage unit, she was greeted with a cloud of dust, prompting her to cough and wave her hand to clear the air. As the dust settled, she gazed about the tiny, barely lighted chamber, and what she saw did not lift her spirits.
The flat was crammed with outdated furniture, rickety shelves brimming with dusty boxes, and other items that appeared worthless. Her frustration mounted as she began picking through the belongings, one at a time.
Each package Janet opened contained the same drab, uninspiring items: faded garments that smelled like mothballs, chipped dishes, mismatched forks, and glasses that appeared to have not been used in years.
“This is such a waste of time,” Janet mumbled, putting aside a stack of yellowed papers that resembled old receipts.
She was fed up after only a few minutes of searching. She could not believe her grandmother had left her in such a mess. Janet was ready to leave, believing that the storage unit was nothing more than a collection of worthless garbage with no sentimental or monetary value.
Just as she was about to depart, an elderly guy came at the entrance to the unit, scaring her slightly. However, his friendly smile put her at ease.
“You seem upset,” the old man said gently. “What’s bothering you?”
Janet sighed, relieved to have someone to gripe to.
“This storage unit belonged to my grandmother, but it’s just full of junk. I don’t have the time to deal with all this,” she said, crossing her arms in frustration.
The old man approached, staring intently into the storage unit.
“There’s quite a lot of stuff here,” he said, nodding slowly. “How about I take it off your hands? I’ll buy the whole unit from you, and you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”
Janet’s eyes brightened up at the offer. She hadn’t planned to make any money from her trip, but the prospect of making quick money sounded enticing. The sooner she could be free of this load, the better. “How much are you offering?” she inquired, unable to hide her eagerness.
The old man smiled warmly.
“How about $1,000? That should be fair.”
Janet did not hesitate. A thousand bucks was far more than she had anticipated for what she believed was merely rubbish.
“Deal!” she cried, her frustration swiftly replaced by satisfaction.
They shook hands, and Janet handed him the key to the storage unit with relief. As she exited the storage facility, a smile spread across her face. In her view, she had simply made quick money and could now forget about the whole situation.
Later that day, Janet arrived home, shopping bags in hand, feeling good about herself. She had spent the most of the money on a shopping spree, which included a new manicure, a trendy haircut, and a sleek new phone.
Helen couldn’t help but be alarmed as she went through the front door, seeing her daughter’s new look.
“Where did you get the money for all that?” Helen inquired, her voice full of skepticism. She was aware of her daughter’s spending tendencies and was concerned about the unexpected extravagance.
Janet shrugged, as if it was no great thing. “I sold the storage unit,” she announced, tossing the bags to the floor. “Some old guy offered me $1,000, so I took it. No point keeping all that useless junk.”
Helen’s eyes widened with surprise.
“You sold your grandmother’s things? Did you even bother to check if there was anything valuable or meaningful in there?” she asked, her voice growing more sh0cked with every word.
Janet rolled her eyes. “Mom, it was just a bunch of dusty boxes,” she said dismissively. “There was nothing worth keeping.”
Helen’s frustration, which had been growing since Judith’s ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, finally burst.
“That was your grandmother’s legacy, Janet!” she cried, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and disappointment. “You didn’t even care enough to go through it properly. What if there was something important in there, something that belonged to our family?”
But Janet, preoccupied with her own selfish world, dismissed her mother’s concerns as nothing more than an inconvenient interruption. She sat down on the couch, grabbed the remote, and switched on the television, flipping through stations as if her mother’s comments didn’t matter.
Just as she was going to choose a show, something on the news piqued her interest. Janet froze, her hand resting on the remote.
She recognized the old man she had seen earlier that day at the storage facility on the TV.
He was being interviewed by a reporter, and the headline at the bottom of the screen said, “Local Treasure Hunter Strikes Gold Again.”
Janet’s heart raced as she heard the man describe how the storage unit he had purchased that morning was stocked with valuable antiques. He enthusiastically stated that the collection of rare plates, paintings, and furnishings within was worth millions.
The man smiled at the camera, and his words rang in Janet’s head:
“Some people don’t value what they have. They don’t see the treasure right in front of them.”
Janet felt as if the floor had fallen out from under her. The shopping bags in her hands became heavy, a stinging reminder of her stupid blunder.
Her face paled as she understood the significance of her actions.
Helen overheard the broadcast in the kitchen and walked over to see why her daughter had changed so drastically. Her countenance became severe as she learned the news.
“This will be a lesson for you, Janet,” Helen said firmly, her voice leaving no room for argument. “You need to start valuing what truly matters. And speaking of which,” she added, her tone softening slightly, “it’s time for you to move out and live on your own.”
Janet stared at her mother, stunned, as the full impact of her actions hit her hard. She realized she had not only lost a fortune, but also disappointed the one person who had always stood by her.
For the first time, Janet was forced to confront the repercussions of her carelessness.
