One woman has been left in a difficult dilemma after her late grandmother left everything to her in a will.
While it’s not the usual way things are done, this particular grandparent left a single dollar to the woman’s father, who left the family for his girlfriend when the woman was just 13.
"When I was 13 years old, my mother found out my father was having an affair and he got the other woman pregnant. My dad confessed he was in love with the other woman and wanted to leave my mother," the woman wrote on Reddit's AITA forum.
"She obviously heartbroken and didn’t know what to do, as we had moved to a new state with my father for work so she had no family around. My father dropped us like a bad habit, he attempted to keep a relationship with me, but ultimately his new family was 'his priority' as he said.
"Tough to understand for a 13 year old, but whatever. If he didn’t want me, I wasn’t going to need him so my mother and I moved on. The only way we were able to move on was with the help of my grandmother, my father's mother. She always loved us and was appalled with what her son had done to us. He stopped seeing her as well for the most part."
Over the years, the woman and her mum became increasingly close with her grandmother, often spending special occasions and holidays together, while her dad was "nowhere to be found."
"Unfortunately, the years caught up with her and she developed colon cancer, advanced late stage. Her decline was rapid. Within a few months she was in hospice," the woman continued.
"Days before she passed, she asked me to call her son to come see her as she knew her time was coming. He’d only been to see her a couple times since she had gotten sick. When he came by, I was visiting as we did every few days and he acted like I was some random person.
"Grandma asked him to come back tomorrow, but he said he’d be back in a few days. She passed 4 days later without him coming back despite my calls and texts to come. She went peacefully with me and my mom by her side. That was hard. I miss her every day. She was my guardian angel most of my life and I know she continues to watch over me."
After the funeral, the woman and her mother were contacted by her grandmother's lawyer, who revealed she had left both her home and $200,000 to her in the will.
"I had no idea she did that, but in the will, there was a note to me from her that said: 'You are worth it. Love Grandma.' She’s amazing," the woman added.
"Also in her will, she left my father exactly $1 as his inheritance. When he found out, he went ballistic, blowing up my phone all the time demanding I give him 'his house and his money.' His new wife and his son were messaging me a lot and his son was writing on social media that I manipulated my grandmother."
The woman’s father eventually apologised for his behaviour and explained that he was in debt. He had expected the windfall from his mother to help cover bills and send his son to college. The woman then felt bad and began to question whether she should share the money.
"I've thought about it a lot and I don’t think I’m going to share anything with him and I kind of think that makes me an a**hole because it seems like they really do need it, but on the other hand f*** him."
One Reddit user replied: "The reason she left him $1 was to make it clear to the Court in case he tried to challenge the will, that she hadn’t forgotten to include him, but that she intended to disinherit him.
"She knew that her son would try to take the money she left you. It is very common practice to leave $1 when disinheriting someone. Respect your grandmothers wishes and don’t give your father a dime."
A second wrote: "The reason your grandma gave him exactly $1 is so that he couldn't contest it. She did not want him to gain anything from her passing. She knew what she was doing. Honour her wishes."
