When Chris Harvey was hospitalized, his daughter asked her son, Peter, to go check on his grandfather and ensure that the house was ready for his return. However, Peter and his wife had other plans. When Chris came back, he found his home in disrepair and heard something shocking from his grandson.
“Dad, don’t worry. I’m going to figure something out. But I can’t visit you at all because I’ve run out of PTO at work,” Angelina told her father, 87-year-old Chris Harvey, when he called her from the hospital.
He had called 911 after experiencing a heart episode, worried it might be more serious. The doctors, however, said they needed to run additional tests and check a few things before he could return home. He called his daughter, who lived in Miami, asking if she could come to Austin, Texas, to help him out.
But she couldn’t. “Okay, darling. I think the doctors are just being cautious because of my age, and they’ll give me more information soon enough,” he muttered, holding the phone to his ear while in his hospital bed.
“Hannah, calm down. It’s fine. It just throws off our plans for a little while,” he reassured her. Plans?
Eventually, they hung up, and the doctors told Chris he needed to stay in the hospital for a few more days as they finalized his treatment.
“You need to go to Austin and check on your grandfather. He’s all alone,” Angelina insisted to her son, Peter.
“I don’t know if I can, Mom,” he responded. They were talking on the phone, but Angelina refused to take no for an answer.
“Peter, you need to be there for him. Who knows how long he’s going to live, especially if his heart starts failing? And you’re his only grandson, remember that,” Angelina pleaded. “He always said you would inherit his house and belongings when he passes. Maybe you should go check the house and see what repairs it might need so he can live comfortably for however long he has left. It’s a good chance to bond with him, too.”
Peter hesitated for a moment, and Angelina thought he might have hung up, but then he replied with a strange tone. “Alright, alright. I’ll go. Hannah will come with me. I think I can get some time off work since I haven’t taken a vacation in a while.”
“Good. Thank you, son. My work wouldn’t give me the time off, but I trust you to help your grandpa as best you can. I love you, dear,” she said, relieved that her father wouldn’t be alone after he was discharged from the hospital.
“I love you too, Mom. Bye.”
Unfortunately, Angelina had no idea what her son was actually planning.
A few days later, after running some tests, the doctors prescribed Chris several medications and released him from the hospital, advising him not to strain himself even after he started feeling better.
Chris listened to the doctors, but his mind was elsewhere. He was worried because Angelina hadn’t called the day before, and she had told him that Peter was coming to stay with him.
He didn’t have Peter’s phone number, so he hoped to see his grandson at the house. He took a cab from the hospital back home.
Upon arrival, he was surprised to find some of his furniture on the front lawn—furniture he recognized as his own. His front door was slightly ajar too, though he remembered the paramedics had shut it tightly when they took him to the hospital. What was going on? But the most shocking sight awaited him inside.
His entire house was empty. The paintings on the walls, his military memorabilia, his credenza, the kitchen table and chairs—everything was gone. There were plastic sheets in some areas, as if someone was doing construction or painting.
“Hello?” he called out to the empty house, hearing footsteps coming from the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
“Grandpa?” Peter asked, clearly surprised to see him. Chris didn’t focus on Peter’s confused reaction. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Peter! Oh, thank God! I thought someone had broken in and taken everything I owned. What’s going on here, my dear boy?” he asked, stepping forward to give him a tight, manly hug.
“Well, yes. No one broke in,” Peter mumbled, pursing his lips but returning the hug.
Chris quickly realized that something felt off. “What’s going on, then?”
“Well…” Peter hesitated. “We actually wanted to surprise you.”
“We?” Chris asked.
“Yes, Hannah and I. She’s here,” Peter said, turning toward the hallway to call his wife. “Honey!”
“What?” she asked, her eyes widening as she spotted Chris. “Hmm, Mr. Harvey. Hello there.”
“Hello, dear! It’s so nice to see you. I haven’t seen you since the wedding,” Chris said, kissing her on the cheek. “So, tell me, what’s going on with my house?”
Peter and Hannah exchanged a strange, quick side-eye, but Peter answered first. “We wanted to remodel it before you left the hospital. It was in serious need of some TLC, and we hoped it would make you feel better. But you got out sooner than we expected.”
Chris smiled, thinking how thoughtful they were. “That’s wonderful! I just hope you guys aren’t spending too much money.”
“Oh no, no. Don’t worry. I know a guy,” Hannah said with a weird grin, placing her hands in her pockets, but Chris didn’t notice anything odd.
“What about my stuff? Where are they?” he asked.
“They’re in storage, except for a few things we’re replacing as a gift for you. Those are outside, waiting for the garbage men. We had to move it there temporarily for the remodel,” Peter explained with a strange pause. “But the bedrooms still have everything. Don’t worry. We’ll be able to sleep well.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much, my boy. You’re amazing!” Chris exclaimed, hugging them both simultaneously. He was so happy to see family again and realized how much they cared for him to do something so thoughtful. “Now, listen, I need to pick up my prescriptions, but I’ll be back soon.”
“Sure!” Peter and Hannah said in unison, laughing awkwardly.
Chris frowned at them for a second but didn’t think too much about it. He left for the local pharmacy, which was just a short walk away.
When he returned several minutes later, he didn’t see Peter or Hannah in the living room. He heard their voices coming from Angelina’s old bedroom, so he approached, planning to ask them what they wanted for dinner. But then he overheard something that stopped him in his tracks.
“What are we going to do, you idiot?” Hannah snapped at Peter, and Chris had never heard her speak to him like that before.
“Hannah, calm down. It’s fine. It just messes with our plans for a bit,” Peter tried to soothe her.
“A bit? A BIT? You told me he was dying, and this was going to be our house. That’s why we’re spending all this money on it. You think I’m going to dip into my own money to fix someone else’s house when we’re still renting?” Hannah said, her voice dripping with mockery.
Chris’s eyes widened, and his hand flew to his mouth, trying to keep quiet as he eavesdropped on the rest of the conversation.
“Hannah, it’s fine. The house will be mine one way or another, and he has tons of money saved up. Just think of it as an investment,” Peter assured, frustration in his voice.
But Hannah was now outright angry. “NO! We are not spending another dime, and I don’t care about him! Tomorrow, we’re going home! This was a waste of time!”
“We can’t leave the house like this!”
“YES, WE CAN, AND WE WILL! That’s final!” she yelled at him.
Chris had heard enough. He turned around and went back to the front door, pretending to have just arrived from the pharmacy.
“I wanted to thank you both for all the work you’ve done on my house… because I plan to enjoy it for the rest of my life.”
He called out, and they both acted like nothing was wrong, talking about dinner as if everything was fine. But Chris now knew the truth, and it was time to teach them a lesson.
They were eating spaghetti and meatballs—one of Peter’s favorite meals—on the empty living room floor when Chris cleared his throat and spoke.
“Peter, I wanted to talk to you about something important,” he began, noticing how Peter and Hannah perked up. “I’ve been thinking about moving into a nursing home permanently. I don’t want another emergency to happen while I’m alone here. I think it’s the right choice, and I think you two should have the house.”
Peter and Hannah’s jaws dropped, and they exchanged looks of delight. “Are you serious?” Peter asked, clearly excited.
“Yes, I’m serious.”
“Thank you, Grandpa! This is an honor! We’re going to get this house looking amazing!” Peter said, and Hannah echoed her gratitude.
Over the following weeks, Peter and Hannah remodeled the house as best as they could. They saved some of Chris’s things in storage but got rid of other items, and Chris pretended to be fine with it. But he wasn’t.
Finally, the remodel was complete, and Chris suggested hosting a housewarming party. He told Peter and Hannah that he was moving to the nursing home soon, and they should start preparing to live there permanently.
They were excited and invited a few friends who flew from Miami to Texas. The party went well—everyone ate and laughed, and Chris played along, pretending everything was normal. But then he stood up and called for attention.
“I would like to make a toast… to my grandson and his lovely wife,” Chris began, and everyone cheered quickly while the couple hugged, looking at Chris.
“I wanted to thank them for all the work they’ve done on my house… because I plan to enjoy it for the rest of my life.”
Everyone was taken aback, and Peter and Hannah froze, their faces registering confusion.
“Did you know they came here under the impression that I was going to die soon? They remodeled the house, gave away some of my things, and started working on it, thinking it was already theirs. And when I returned from the hospital—unexpectedly—they were going to leave me here with a half-done house,” Chris revealed, and the guests began to realize how awkward the evening had turned.
“Grandpa, let’s speak privately for a second,” Peter suggested, but Chris shook his head.
“No need. I overheard your conversation that day. So, you came here, told your mother you were taking care of me, but actually planned to claim my house for yourselves. Well, that’s NEVER going to happen, Peter. I’ve already revised my will. This house will go to charity when I’m gone,” he announced, shocking everyone.
Hannah was furious, but she didn’t want to cause more embarrassment.
Chris raised his voice. “Now… EVERYONE GET OUT OF MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I CALL THE POLICE!”
Peter and Hannah’s friends didn’t need another prompt. They scrambled to leave, and Peter kept yelling at Chris, trying to get a word in, but the older man didn’t want to hear any explanations. “GET OUT!” he demanded, and Peter and Hannah left.
The next day, Chris told Angelina everything that her son had done. He hadn’t told her earlier because he knew it would break her heart. But now the truth was out.
Angelina was ashamed of Peter but didn’t approve of how Chris handled things either. Still, she had no choice. “You’re right, Dad. It’s your house. But are you comfortable severing your relationship with Peter like that?”
“He severed it the day he decided to kill me off early and take my house. Be careful, because who knows what they’ll do to you,” Chris warned his daughter, and their conversation ended.
Chris lived for another 11 years, and as he had planned, his lawyer sold the house and donated the proceeds, along with the rest of his estate, to a charity for senior citizens.