I thought my father’s will would secure my future. Then the lawyer read a name I didn’t recognize. My grandmother’s fury was immediate. Who was Brenna, and why did my father leave her everything? And what secret was behind it?
My life used to always be governed by rules. Every morning, a strict voice echoed through the house.
“Sit up straight, Mona. Don’t slouch. A lady always keeps her composure.”
That was Loretta—my grandmother, my guardian, my shadow. After my mother died, she took over, raising me in her grand image.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Everything had to be perfect. My grades, my posture, and even the way I folded napkins. It was exhausting, but I tried. I always tried.
When my father passed away, Loretta quickly turned her focus to what mattered most to her. Control. But I remember the day my life changed. We were sitting in the lawyer’s office.
“You’ll invest the money wisely, Mona,” she had said that morning, already outlining how we would rebuild the family’s legacy. “Your father worked hard for this.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
I believed her. For years, Loretta’s confidence had been unshakable, her plans infallible. So, as we sat in that cold office with its stale coffee, I felt sure of my future.
“As per your father’s wishes,” he lawyer, glancing at the will, “his estate and money will go to Brenna.”
“Who!?” The word escaped my lips before I could stop it.
The lawyer paused. “Brenna is your father’s other daughter.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
“Sister? I… I have a sister?”
“Impossible!” Loretta’s sharp voice ricocheted off the walls. “This must be a mistake! My son couldn’t leave everything to some stranger!”
“It’s no mistake, ma’am,” the lawyer said. “Your son provided clear instructions. Brenna inherits the house, accounts, and stocks.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
“What?” Loretta’s voice rose to a shrill pitch. “You’re telling me that child, someone we don’t even know, takes it all?”
I barely heard them. A sister. A sister I never knew existed. Loretta’s hand gripped mine, pulling me back.
“We’ll fix this, Mona. We’ll find this Brenna and make sure she does what’s right.”
Her words felt suffocating, but I nodded. Defying Loretta had never been an option.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
***
In a few days, I arrived at Brenna’s house due to Grandma’s instructions. The small house leaned slightly to one side, its peeling paint flaking like sunburned skin.
The front door creaked open before I even knocked, and Brenna stood there, smiling wide. Her arms hung loosely at her sides, her fingers twisting together in a rhythm that seemed more instinct than thought.
“Hi!” she said, her voice bright, almost musical. “I saw you coming. Did you park by the mailbox? It’s wobbly. I keep meaning to fix it, but…”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
She trailed off, her eyes darting to the corner of the doorframe. She tapped it three times with her knuckles.
“Uh, yeah,” I replied awkwardly. “I’m Mona. Your sister.”
“Come in!” she interrupted, stepping aside but not making eye contact. “Watch the floorboard near the kitchen. It squeaks.”
Inside, the house smelled faintly of clay and earth. The narrow hallway opened into a kitchen dominated by a long workbench covered in half-finished pottery pieces, jars of paint, and tools I didn’t recognize.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Brenna rearranged a set of mismatched vases on the windowsill three times, muttering under her breath before nodding in satisfaction.
Then she turned back to me, her smile returning as if nothing had happened. “You’re my sister.”
“Yes,” I said slowly, unsure how to navigate her openness. “Our father… He passed away recently.”
Her smile didn’t falter. “What’s it like? Having a dad?”
“It’s… hard to say. He was kind. He cared. We were friends.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
She nodded, her fingers twitching against her thighs. “I never met him. But I have his hands.” She held up her palms, showing faint traces of clay. “Mom always said so. Big hands, like him.”
Her sincerity was disarming. I’d expected resentment or at least suspicion, but instead, she radiated a quiet acceptance.
“Dad left me a gift,” Brenna said.
“A gift?” I repeated. “That’s… nice.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
“Yes. He called it that. In the letter from the lawyer. Did he leave you a gift too?”
I hesitated, Loretta’s biting words ringing in my ears. “Not really. He didn’t…”
“That’s strange. Everyone should get a gift.”
I smiled. “Maybe.”
“You should stay for a week,” Brenna said smiling. “You can tell me about him. What he was like. What he liked to eat. What his voice sounded like.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
“A week?” I asked, startled. “I don’t know if…”
“In return,” she interrupted, “I’ll share the gift. It’s only fair.” Her hands were twisting together as she waited for my response.
“I don’t know if I have much to say about him,” I said, though even as the words left my mouth, I felt the pang of their untruth. “But… okay. A week.”
Her face lit up. “Good. We can have pancakes. Only if you like them, though.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
She turned back to her workbench, humming softly. I knew what her so-called “gift” was. At that moment, Loretta’s plan seemed simple. Too simple. But Brenna’s kindness was already complicating everything.
***
That week at Brenna’s house, I felt like stepping into a parallel universe, one where the world spun slower and expectations melted away. Everything about her life was so unlike mine.
Breakfast was no longer a croissant from the corner bakery paired with a sleek latte. Instead, it was simple—bacon, eggs, and a mug of tea served on paper plates.
“Easier this way,” Brenna said one morning. “No big cleanup. Time saved is time for pottery.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
She had a way of saying things so directly, without the filters most people wore. It was disarming.
But her habit of setting and resetting the plates on the porch rail, always ensuring they were aligned right, made me watch her closely. Each ritual told a story.
“Let’s walk to the lake,” she suggested after breakfast on my second morning.
She slipped out of her sandals, leaving them neatly by the porch steps, and stepped into the grass barefoot.
“It’s better like this.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Dew clung to the grass, cold and sharp against my feet, as I followed her. She led the way, occasionally pausing to touch the leaves or to rearrange a small pile of stones along the path.
Those small, deliberate actions seemed to calm her like they were as necessary as breathing.
At the lake, she crouched by the edge, dipping her fingers into the water. “You ever just sit and listen?”
“To what?” I asked, standing stiffly behind her.
“Everything.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Brenna’s studio became the heart of our days. The air inside smelled earthy and damp, the scent of clay and creativity.
She handed me a lump of clay on the third day. “Here. Try making something.”
My first attempt was a disaster. The clay slid through my fingers, collapsing into a shapeless blob.
“It’s terrible,” I groaned, ready to throw it aside.
“It’s not terrible,” Brenna’s hands moved gently as she began reshaping the clay, showing me the motions. “It’s just new. New things take time.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Her patience amazed me. Even when I spilled water on her workbench, smearing one of her finished pieces, she didn’t scold me. Instead, she carefully cleaned the mess.
Just as I started to relax, finally free from Loretta’s constant control, her calls became more frequent. It was as if she could sense the shift in me, the way I was beginning to breathe a little easier and live a little differently.
That night, her voice came through the line sharp. “Mona, what are you waiting for? This isn’t a vacation! You need to take action. She doesn’t know what to do with that kind of money.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
I stayed silent, but my grip on the phone tightened. I could feel her impatience boiling over.
“She’s naïve, Mona. You need to convince her to sign it over. If persuasion doesn’t work, then… Well, figure something out. Use her trust if you have to.”
Her words stung because they felt so wrong in Brenna’s world.
“I don’t know, Grandma. It’s not as simple as you think.”
“It’s exactly that simple,” she barked back. “Don’t get distracted by her little quirks. Focus, Mona.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
I wanted to argue, to tell her that maybe Brenna deserved more than she realized, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I mumbled something vague and ended the call. For the first time in my life, I started questioning my own motives.
***
The following day, Loretta arrived unannounced, her sharp presence tearing through the peace like a storm. Her heels clicked on the uneven floor as she stepped into the house.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
“This is where you’ve been hiding?” she snapped, her eyes darting over Brenna’s neatly cluttered pottery studio. “How can you stand this mess, Mona? And you,” she turned to Brenna, “you have no right to what’s been given to you.”
Brenna froze, her hands trembling as she rearranged vases on the workbench, muttering, “Gift, gift,” under her breath.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Loretta ignored her, turning to me. “Mona, end this nonsense. She doesn’t deserve your father’s legacy. She’s…” Loretta’s voice grew venomous, “not like us.”
“Gift,” Brenna said louder, pointing toward a small cabinet in the corner. Her rocking grew more pronounced, her fingers twisting at her apron.
I hesitated but opened the cabinet. Inside was a stack of old letters, their edges worn and faded. Each one was addressed to my father. My breath caught.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
“What are those?” Loretta demanded.
“These are from Brenna’s mother,” I said, flipping through them. “Did you know?”
Loretta paled, but then her face hardened. “I did what I had to! Do you think I’d let some woman trap my son with a broken child? When she came looking for him, I told her to stay away. I refused to let her and her daughter become part of this family.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Her words were cruel, and Brenna clung to the table, her wide eyes fixed on Loretta.
“You destroyed this family,” I said, my voice trembling. “You never even told him he had another daughter.”
Loretta’s bitter laugh filled the room. “He found out! That’s why he changed his will. And now you’re letting her take everything!”
“Dad left a gift,” Brenna said softly. “He wanted me to have it.”
“This isn’t about money, Grandma. And I won’t let you take anything else from her.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Loretta stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
I turned to Brenna. “I’m so sorry. I love you, sis.”
“Do you want pancakes?” she suddenly asked as if nothing happened.
“Oh, I really do!”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
We ate on the porch as the sun dipped low, painting the sky in soft hues. From that day, we started building a life together.
I helped Brenna grow her pottery studio. We repaired the house, filled it with flowers, and I rediscovered my love for painting by decorating her creations.
Word spread, and soon people came from other towns to buy our work. Life wasn’t perfect, but it was ours. For the first time, I wasn’t living to meet someone else’s expectations. I was living for us—Brenna and me.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney
Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
Here’s What a Handshake Symbol on a Parking Space Means
Life is everchanging. It seems to become more chaotic the older we get and the more industrialized we as a society become. So, going into stores or malls isn’t as feasible as it once was. Consequently, online shopping has become more common, and in many cases, is the new normal.
Although online shopping is much more convenient, there are some downsides including the possibility of not getting exactly what you thought you were buying. Additionally, more intense downsides exist, such as safety concerns. To combat some of these concerns and ensure safety, Pembroke, Ontario, a small city in Canada, is using a handshake symbol as a new solution to ensure safety. Their idea, while unconventional, could prove to ensure the safety of thousands of shoppers. If proven successful, Pembroke may transform the way people undertake online shopping.
Handshake Symbols Represent Safety
A handshake symbol is showing up in parking spaces all over the city. Pembroke’s police department, Pembroke OPP, gave a statement regarding the new handshake symbol parking spots. “The purpose of Project Safe Trade is to create a ‘community safety zone’ at an OPP detachment parking lot to facilitate online property transactions,” the OPP said in the news release. “Creating a ‘community safety zone’ is about moving online transactions away from secluded parking lots, personal residences or other areas and bringing them to a public place.”
Parameters of the Project
Amazingly, the handshake symbol spots, called “safe trade spots,” will be available 24 hours a day and will not require appointments. The way these spots work is simple. If you’ve purchased something online but have to pick it up, or pay, in person, the handshake symbol spots become a neutral meeting point. It’s important to note these spots will not be monitored 24 hours a day. This means there will be no police intervention, such as mediation or witnessing a transaction. In contrast, they will have available officers on the scene if a call or complaint is made to the city regarding a criminal matter. The area will be well-lit and conveniently located just off the highway.
Holiday Shopping
With the holidays upon us, things become even more hectic, and people often stop looking into all the transaction details. The handshake symbol spots have been developed in tandem with the holidays. Steph Neufeld, the safety unit’s captain, says, “The local launch of Project Safe Trade comes at an ideal time with the busy holiday season upon us. Online property transactions are ever-increasing and the UOV OPP is proud to be launching a community safety initiative aimed at decreasing offences related to online marketplace transactions,” He continues in the statement, “Collaborative approaches like Project Safe Trade can help to reduce harm and victimization in our communities.”
Going Beyond the Handshake Symbol
The handshake symbol parking lots are a great start, but there is more the city has incorporated into the project. In particular, one Canadian resident and professional. Carmi Levy, a technology analyst, offers helpful hints. While seemingly obvious, they can be forgotten during an overwhelming time like the holidays.
Levy said, “Do your due diligence on the person that claims to be selling it. Look into their background, see what other things they’ve sold, look for information on how other buyers have dealt with them in the past.” Also suggesting people, “Insist on seeing the actual device that you’re buying before you hand over any money. Insist that they power it on. Insist that you make sure it works before you pay for it.” This is a great way to avoid being scammed and wasting your hard-earned money on something that just isn’t worth it.
Other Safety Suggestions
Other recommendations include going with someone you know and trust when engaging in online transactions. Save all interactions between buyer and seller, this includes voicemails, emails, or text messages. Additionally, shopping apps like ‘OfferUp’ and ‘LetGo’ tell you they won’t reach out for personal information. They suggest you use caution when doling out personal information with limited or only necessary information.
Furthermore, they suggest that you have those conversations strictly in the app. This ensures the conversation is logged in a secure environment so you can avoid giving your personal information to a stranger. For Canadian residents, specific to the Pembroke area, seeking handshake symbol parking lots can keep citizens safe this holiday season. Moreover, they can help bring higher levels of safety in years to come.
Leave a Reply