The mail carrier rang my doorbell at 10:00 am this morning and presented me with a Certified Letter that I had to sign for. Being hung over from a night of drinking and hanging out at the club until 4:00 am, I just signed for the letter, dropped it on the floor, poured myself a Bourbon, and stumbled back to bed. 

My hangover was massive, having mixed alcohol and some Xanax, I needed to sleep. Once I woke up, I realized it was 4:00 am the next day. I headed toward the kitchen to get something to eat and noticed the letter on the floor in the foyer. 

Bending down to retrieve it, my nausea caused me to pick it up and run to the powder room in the hallway, where I barely made it to the porcelain throne to vomit. 

Lying on the floor, I examined the envelope, opened it, and tried to read it through blurred vision. 

My first reaction was, “What the Fuck is this?” 

Quickly realizing I had double vision, I put the letter down and leaned over the toilet, again vomiting. 

I slept on the bathroom floor for hours, finally waking up at noon. Feeling somewhat human, I tried to read the letter again. This time, I could actually read it. 

Based on what I read, I thought I was hallucinating. The letter was from my grandmother’s attorney. It described the contents of her will and named me as the main heir of her estate. 

I heard my cell phone ring, but it was too far away, and I was unable to stand up at that moment. I rationalized that whoever it was, they would call back, so I ignored it. 

I stayed on the floor and read the letter. I was shocked by its contents.  

“Dear Ms. Sullivan, your grandmother, Sadie, has left you the bulk of her Estate. She believes that you are the most deserving of all of her grandchildren to be responsible for preserving her legacy. However, she also believes that in order for you to receive her hard earned fortune and assets, you must agree to adhere to a modified life-style, devoid of scandalous behavior, drug use, and to curb your abuse of alcohol. 

Additionally, you must reside at her Cape May, New Jersey Ocean front Mansion, attend her philanthropic events, and oversee her charitable activities.  

Because of your previous scandalous behavior, she has arranged for you to be watched by several of her staff to adhere to her wishes. If, at any time they believe you have violated the terms of her will, they will let me know, and you will be given one opportunity to rectify the situation or you will be removed from this guardianship and forfeit your claim to her estate and assets. 

Please call me as soon as possible so you can sign the documents and begin to fulfill your obligations pursuant to her wishes.” 

I was lying on the floor looking up at the ceiling, realizing my world had just changed, then I vomited. 

My first thought was, there was no way I could do this. My life was a mess, and I was not mentally ready to fulfill my grandmother’s vision for me. I was not her. She had class, while all I had was a self-destructive addiction to bad boys, alcohol, and abuse. 

My grandmother was my hero. She was everything I was not but wanted to be. I cried, wondering if I could ever be as great a person as she was, and knew I couldn’t. 

I passed out, the thought of living up to what she asked me to do terrorized me. I knew I could never live up to her standards and decided not to respond to the attorney. 

Two days passed and the attorney called, asking me to come to his office to discuss my grandmother’s will. 

Reluctantly, I complied. I was ushered into his office ready to tell him I couldn’t do it, when he sat me down and explained how my grandmother wanted to help me turn my life around. His words touched my soul, telling me things my grandmother had told him about me and explaining that she saw a lot of herself in me when she was a young girl.

He told me that she was a heroin addict and that her soon to be husband stood by her and helped her turn her life around. His love for her transcended all his wealth, status, and family rebuke. He aided her in her rehabilitation and withdrawal from drugs, and that she wanted to do the same for me. 

He also said that she put in place a support system for me, revealing that the staff at her mansion kept her away from her relapsing to her heroin addiction, which is why she wanted me to reside at the mansion. 

He concluded with the comment that made my decision to comply with the terms of her inheritance an easy decision. 

“Your grandmother wants you to have the support she didn’t have at your age. Her late husband came into her life in her late thirties, but she was just like you before that. She didn’t have anyone who could help her before that, but now you do. She loves you and wants you to not have to suffer like she did. So, please accept her generous gift of love and freedom.  

She didn’t want me to tell you the full value of her estate, but I feel obligated to do so. Your grandmother is giving you her entire estate worth $5.6 Billion Dollars and wants you to be the person to change the lives of as many women who need help as you can, just like she is helping yours. 

Do you think this is something you can do?” 

Tearfully, I answered, It would be my honor to fulfill my grandmother’s wishes. 

Sign here and you now own all her assets. Good luck, Ms. Sullivan.