Never underestimate a woman who built her life from nothing

So that a few months after the death of my only son, my grandson would take me to a nursing home?

Jake had grown up a spoiled child who had never heard the word “no,” and then became the same spoiled adult who wouldn’t accept refusal.

I was almost sure he could have thrown himself on the floor and had a tantrum if he were not constantly seeking approval from those around him.

When my son was three, I took him and we ran away from my terrible ex-husband, fleeing with almost nothing, no money, no belongings, only a car and a small backpack with children’s things.

We walked a long and hard road from poverty to success. And although I tried to do everything possible so my son wouldn’t lose his childhood, he remembered what it was like to live in poverty.

So when he became a father himself, he never denied his children anything.

That’s why Jake had grown up this way. He didn’t know what hard work was or how difficult it was to earn money. He thought he could get everything just because he was who he was.

“From now on, I will be in charge of this hotel,” he said. “My grandmother is already an old woman and she’s out of her mind, so it’s reckless to allow her to continue working in the hotel.”

My eyebrows shot up at these words.

“Who gave you the right to decide that?” I asked.

“This certificate. It states that you’re completely insane,” he said.

“How dare you speak like that!” I shouted. “I changed your diapers and wiped your bottom, young man! Do not pretend you are smarter than me!”

“See, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.” Jake turned to the staff. “This woman, as much as it pains me to admit it, is not sane. And it’s dangerous to leave the business in her hands because everything could be lost.”

“Know your place, boy!” I shouted.

“Don’t worry, Grandma, everything will be fine,” Jake said. He approached me, then firmly grabbed me by the elbow. “I’ll take you home.”

Jake led me outside, put me in his car, then sat behind the wheel.

“What kind of show are you putting on?!” I shouted at him. “I lost my son a few months ago, and now you’re making a fool of me?!”

“Don’t forget he was my father,” Jake said.

“Who failed at raising you. Your father was an honest and good man. He would be ashamed if he saw you now,” I said.

“What a jerk you’ve grown into. Where did you even get this certificate? I didn’t undergo any examinations,” I added.

“You just need to know when and who to pay,” Jake said.

These past few days, there had always been one of Jake’s people near me, watching my every move.

He told everyone else it was for my safety, but I knew he did it for his own.

Until he finally took me to a nursing home, it was a nice complex, for which I was sure Jake had paid a lot, all to make others see what a good grandson he was.

Jake parked by the nursing home and helped me out of the car. I already saw a young and pretty nurse coming to meet us.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “You always had everything you wanted.”

“Not enough. You see, grandma, business is like chess. You need a strategy and to calculate your moves in advance,” Jake said.

“And who taught you to play this game, fool?!” I shouted at him.

“Now, now, no need to shout,” Jake said. “You will live your retirement peacefully. I don’t see what the problem is.”

“You did not just take the business. You took the people who work in this hotel, and unlike chess pieces, they’re alive and have a sense of reason. It won’t even be a month before you lose all the staff,” I said.

“They’re just pawns,” he said.

“But without them, there’s no game,” I said.

At that moment, the nurse approached us.

I saw how Jake winked at her and how Emma’s face twisted at that.

“Maybe you’ll give me your number too? So I can check how my grandma’s doing here?” he asked.

“You can find our number on the website, along with all the information you’ll need. Have a good day,” Emma said to Jake and led me on a tour.

For several weeks, I lived in the nursing home. Don’t get me wrong, it was a wonderful place—friendly staff, wonderful residents— but it was still my golden cage, and I was not going to live in captivity.

Emma helped me a lot not to lose my mind. She walked with me, asked about my life, about the business, and she often played chess with me.

And I had to say, she played quite well, much better than Jake. But all this time, I had been devising a plan to get out and show Jake his place.

“May I ask you something?” Emma said during another chess game.

“Of course, dear,” I replied.

“I don’t usually do this because it’s forbidden. But your grandson… he said you had mental problems, but you…” Emma hesitated.

“Look absolutely normal?”

Emma nodded.

“Because that’s exactly how it is. My dear grandson forged a certificate claiming my incapacity to take my hotel and lock me up here,” I said.

“That’s horrible…” Emma said.

“Yes, but I have a plan. And I need your help with it,” I said.

“Me?” Emma asked in surprise.

I moved the queen to the square from which it threatened her king.

“Check,” I said.

My plan was quite simple, but I could not possibly carry it out alone. I needed Emma’s help. And I wasn’t sure she’d agree.

“You want me to seduce him??” Emma asked in surprise when I told her everything.

“I saw how he looked at you. That won’t be a problem. The question is, are you ready for it?” I asked.

But that was not the only problem. We had to figure out how to get me out of there.

“I can do it, but…” Emma said.

“But what?” I asked.

“I could lose my job and license,” Emma said.

“They’ll treat you here. There’s no other way, Martha, I’m ready to take the risk,” Emma said and I nodded with uncertainty. My heart ached that this kind soul might lose her job because of me.

I tried several more times to dissuade her, but Emma stood her ground. She reminded me so much of myself in my youth that sometimes it seemed she was my real granddaughter, not Jake.

The next day, Emma went to the hotel to meet Jake. Before that, she had called him and said she really wanted to see him.

From her voice, I could feel how satisfied he was, because Jake was used to always getting what he wanted.

We had only one attempt to do this, because the next day Jake was throwing a party at the hotel in honor of becoming the new owner, and it was at this party that I planned to reveal his true nature.

Emma returned a few hours later and came into my room.

“How did it go? Are you okay?” I asked.

The next day, Emma carefully took me out of the nursing home and we went to the hotel, trying to stay unnoticed.

I asked her to find me some clothes that had been left at the nursing home and dressed in a way to look like a crazy city woman.

We entered the hotel and Emma ran to find access to the speakers, while I used all my acting skills.

I limped, knocked over glasses, laughed loudly, smeared myself with food. And finally, I attracted the attention of my grandson.

“What are you doing here?!” he shouted.

“Oh, my grandson! I thought you arranged this party for me! You are so kind!” I said as loudly as possible to call the attention of as many people as possible. “You wanted me to be crazy?” I whispered to him quietly.

“You’re going to ruin everything for me!” he hissed.

The music stopped and everyone looked at me. I cleared my throat and finally spoke.

“My grandson wanted everyone to see me like this. But at seventy-five, I’m completely in my right mind. And if you, Jake, thought you could beat me, you’re wrong,” I said, then looked at Emma and nodded. On the speakers, the recording of their conversation played…

“This is a strange question, but I noticed that your grandmother is normal. Did you take her to the nursing home to take the hotel?” Emma asked.

“Why are you asking this?” Jake said fearfully.

“Well, I just think that smart and powerful men are very hot, so I want to make sure you’re one of them,” Emma said playfully.

“Yes, I did it on purpose,” Jake said proudly. “I always get what I want. Grandma didn’t want to give me the hotel, so I took it.”

“You’re so cool,” Emma said.

“Yes, I am. The people in this hotel are just pawns, and I’m the king,” Jake boasted.

The recording ended and the room filled with murmurs. People gasped and whispered among themselves.

From the staff, I began to hear, “I quit.” One by one, the employees shouted this. The guests began to leave, talking about what a horrible person Jake was.

Jake ran onto the stage.

“No, no, that’s not true. Are you really going to listen to a crazy old woman?” he asked into the microphone, but no one stopped.

“Maybe you’re the king,” I said. “But you forgot that the strongest piece is the queen. It seems you still haven’t learned how to play, Grandson. Checkmate,” I added.

“You were magnificent,” Emma said.

“None of this would have happened whout you,” I reminded her.. “So just ‘thank you’ would not be enough. My other grandson lives in Europe, and Jake will definitely not get this hotel, not even over my dead body. I want it to go to you.”

“No, you can’t be serious, I can’t,” Emma began.

“Martha, that’s too much. I won’t be able to handle it,” Emma said.

“If I’m right, and you’re like me, then you can do anything,” I said.

Emma hugged me tightly and I hugged her just as tight.

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Source: thecelebritist.com