People react to the death of a loved one differently. Some people get so hurt and broken that they never remain the same. A thousand songs have been written about this, yet none would truly capture the feeling. Some people would do anything to turn back time and be with their loved ones.
In this story, u/siirensen’s girlfriend’s sister exploits her mother using their brother, who died years ago.
Psychic Missus
OP has been in a relationship with his girlfriend for three years. She has a sister, who OP has concluded is not nice and is always trying to extort money from their mum.
He would usually ignore this because he felt it was none of his business, but he made it his business when she took it a step further by using their dead brother as a new tactic.
She probably figured the death of a son would leave a soft spot on their mum’s heart forever, and guess what she did?
To save you a lifetime of guessing, she somehow convinced their mum that she was psychic and, therefore, has free access to the spirit realm. That’s not even the crazy part.
She told their mum that she could speak to their brother and her son, too.
What’s crazy is she told her he needs a lot of money. Who knows what for? Maybe to buy an afterlife, Ferrari? I highly doubt ghosts can drive.
Blowing the Cover
OP, who found this as ludicrous as anyone would, couldn’t take it anymore and spilled the beans to his girlfriend’s mum.
He did this without talking to his girlfriend. He said it just happened — probably in a fit of annoyance. It was terrible because his girlfriend’s mum genuinely felt she was putting her money to good use.
Aside from that, it was disrespectful to her dead brother and her mother, who was so desperate to reconnect with her son that she believed such a bogus tale.
Everyone’s Annoyed
OP’s intervention didn’t go as well as he thought it would. You know how they say blood is thicker than water?
His girlfriend’s mum, believing her daughter’s words over him, told him to leave the house.
It was not just her. His girlfriend was angry, too, because he did that without getting permission from her. In his defense, he was upset that her mum found comfort and solace in the scam and that her son needed money on the other side.
His girlfriend is now giving him the silent treatment, adding that her mum is asking her to end the relationship.
That went from zero to one hundred quickly, and now that his relationship is on the line, OP wonders if he acted too fast.
Fire on the Mountain
People agree that OP is not to blame and that it’s wrong for his girlfriend to take her family’s side in this case, and they think this is just the beginning. There’s fire on the mountain. However, the relationship may be headed for the hills.
A person said, “Honestly, this is a toughie. I think you absolutely had the right intentions, and it’s incredibly disappointing that your girlfriend is standing by whilst her grieving mother gets swindled by her own family. It’s unlikely I could do nothing whilst my partner allowed that to happen.
NTA. But I think the fallout has only just begun.”
Involve Others
Another user thinks OP needs to involve other family members. Although, seeing how well that played out with the immediate family, I doubt that would play out fine. Here’s what they said:
“This is elder financial abuse. Are there any other family members that can be alerted? GF may break up with you, but this is a serious issue especially since it involves significant sums of money. Depending on your country there may be hotlines that you can contact for investigation. You not talking to your girlfriend first does not make you the AH. Your gut was spot on, this is absolutely wrong. NTA, by the way.”
Enabler
This person is of the opinion that they think that OP’s girlfriend’s sister is TA, and his girlfriend is enabling her, “ESH. You are not wrong, and it did kind of come out a bit blunt.
Your GF sister is milking her mother for all that she can. She really is TA here. The mother is still seriously grieving, and sounds like she might need some professional help. The brother has been dead for years, and it sounds like it’s still as fresh as it was yesterday. You will always grieve for a child, it never goes away… but the mother is grasping at any straw. Your GF is enabling her by doing what she’s doing.
But I can see that your girlfriend cares for her mother and thinks she’s doing the right thing but the help her mother needs is more than she can provide.
Your girlfriend may know all of this which is why she’s angry at you because you just highlighted what she was trying to not acknowledge.”
Best Interest
Even though OP’s girlfriend might have only had her mum’s best interest at heart, she doesn’t seem like one that can be trusted, too. She knew her mum was trying to find comfort from her son’s loss and still supported her sister. I think OP was right to follow his gut.
He Thought It Was Odd He Was Invited to His Niece’s Wedding but After Driving for 600 Miles He Found Out Why
A Reddit user shared a story about how he was invited to his niece’s rehearsal dinner 600 miles away, which he thought was a bit weird, but he was about to find out why he was invited.
I Don’t Work Here! Karen Wants Her To Serve Them in a Restaurant She Does Not Work At, “Don’t You Take an Oath or Something?
The original poster (OP) is a student who works as a waitress on the side. However, this story takes place at a restaurant where she DOES NOT work, even sometimes. She was there as a customer, but someone said no.
She Went Back Home After Her Husband Chose to SHARE THE BED With His Friend and Asked Her to Sleep on the Floor
One Reddit user posted in the “Am I the ***hole” group on Reddit, asking whether she was wrong for cutting her vacation short and returning home after her husband asked her to sleep on the floor instead of the bed.
They Were Invited to a BBQ but Then Showed Up to An Empty Grill Because The Hosts Thought They Were Bringing The Food
A Reddit user shared a story about how they were invited to a BBQ only to realize they were expected to bring food for the occasion. The hosts became annoyed when they didn’t bring food and refused to buy.
Who Is In the Wrong, the Thief or the Food Owner? Office Lunch Thief Suffers Anaphylactic Shock and Ends up in Hospital
A Redditor posted in the “Am I the ***hole” subreddit to ask whether he was in the wrong for sending his coworker into an anaphylactic shock.
A Dime Saved
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.