Gifted A Grave On My Wedding Day

Synopsis

On our eighteenth birthday, my grandmother gave my cousin and me each a key. She called it our coming-of-age gift, but there was a catch: we wouldn't get to see the houses or receive the deeds until our wedding days. All the relatives gushed about how generous she was, and my cousin and I spent years dreaming about the futures she was handing us. Last month, my cousin got married. In front of all the wedding guests, my grandmother presented her with the deed to a sprawling three-bedroom apartment right in the heart of downtown. My cousin grabbed my hand, squealing, "Oh my god, can you believe her? I'm set for life!" I was thrilled for her, but a bigger part of me buzzed with anticipation for my own turn. After all, I was the golden grandchild, the one with the perfect grades and the better career. My grandmother always said her most accomplished granddaughter deserved the best house of all. Then comes my wedding day. My grandmother beams, pressing a red folder into my hands. I open it, and the blood in my veins turns to ice. It isn't a property deed. It is the title to a cemetery plot. She claps her hands together, a grin stretching every wrinkle on her face. "You're such a go-getter, sweetie!" she chirps. "You don't need help from family to get by in life. So I took care of what really matters, your afterlife! See how much I adore you? Now you won't have to worry about a thing, not even when you're dead!"