Mother-in-Law Trashed Her Inheritance—The Appraisal Shut Her Up
Her mother-in-law threw out Grandpa’s “ugly” painting while she was at work… But the appraiser’s phone call made Barbara choke on her coffee
Emma stared at the empty wall above the fireplace.
“Where’s Grandpa’s painting?”
Barbara didn’t look up from her iPad. “That old thing? Hauled it to the curb this morning. Trash pickup was at nine.”
“You did what?”
“Emma, honey, it was an eyesore. Cracked frame, faded colors. Totally clashed with the new sectional.” Barbara scrolled through Pinterest. “We can hit Target this weekend. Get something that actually matches.”
Emma’s throat tightened. “That was mine. Grandpa gave it to me before he passed.”
“It was junk taking up space in my son’s house.”
Emma grabbed her purse.
“Where are you going?”
“To get it back.”
Barbara laughed. “Sweetie, the truck came two hours ago. It’s at the landfill by now. Just let it go.”
Emma called County Waste Management from her driveway. Thirty minutes on hold. Finally, a dispatcher told her which facility handled their subdivision.
She drove to the East County landfill in afternoon traffic. Paid the gate attendant..
