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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe lawyer looked up at Jay and said gently, \u201cPlease don\u2019t think your father loved you less, Jay. He cared for you deeply, and he believed you would be the one who would appreciate and profit from the contents of the trunk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jay smiled. \u201cI know my father loved me, and this legacy will be more precious to me than millions of dollars in the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
never rejoice in someone else\u2019s misfortune.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Matt sniggered, and Guy said mockingly: \u201cYes, I\u2019m sure that the spiderwebs in that old piece of trash will be more valuable than diamonds to you. Just make sure you don\u2019t come begging for a handout later Jay because you won\u2019t get a cent!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat reminds me!\u201d cried the lawyer. \u201cYour father asked that all three of you sign a release form in which you agree not to sue for any part of each other\u2019s inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Father with his youngest son | Source: Pixabay<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s fine with me!\u201d said Matt laughing, \u201cI want no part of Jay\u2019s dusty treasure!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jay nodded. \u201cThat\u2019s fine with me too. What my father believed was right is fine with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n All three sons signed the agreement and took ownership of their legacies. Jay\u2019s trunk was delivered to his student pad early the next morning. It was a huge old-fashioned ship\u2019s trunk, the kind that was popular during the late 19th century, covered with travel stickers from exotic destinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stuck onto the lid was a thick parchment envelope with Jay\u2019s name on it. He opened it and a heavy iron key fell out. He pulled out a single sheet of paper and immediately recognized his father\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Old letters and photos from the old trunk | Source: Unsplash<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy dearest Jay, if you are reading this, I have gone on to my heavenly reward, and I hope you will forgive me for how I\u2019ve disposed of my earthly goods. This old trunk belonged to your great-grandmother Judith, who scandalized her family in the \u201920s by running away to Paris with a young artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judith was very adventurous and very beautiful, and she quickly replaced her young man with another, more talented painter, and then another, and so on. She wrote a diary of her two years as a model in Paris in the wild \u201920s and collected sketches by her lovers and their artist friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you look through her collection of sketches, you will find some very interesting and illustrious names, and some of the artwork depicts Judith herself. I hope you will make the best of your inheritance, Jay. I haven\u2019t had Judith\u2019s collection valued, but I believe you will not be disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I pray we will meet again, until then, remember that I love you, son. Be happy and live a full life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Curious, Jay opened the trunk. Just like his father had explained, it contained several journals filled with pages of entries in an exuberant loopy feminine hand. Great-grandma Judith had a flair for the dramatic and a fondness for purple ink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a huge thick portfolio tied with dark red ribbon, and when Jay opened it, he found dozens of sketches and rough watercolor plans for paintings. Some of the signatures he recognized, such as Pablo Picasso, and Henri Mattisse, but others like Fernand L\u00e9ger, George Brack, Man Ray, and Juan Miro he\u2019d never heard of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the bottom of the trunk was a wad of black and white photos of Grandma Judith lounging around with famous people like Ernest Hemmingway and Josephine Baker. \u201cWay to go, Grandma!\u201d Jay exclaimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An artist\u2019s talented hand | Source: Unsplash<\/p>\n\n\n\n He picked up the phone and called a friend who was studying art and asked him who he should show the portfolio to. His friend referred him to a New York gallery not far from his student pad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jay carefully tied the ribbons on the portfolio, tucked it under his arm, and set off for the gallery. When he arrived he asked to speak to Victor Brandweiz. Victor turned out to be a thin, sad-looking man with a very long nose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes?\u201d he asked coldly, \u201cWhat is it you want?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, sir, I have some sketches I\u2019d like you to take a look at for me\u2026\u201d Jay said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A sketch by Picasso | Source: Pexels<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, no!\u201d said Victor, \u201cI don\u2019t look at unknown artists!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell these aren\u2019t unknown,\u201d said Jay, placing his portfolio on a table and opening it. \u201cSome I know, like Dali and Picasso? But this guy Brack and Chagall I never heard of\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Victor wasn\u2019t listening. He was feverishly looking at the sketches muttering to himself in what sounded to Jay like German. \u201cBut these\u2026\u201d he gasped, \u201cThese look real!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey are,\u201d said Jay, who was enjoying the man\u2019s astonished excitement, \u201cYou see, my great-grandmother Judith Trent\u2026\u201d Jay told Victor the whole story, and the man immediately wanted to see the diaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you know what you have here if it is all authentic?\u201d asked Victor, \u201cMillions, my boy, millions!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The young man with a handful of money | Source: Pixabay<\/p>\n\n\n\n As it turned out, it was worth many millions, and a publishing house offered Jay a few more to publish Judith\u2019s racy diaries which exposed the steamy life of the \u201cLost Generation\u201d in scandalous detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before long, Jay was negotiating a deal for a movie, and hobnobbing with famous producers, directors, and Hollywood stars. Matt and Guy were not impressed and started making noises about their share, but the lawyer waved their agreement at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They had been so eager to sign when they believed Jay had been cheated, and now that his inheritance proved to be extremely valuable, they were upset and accused Jay of cheating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can we learn from this story?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Never rejoice in someone else\u2019s misfortune. <\/strong>Matt and Guy gloated over Jay\u2019s \u2018poor\u2019 inheritance, but they ended up feeling edged out of the multi-million dollar art collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Karma often evens the scales, so trust in your luck.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who is stripped of her inheritance and even more by her unscrupulous younger sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A younger son from a rich man\u2019s second marriage inherits nothing but an old trunk and his two half-brothers who<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-house-designs"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dailygreenhouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image-283.png\")
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