My sister and I are about the same in life. Both studied hotel and restaurant business, got married in the same year, and helped each other with jobs. But it was like I had more luck in life anyway. Somehow I got to the right places at the right time and got a higher position, more income, made useful acquaintances. My sister, on the other hand, worked in the same place all the time, and promotion was out of the question.
With the help of my parents she first managed to buy an apartment, and then my wife and I moved in. Despite such a quality of housing, we made a renovation and began to think about further improvements, and my sister was satisfied with everything.
Last year I had the opportunity to buy a nice used car from a friend. He was buying a new car and wanted to sell the old one as soon as possible to get what was missing, so I got interested. Not without my wife’s help, but I purchased this car. My wife told me not to sell my old car, but to keep it in reserve – anything can happen. But I had already become interested, not even in selling it, but in giving it to my sister’s husband.
He was a smart guy, and I always liked him a lot because it was easy and interesting to talk to him. And I wanted to do something nice for my sister, to show that I cared about her, just like when I was a kid. I didn’t have anything to do with the gift, I just wanted to ask somehow in between if they needed it and when my son-in-law would be able to come and get the car.
Just when I came to visit to discuss it, my sister wasn’t in the mood. She was having some problems at work and had turned into a whining mess.
“Of course, you don’t have any trouble, but I might be downsizing,” she moaned.
And her husband was giving in:
– Yeah, bought a new car. Not a bad way to live in these hard times, though.
But what finally convinced me that these two deserved presents was an overheard argument between the two of them. I was sent to the living room while the dishes were being washed in the kitchen and the house phone rang. I wanted to take it away, but froze by the kitchen, eavesdropping on this kind of dialogue:
– Peter is like cheese in butter. Your parents give him too much. He already has a new car. Why would he need a car if the old one was okay? If he’s so rich, he could have helped us instead of throwing money away on cars,” complained my son-in-law.
It is important to note that my parents never helped me much. It is my wife and I who help them, not them who help us.
– He has always been like that. He worries about himself and no one else. You’d think with your empty head that we don’t have time for guests,” my sister answered.
Maybe I was wrong to come unexpectedly, but I didn’t ask for dinner, they offered it. And I went with good news, but after their talk I changed my mind. I do not like to give anything to such people. They will smile in my face, and as soon as I turn away, they will start discussing that I gave them an old car, while I could have bought a new one, since I had the money. Then let them buy whatever they want for themselves.
