I found out about the secret account by accident.
I was convinced that I knew my mother inside and out. She was the rock of our family – warm, devoted, always ready to make sacrifices. After my father died, she did everything to keep us afloat. She worked day and night so that my brother, Michael, and I could have a better life. I never thought that behind that painting there was a secret that would destroy my trust in her.
I found out about the secret account by accident. After my mother died, I took on the responsibility of sorting out her affairs – searching through documents, closing contracts, settling bills. In her desk, I found a stack of documents regarding a bank account that no one in the family knew existed. The amount listed in it was huge – more than I could have imagined she could have saved working as an accountant.
At first I was shocked. Did Mom have some plans she didn't tell us about? Did she want to surprise us by leaving us this money as an inheritance? But the more I analyzed the situation, the more I felt something was wrong. Why didn't she ever mention these savings when we had been struggling financially for years?
I decided to share my discovery with Michael. He was also surprised, but his reaction was different from mine.
„Maybe she had her reasons. We shouldn't judge her. Maybe that money was for a rainy day.”
– „A rainy day?” I asked irritably. – „What was it like when we had to sell her favorite rings to pay for your college? Or when I had to drop out of a course to help pay the bills?”
Michał fell silent, and I felt my anger rising. I decided to find out more.
I visited the bank and handed over my mother's documents. The clerk confirmed that my mother had been running the account for over twenty years. She had been depositing money into it regularly, avoiding withdrawals. When I asked about the beneficiary, I learned that Michał and I were to inherit the funds. But that didn't bring me any relief, it only raised more questions.
When I got home, I came across my mother's old letters. In one of them, I found an answer that shocked me. It turned out that my mother had set up the account to support… someone else. It was a man I had never met before – someone who signed his name as “K.” In the letter he wrote about his gratitude for her help and that thanks to her he was able to get back on track.
After a long investigation, I discovered that „K.” was my mother's former coworker who had lost everything and needed support. For years, my mother had been giving him money while she saved money for our family. I was furious. How could she help a stranger while we were suffering?
Michał, although shocked, tried to calm me down.
– “Maybe she did it out of guilt? Maybe this man meant more to her than we thought?”
– “What about us, Michał? We didn't matter? After all, our family should have been the most important thing to her!”
Today, even though a few years have passed since my mother died, I still can't stop thinking about this secret. We split the money from the account with Michał, but no amount of money could fill the void left by the unanswered questions. Did my mother love us less? Or was it “K.” was the reason she gave up on our dreams?
Money, which should have been a symbol of support, became a reminder of betrayal. I regret never having had the chance to ask my mother why she did this. Maybe the answer would have brought me peace. But now all I can do is learn to live with this knowledge and try to understand that even the people closest to me can have their secrets. Secrets that change everything.
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