Their close relationship and the sacrifices her mother had made to support Julia throughout her life were demonstrated by the little inheritance she left behind for her daughter when she died. The amount was little, but it symbolized a lifetime of diligence and prudent saving—a love legacy that Julia treasured above all else.

Dreaming of creating a future together, Julia and her husband David talked about their intentions for the inheritance and their ideal home where they could have a family and follow their passions. Using some of the money to further her education and realize their mutual goal of her becoming a lawyer, Julia also wanted to pay tribute to her mother.

But Julia couldn’t get rid of the uneasy feeling that something was wrong as her enthusiasm increased. Her in-laws first made subliminal comments about their financial difficulties and how often they “forgot” to bring their wallets when they went out to supper with Julia and David.

Julia first discounted their actions, writing it off as coincidence. But when the trend continued, she started to think that the root reason might be her heritage. Her in-laws appeared to be gently indicating that they expected financial help, using their forgetfulness to press Julia and David to pay the bill.

Julia was angry and torn over how to balance her own financial objectives with her need to provide for her family. She was aware that her mother had not intended to support her in-laws’ opulent lifestyle; rather, she had left her the money to provide for her future.

Julia was divided, nevertheless, between her devotion to her mother’s heritage and her allegiance to her family as the pressure increased. Ultimately, she decided to maintain her ground and not allow her in-laws to pressure her into giving up her own aspirations for their benefit.

Julia and David pushed on with their plans, using the inheritance to create the life they had always imagined. And even if their relationship with her in-laws was tense, Julia knew her mother would have been proud of the woman she had grown into—a woman who would not allow anything to get in the way of her aspirations.