When Julia was born, Helen was already a teenager. In fact, John and his wife had nearly given up hope of having another child before Julia came along. Her arrival made them dote on her even more.
They showered her with love, attention, and the best of everything they could offer, leaving Helen, who once had all their affection, feeling left out and neglected.
Helen resented the idea at first and questioned her father about why she had to do it. “Why do I have to do that? I don’t see other kids doing that, they’re all going to college,” Helen said to her father one day.
“You’re 18 now Helen, you have grown and you need to learn how to be useful to other people now,” he replied, hoping she would understand.
They clashed over this a few more times before Helen eventually agreed to work. Despite her agreement, her resentment toward Julia only grew stronger.
Helen began to view Julia as spoiled and ungrateful, and this created a constant tension between the sisters. They argued frequently, mostly because of Julia’s unwillingness to help out or work, and things only got worse as they grew up.
Over time, Helen let go of her jealousy toward Julia. She had wanted the chance to enjoy life like her younger sister, but maturity showed her there was more to life than just fun and parties.
Helen tried to caution Julia about her lifestyle, but Julia brushed her off, seeing her advice as bitterness or jealousy. With John pampering his “miracle child,” Helen had no one to back her up, and eventually, she stopped trying to reach out to Julia altogether.
In his will, John left Julia the family house, while Helen inherited an old, dirty dish. Helen briefly considered contesting the will but decided her sister, who was now 21, might need the help more.
Instead, Helen approached Julia with some advice about her future and her inheritance. “I think you should sell the house and use the proceeds for college. I never got to go but you can,” she suggested to her sister.
Helen didn’t give up right away and tried to reason with her. “Julia, I really think you should consider what I’m saying,” she urged, hoping to help, but Julia was not interested in listening.
In a mocking tone, Julia retorted, “I don’t need advice and even if I did, it would not be from a mere cook,”
“Good luck sister,” Helen whispered to herself upon hearing the news.
Months went by, and Helen was doing well for herself. Then one day, as she was tidying up her modest apartment, she came across the dish her father had left her in his will.
One day, she hosted a small gathering with friends, and she served them using the dish her father had left her. One of her guests, who was a historian, noticed the dish immediately and did a double-take.
The historian pointed it out to Helen, who was skeptical at first. The next day, they took the dish to an antique shop, where it was confirmed to be from the Chinese dynasty and valued at an impressive sum.
Julia, however, had no such luck. She spent all the money from the house sale on parties, and when the funds dried up, she was left with nothing. Eventually, she found herself homeless.
One day, Julia, hungry and desperate, made her way to a restaurant known for helping the homeless with food. She arrived early because she had heard that the owner was very generous to those who came first.
Imagine Julia’s surprise when she reached the front of the line and found out that the kind-hearted owner everyone had been talking about was none other than her sister Helen.
But Helen, being the caring sister she was, welcomed Julia with open arms. That day, she took her sister home, cleaned her up, and soon after, offered her a job in one of her restaurants. Julia never looked down on Helen again.
What did we learn from this story?
