After years of hatred and sorrow, Mike realizes that the  Bible his late grandmother left for him contains a surprising secret. What began as a memory of their previous conflict quickly becomes a lifeline.

Mike slumped behind the supermarket counter, his clothes ragged and his face tired. The buzz of scanners and discussion surrounded him, but his thoughts were far elsewhere. He carelessly packed a customer’s goods and attempted a grin as they handed him a crumpled twenty.

Thank you. “Have a good day,” he whispered hoarsely, though his days were rarely enjoyable anymore.

As the next client approached, Mike’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He understood exactly what it was.

A notice regarding another medical cost.

Earlier that morning, as he poured himself instant coffee, he noticed a reminder that his mother’s hospital trips were leaving them in debt.

Mike worked six days a week, even doing double shifts, but the money barely kept them afloat.

His mother, Kaila, was deteriorating, and her treatments, while essential, felt like an anchor holding them down.

Mike was fatigued after his shift, and his feet ached as he went outside into the cool night air. He struggled into the little, barely lighted apartment he lived in with his mom.

When he stepped in, he found her seated on the couch, her form small and vulnerable beneath a blanket.

“Hey, Mom,” Mike whispered quietly, setting his suitcase on the table.

Kaila smiled softly. “How was work, sweetheart?”

“It was fine.”

“Don’t work too hard, Mike. I’m sorry you have to shoulder this all by yourself.”

Mike gulped hard. He couldn’t let her see the weight that was crushing him.

“It’s nothing, Mom,” he said, smiling. “I’ve got it under control.”

She nodded, but they both knew it was not true.

Mike returned to his room, his desk piled with unread envelopes. Those were bills that he was terrified to open.

He stood near the window, contemplating his life.

How could the cost of survival be so high? He had a thought.

Even with insurance, the costs piled up quicker than he could put money down.

He reflected on his remaining savings, which were barely enough to meet next month’s rent, much less hospital visits.

His attention shifted to a dusty box in the corner of the room. A Bible has been sitting there for years, undisturbed.

“You had to be so petty, didn’t you, Grandma?” Mike murmured and shook his head.

His grandmother, Grace, was the family’s matriarch. She is stubborn, ardent, and uncompromising in her religion.

She begged Mike to join her at church every Sunday when he was a teenager, but he never did. His memory of their previous battle was as fresh as yesterday.

It was six years ago.

Mike had just turned 18, and his plans for the weekend were simple: have fun with his pals. He had no intention of spending another Sunday morning in church.

“Michael,” Grace stated sharply, standing in the doorway of his room. Dressed in her Sunday best, she clutched an enormous handbag and tucked the  Bible under her arm. “It’s time for church.”

Mike did not even look up from his phone. “I am not going, Grandma. “I’ve already made plans.”

“Plans?” Grace’s voice raised. “What plans could be more important than spending time with the Lord?”

“I’m 18 now,” Mike explained. “I can make my own decisions. I’m not going to spend another Sunday sitting in church listening to sermons.”

“That is rubbish.” Get up, put on a clean shirt, and come with me,” Grace commanded, marching into the room as if she were going to drag him out herself.

“No! “I am not going!” Mike snapped. “Why can’t you simply let me live my life? I am weary of your treatment of me as if I am the most despicable individual in the world solely because I am unwilling to attend church for an entire day.

“I am trying to preserve your soul, Michael. One day, you will thank me for this.”

“Yeah, well, I’m good,” Mike said. “I don’t need to save myself.”

“Is that so?” Grace spoke gently. “Fine. If this is how you feel, I will not be visiting again. I will not talk with you again, Michael.”

Mike halted for a moment, astonished. But in his youthful bravado, he dismissed it. “Great. “Then we both get what we want.”

She departed without saying anything else, shutting the door behind her.

Two months later, Grace died of natural causes.

The day of her funeral was chilly, dark, and heavy. It was precisely how Mike felt inside.

He stood toward the back of the chapel, his hands deep in his pockets, while mourners packed the pews.

He watched as the crowd shuffled in. Everyone was present, including neighbors, old acquaintances, and members of her beloved church.

Mike felt out of place, like a stranger intruding on a private meeting. He scarcely glanced at the casket as he passed.

“She loved you, you know,” an older woman whispered tenderly, resting a hand on his arm.

Mike turned to face her.

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

He wasn’t sure what else to say.

During the funeral, the priest discussed Grace’s commitment to the church, her deep faith, and her unfailing love for her family, even when things were difficult.

Mike squirmed uneasily in his seat, realizing what the world was trying to tell him.

She loved you even when things were rough.

As they lowered the casket into the earth, Mike felt a knot form in his gut. He hadn’t spoken to her in months before she died, and now he never will.

“I should’ve just gone to church,” he told himself as the mourners dispersed.

Kaila overheard and softly squeezed his arm. She knew you loved her, Mike. “She knew.”

At the soil where his grandmother lay, Mike couldn’t help thinking about how he hadn’t been there when it mattered most.

Only at the will reading did his animosity resurface. Mike sat stiffly in the lawyer’s office, while his mother, Kaila, attempted to calm her worries beside him.

The attorney cleared his throat. “To Grace’s beloved church, she leaves her entire estate, including her home and all financial assets.”

Mike’s mouth fell. “Wait, what?”

The lawyer did not pause. “To her grandson, Michael, she leaves a  Bible with a personal note that reads, ‘Open it when it’s hard.’”

“A Bible?” Mike repeated. “That’s it?”

“Yes,” the lawyer said, pulling the battered leather-bound book toward him.

Mike looked at it as if it were poisonous. “She left me nothing else?”

“Correct,” the lawyer responded.

Mike gripped his hands tightly and spoke in a bitter tone. “All because I didn’t go to church with her one time? Seriously?”

Kaila put a hand on her son’s arm. “Mike…”

“No, Mom, this is ridiculous!” Mike spat.

He grabbed the Bible, slammed it into his bag without looking, and rushed out of the office.

He had not opened the Bible back then. Instead, he just stored it in a box and buried it beneath other items.

Six years later, with debts piling up and his mother’s health worsening, the old Bible and its mysterious letter resurfaced in his mind.

“Well, Grandma,” Mike said coldly, rising up and heading to the corner of the room. “Times don’t get much harder than this.”

He carefully picked up the boxes until he reached the one containing the Bible. He took it out and carried it back to the sofa.

Then he glanced at the note for the first time since she died.

“Open it when it’s hard,” he said quietly. “You’re a silly old lady.” “I loved you, but you were so petty.”

He shook his head, his voice stuck in his throat as he opened the Bible for the first time.

Years of wear had left the leather broken and dried before Grace gave it to him. As he began flicking through the pages, something peculiar caught his attention.

It appeared as though there was something between the pages. Mike flicked one page out of curiosity, frozen by what he saw.

Two crisp $100 notes stared back at him.

He said, “What the…?”

He flipped another page. More bills. Page after page, hundreds of dollars flowed out of the Bible. Mike eventually discovered his grandma had concealed hundreds of dollars between the pages of the Bible.

Mike’s hands trembled as he spread the money on his bed. Tears ran down his cheeks.

“Oh God, Grandma,” he said quietly, staring up at the ceiling. “Why haven’t you told me? “Why didn’t you say anything?”

As he grieved, memories flooded back.

He reminisced about Grace’s gentle touch, affectionate smile, and melodious voice as she sang songs on Sunday mornings. He remembered how Mom used to recite Bible verses to him when he was younger and how he complained about it as a teenager. He reflected on the battle and the years he’d spent resenting her.

“I’m sorry, Grandma,” he gasped out. “I’m so sorry.”

The funds were more than sufficient to finance his mother’s therapy. Mike grabbed the bills and headed to Kaila’s hospital room.

Kaila’s room was quiet save for the beeping of machinery and the faint hum of fluorescent lights. Mike entered with a hot face, and Kaila gently turned her head away.

“Mike?” she said, surprised. “What’s wrong?”

He sank into the chair beside the bed, grasping her hand tightly. “Mom, you’re not going to believe this,” he continued, sobbing. “Grandma saved us.”

“What?”

“Her  Bible was more than simply a Bible. She hid money in it. “Thousands of dollars, Mom!”

Mike nodded.

“She left it to us. For me. She knew I’d need it eventually.” His voice cracked, and he looked to the ceiling. “That stubborn old woman saved us.”

Kaila gave a quiet giggle, her pale face brightening up. “That sounds exactly like Grace,” she said warmly. “She always knew what she was doing.”

Mike blinked away tears. “I did not deserve it, Mom. I treated her terribly, and she still—”

Kaila clasped his hand. “Your grandmother’s love was unconditional, Mike. That’s what true love is.

“I don’t know if I can ever make it up to her,” he added sadly.

“You already are, dear. You are here, doing everything you can for me.” Grace would be proud.”

Kaila’s therapy started working after a few months. Mike paid off the mounting healthcare fees and even managed to reduce his long hours.

With less burden on his shoulders, he began to contemplate his future.

Soon, he found a part-time accounting course. It was something he had always wanted to do but could never afford.

And for the first time, life seemed feasible. Mike was finally on track to lead the quiet and meaningful life he had always dreamed of.

It was all due to his loving grandmother.