I always knew my stepmom, Monica, wasn’t exactly the nicest person—annoying, yes, but not evil. She was the type who would talk over me, forget my birthday, and call me “kiddo” even though I was practically an adult.
But what she did on my 17th birthday? It was the final straw.
It all started after my mom, Sarah, passed away when I was ten. After that, it was just me and Dad. We were a team—movie nights, pizza dinners, and a mutual understanding that we had each other’s backs, always.
Then Monica came along about three years ago. She wasn’t the worst, just kind of… there. She moved in, slowly took over the bathroom with her endless beauty products, and managed to inch her way into Dad’s life, whether I liked it or not.
Monica had dreams—big dreams—of opening a hair salon. I didn’t have a problem with people having dreams, but I had my own, too, and she treated me like I was an inconvenience that came with the house.
But I had a plan. College was my way out, and Dad had promised me from the time I was little that there was a college fund waiting for me. “Your mom and I set it up when you were five, Lila,” he’d say. “It’s all there, and I add to it every year.”
So, I worked hard in school, counting down the days until I could leave for college and start a life of my own.
On the morning of my 17th birthday, I wasn’t expecting much. Maybe some pancakes, a card—Dad was at work, so it was just Monica and me. But when Monica handed me a gift bag, things took a weird turn.
Inside the bag was a pink funerary urn. Yes, you read that right. An urn.
I stared at it, completely confused. “What the hell is this?” I asked.
Monica leaned against the kitchen counter, a smug look on her face. “It’s symbolic,” she said as if that explained anything.
“Symbolic of what?” I asked, already feeling a sinking feeling in my stomach.
Monica smiled wider. “It’s time to bury your college dreams, kiddo. Your dad and I decided to put that fund to better use.”
“Better use?” I repeated, my heart racing.
“Yep. We used it to help me open my salon. College is a gamble, Lila. But a business? That’s a real investment.”
I was frozen. Had they really taken my future, my college fund, and sunk it into Monica’s dream? How could my dad have let this happen?
“Life’s full of disappointments,” she added, as if that was supposed to be comforting.
I ran upstairs and slammed my door, sobbing harder than I ever had. Everything I’d worked for, everything my mom had wanted for me, was gone.
For the next few days, I barely spoke to either of them. Monica pranced around like she owned the house while I sat with the urn on my desk, a twisted reminder of what I had lost.
Then, a few days later, something strange happened.
When I got home from school, there was a note on my desk in Monica’s messy handwriting: Meet me at the salon at 6 P.M. tonight. No questions. Just trust me.
I almost laughed. Trust her? After what she did?
But my curiosity got the better of me, and against my better judgment, I went.
When I arrived at the salon, the lights were off, but the door was unlocked. Hesitant, I stepped inside. There, in the middle of the room, were Monica and my dad, both grinning.
“Surprise!” Monica shouted.
I was speechless.
“Look,” Monica said, stepping aside to reveal a shiny new sign on the wall: Dream Cuts: A Scholarship Fund in Honor of Sarah.
“What is this?” I asked, completely lost.
Monica’s smile softened. “We didn’t use your college fund, Lila. It’s all still there. The salon isn’t just for me—it’s for you, too. And for others like you. A portion of the profits will go toward funding scholarships in your mom’s name.”
I blinked, feeling like the ground was shifting beneath my feet.
“But… why make me think otherwise?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around it.
Monica winced. “Yeah, the urn thing… That was not my best idea. I thought it would be motivational, like burying the past and embracing the future. Turns out, it was just creepy.”
Dad stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve been planning this for months. Your mom always wanted to help kids get to college. This way, her dream lives on.”
I stood there, stunned, my anger melting into something softer.
Monica looked at me earnestly. “I’m not trying to replace your mom, Lila. I just want to build something meaningful, something that helps you and others. I know I haven’t been the best stepmom, but I hope this can be a fresh start.”
For the first time in a long time, I smiled.
It wasn’t perfect, and maybe things with Monica never would be. But in that moment, standing in a salon named for my mom, I realized she wasn’t trying to destroy my future—she was trying to honor it in a way I hadn’t expected.
And yeah, I kept the urn. I planted peace lilies in it. Maybe it wasn’t the symbol Monica had intended, but it had become something new. A symbol of hope.
What would you have done in my shoes?
He was one of the most famous stars of the 80s, who surprised the audience not only with his acting but also with his dancing
As a youth, he had a deep interest for flying, but he surprised both himself and others by pursuing a completely different career path.
He talked on the significance of his wife to him and grieved her passing twenty-eight years after they were married.
After a great deal of tragedy, he is content with his kids and his life right now.
The father of this young kid was a tire shop owner and semi-professional football player who grew up in New Jersey. The young man, however, had little interest in pursuing either as a career.
Rather, he had assumed he would work at the airport as a ticket agent or luggage handler, having developed an interest in the field when his high school offered an aviation program. He did not, however, wind up in the aircraft industry.
He now acknowledges that he has never been patient, claiming that he lacked patience as a youngster, a teenager, and an adult. He revealed:
“Tell me to do something else if I hit 25 and I’m not making a mark in this business,” was my type of man.
The young man chose to try acting, much like his mother had done, rather than following in his father’s footsteps or continuing his love of aviation, which he had discovered at the age of fifteen.
Travolta John Grieving Kelly Preston
The young guy in question is John Travolta, who made his Hollywood debut at the age of eighteen. Throughout his career, he starred in numerous hit films, including “Grease,” “Look Who’s Talking,” and “Saturday Night Fever.”
He met Kelly Preston, a fellow actor, during a screen test for a show called “The Experts,” and the two married during his career. Preston disclosed that she was unfaithful to her spouse during the time.
Preston and Travolta first crossed paths in 1989, and by 1991, Travolta had proposed to Preston. Nine months after Travolta’s proposal, the pair tied the knot and enjoyed a blissful 28-year marriage.
Sadly, Preston’s breast cancer death in 2020 marked the end of their love tale. Travolta, who was heartbroken by the passing, gave fans some advice and said:
“Letting someone experience their grief and not adding to it with your own is the most crucial thing you can do to support them during their time of mourning.”
He claimed that he was feeling constricted by the grief of others over his wife’s death and believed that it was imperative to find a private place to grieve.
These days, Travolta is all about making his kids’ lives better and being there for them as much as he can while they adjust to life without their mother. It is a loving parent he is.
How Does Travolta’s Life Currently Stand?
Two years after his wife’s death, Travolta spent Father’s Day with his kids this year. He posted a picture of himself on Facebook with his son, daughter, and dog curled up on the couch. He continued by wishing a happy Father’s Day to all of the “dedicated fathers.”
His admirers showered him with love and support in the comments, praising him as a fantastic father and expressing how nice it is to see him with his kids.
Travolta and Preston raised a lovely family, but they also suffered a great loss when their son passed away while on vacation in the Bahamas. Travolta is a fantastic parent to his two children right now, despite the sadness he has experienced throughout his life.
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