As I was talking to Dad yesterday, he mentioned that my mother thinks my aunt has a gambling addiction. To give you a little history, my aunt is the trustee for my grandparents' estate. My grandmother is still alive, but is vegetative in an Alzheimer's care facility. The trust keeps her in a very comfortable place. The second part of a trust is a substantial sum of money that will pay income to my mother and two aunts for the rest of their lives via the profits from stocks and bonds. Upon the demise of the mother and aunts, the body of the trust will be dispersed among my cousins, brother, sister and I equally. So since my aunt is the trustee, she sends a monthly account statement on the first part of the trust to my mother and other aunt. There were two transactions for $200 each made to a Native American casino near where my aunt lives. My mother (who is a barking moonbat anyway) has interpreted this as a gambling addiction. And it sure sounds like she's pissed.
I have no idea what, if anything, to do about it. It's really none of my business because my mother and I don't speak anyway, and it really doesn't seem appropriate to call my aunt and say, "Hey, do you have a gambling addiction?" Additionally, it's not my money. I don't care if it ever becomes my money. If the estate is bankrupt by the time it gets to the grandkids, that's fine. My life won't change. But my mother has managed to alienate quite a few people in her life over the years, and I'd really hate to see her relationship with my aunt get destroyed because of this.
I think I'm just going to forget about the whole conversation.