Rachel

For 10 years i have been living in a house that was bought for me by my father. Although he bought it for me he didn’t put it in my name but put it in the family trust. When he died, the trust was found to have errors and to need revisions for tax reasons and my mother re-apportioned the house, leaving half of it to my sister.

My family is not a normal family and my sister is not a normal sister. Our mother clearly favors her and has always done so. She has been the recipient of great financial largesse from our parents and as a result owns a large house and travels often for pleasure. (She is 6 years older than I and retired.)

You might think that being favored and having much has made her secure within and without, but this is not the case. In fact, my sister has psychological problems that lead her to steal and do other unpleasant things. (A few examples are cheating in contests, writing angry letters to people, lying, fault finding, and attempting to control others. She frequently creates storms.)

However, I am the family’s whipping boy. Our mother is not only in complete denial about her oldest daughter’s problems, unwilling to hear or see evidence, but will often blame me for things that my sister has done. She will even accuse me of things that were not done by anyone!

Back to the house:

In her revised Trust Mom named Sis the inheritor of the family money and half inheritor of the house I occupy. I am told I will have the opportunity to buy her half but unless some money is left to me also, I probably will not be able to afford to. Even if I am able to afford to, I have no doubt that my sister will make things as difficult as possible for me.

The house is small and old but I love my neighbors, the neighborhood, and the homeless cats who sleep on my porch and whom I help feed. I don’t want to have to move, but I greatly fear the havoc that my sister will create once she becomes half owner of it.

Should I move before this happens? Or stay and prepare for the inevitable storm? This is my problem.