Man who helped elderly neighbour with shopping rewarded with unusual gift in will

Not many people can claim they unwittingly found themselves added in a stranger’s will.

But, that’s what allegedly happened to a man called Ben.

Ben is not his real name, but one bestowed upon him. 

As he tells it, in a lengthy, yet endearing, Reddit post, the unusual story began a few months ago when he moved into a new apartment building.

“First time living alone. First time realising I have no idea how to cook rice without Googling it,” he wrote, without revealing where he was from.

Ben shared that across the hall lived Mrs Kaplan, an 80-something woman who walks with a can that has a tiny built-in flashlight and wears a robe with embroidered cats on it.

He described Mrs Kaplan as having “big grandma energy”.

“One day, I helped her carry her groceries up the stairs because the elevator was broken. She gave me a butterscotch candy and said, “You’re a good boy. Just like my grandson.” I thought she was being sweet and nostalgic. Nope,” Ben wrote.

“She started calling me “Ben.” My name is not Ben. But every time I corrected her, she just squinted at me and went, “Don’t be difficult, Ben.” So I gave up. I became Ben.”

Mrs Kaplan soon knocked on Ben’s door with Tupperware filled with home cooked meals, telling him he needed to eat. In the face of free food, Ben didn’t argue.

Then, one day the elderly neighbour invited Ben to “family dinner”. 

“I assume it’s just her and maybe a cat. Nope. I walk in, and half her actual family is there. They stare at me like, “Who is this guy?” he wrote. 

“And she proudly announces: “Everyone, this is Ben. He’s back from Tokyo.”

Shocked, Ben found himself locked in what he describes as an “insane roleplay” where he apparently lived in Japan and worked in “tech”.  

“I nod and smile like I’m auditioning for a Netflix series,” he wrote.

But then there’s a twist. His neighbour later pulled him aside and said: “I know you’re not Ben. But I like having you around.”

It would appear she meant it.

Then, the neighbour called Ben over to fix her TV.

He claimed during the visit she offhandedly mentioned, “You’ll take the cat figurines when I’m gone, right? I already put it in the will.”

“So now… I’m inheriting cat figurines. Because I became someone else’s grandson by accident,” he added.

“And honestly? I think Ben would’ve wanted it that way.”