27-year-old inherits SUV and a fortune from elderly co-worker's will — and he has no idea why

A 27-year-old worker took to Reddit to share a dilemma that’s as emotional as it is life-changing. In a post that gained 4.9k upvotes in three days, user u/VegasGold29 explained how his close friendship with a 67-year-old colleague has left him with an unexpected inheritance — and a lot of guilt. The two first met at work, where she was a former police detective who had returned to the workforce two years ago. With no family, children, or siblings, she gravitated toward him.

"I’ve always been an old soul," he wrote, adding that he had more in common with older coworkers than those his own age. "I eventually became friends with this co-worker outside of work and introduced her to my mom, who’s the same age as she is, and they also became very close," the user wrote. This year, she was diagnosed with stage-4 inoperable kidney cancer. "She tried to stay at work but ultimately decided to retire and quickly degraded health-wise over the next couple of months. She passed away this week," he shared. That’s when he learned what she had left behind for him.

According to the post, she left him her fairly new SUV and an "investment," plus $350,000 left to his mother for buying a home and moving in with him so she could be taken care of. "In total, that’s almost half a million dollars being left to us," he noted. The news left him with mixed emotions. "Obviously sadness because I just lost a close friend to a horrible disease, joy because my life is being changed for the better in an instant, and also (the point of this post) guilt," he shared in the post. He worries coworkers who didn’t know about their friendship outside the office might see it as "highly inappropriate" for a younger manager to inherit from an older subordinate.

"They know I’ve always lived paycheck to paycheck, and suddenly buying a home will certainly spark conversation," he said. His best friend works in a different department but is notorious for spilling secrets, which adds to his concern. His mother advised him to keep it a complete secret, even from family, but he’s unsure if that’s healthy. What he’s feeling is something researchers have often linked to the burden of keeping significant secrets.

A study highlighted in Psychological Science explains that holding onto secrets often leads to feelings of shame, isolation, inauthenticity, and even loneliness. This is because the more preoccupied someone becomes with their secret, the more it eats away at their emotional well-being. "I DO NOT want to come off as bragging if I do tell people," the user wrote, adding that workplace jealousy could affect how his employees treat him.

The post drew a range of supportive responses, most of which agreed with the mother's advice. u/magriffhugg wrote, "I would stay quiet, and if someone asks, then tell them. You did nothing wrong, and the woman was your friend. There is nothing to feel weird about, you made a difference in her life, and she returned the favor." u/emorymom suggested, "'Someone died, I don’t want to talk about it' should suffice. And your mom’s money could have come from anywhere." u/rdubs0907 added, "Zero cause for guilt. You usurped no one. She made these decisions being of sound mind. You brought meaning and care into her life. That is priceless for someone who has no one else. Accepting it graciously is an honor for her."