Grief makes people do wild things. Everyone handles losing a loved one differently. Some people start a charity, some people plant a tree, and some people book a one-way ticket to Europe to drink monk beer. That last option might sound a little unconventional, but one dad on Reddit recently shared his very unique mourning process, and the internet is completely rallying behind his petty, beautiful tribute to his late boy.
The Original Poster is a father who recently suffered the absolute worst nightmare imaginable. His son was incredibly intelligent. The dad actually joked that he almost requested a paternity test because the kid was just so damn smart. The parents divorced when the boy was twelve, the mom remarried when he was fourteen, and the dad remarried a couple of years later. Despite the split family, the dad was fiercely dedicated to setting his kid up for a brilliant future.
Living in Canada, the dad set up an RESP, which is a registered education savings plan. As long as the son went to a post-secondary school, he could use that money for absolutely anything. But the dad and his son had a hilarious running joke between them. The dad would always tease his boy, telling him he was totally fine if he skipped university. Why? Because then the dad could take all that saved up college money, fly to Belgium, and buy exclusive beer from monks who only allow you to purchase one case at a time.
The son always knew his dad was joking and happily played right along. He refused to let his old man get his goat. When the brilliant kid finally got accepted to McGill University, it was the proudest moment of his father’s entire life. They celebrated the massive achievement with a beer, officially mourning the loss of the dad’s hypothetical European monk trip. But then, unimaginable tragedy struck. The brilliant young man was struck and k!lled by a drunk driver.
The family was shattered. The dad is barely dealing with it, relying entirely on his incredibly supportive new wife to hold him up. While he was actively handling the horrific task of planning his own child’s funeral arrangements, his ex-wife decided it was the perfect time to talk finances. She knew her late son had earned a scholarship and was planning to use the RESP cash for living expenses. So, she casually asked her grieving ex-husband what he planned to do with all that leftover money.
The dad looked at her and gave the most brutally honest answer possible. He told her he was going to do exactly what he always promised his son he would do. He was taking the money, flying to Europe, and drinking that beer. Instead of understanding the sentimental value of this running joke, the ex-wife immediately made a wild demand. She asked if she could have the thousands of dollars for her own step-son.
The dad actually took a moment to think about it before delivering a hard no. He explained that his ex-wife’s new husband is a decent enough guy, but he had made it abundantly clear over the years that he was absolutely not financially responsible for the Original Poster’s son. He provided basic food and shelter, but drew a hard line at major expenses. So, why on earth should the grieving dad hand over his hard-earned money to a man who refused to do the same?
The dad stood his ground and declared he was going to go drink beer in his boy’s honor. The ex-wife was absolutely furious. She accused him of wasting thousands of dollars, completely missing the emotional weight behind the decision. And honestly, the dad freely admits that he is wasting the money. Because he is not using it for education, he even has to give back the government-matched portion of the Canadian fund. But he simply does not care.
His ex-wife genuinely thinks he is being stupid and irresponsible by blowing his late son’s money on a European pub crawl. But the dad knows exactly what he is doing. He ended his post with a gut-wrenching, beautiful realization. His son would laugh his a** off if he knew his dad actually followed through with their ridiculous running joke. That alone makes the plane ticket worth every single penny.
The internet unanimously agreed that this father is absolutely not the bad guy. Funneling college savings into a step-kid who never contributed a dime is a massive slap in the face. Grief is weird and messy and incredibly expensive. If drinking Belgian monk beer brings this heartbroken father even a tiny sliver of peace, he deserves to buy out the entire brewery. Have a drink for your boy, sir. How would you handle this wild request from an ex-wife? Sound off in the comments below!