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The original was posted on /r/AmItheAsshole by /u/Darth_Turbo on 2023-10-05 03:36:11.
My grandfather died five years ago. After his funeral, my grandmother, who was his second wife, gave me his watch. The watch is made of solid gold and worth a few thousand dollars but not insanely valuable. At the time, none of my other relatives asked about it.
My grandmother died last week. My mom was her only daughter and has five half siblings, who are my grandfather’s children by his first wife. My mom and her half siblings generally have good relationships, even though some of my half aunts and uncles weren’t terribly fond of my grandmother. This is especially true of my oldest half uncle, who considers himself the leader of the family despite being an almost 70 year old ne’er do well. I remember many instances from my childhood where this uncle would insult my grandmother when my grandfather wasn’t around.
I wore my grandfather’s watch to my grandmother’s funeral. Afterward, the family gathered at my grandparents’ house for dinner. As the booze began to flow, my uncle noticed the watch. He asked where I got it, and I told him that my grandmother had given it to me five years ago. He responded with a simple “Oh, that’s nice” and seemed to drop subject. However, as the meal continued, he kept bringing it up. I forget the exact exchange, but by the end my uncle said that the watch wasn’t my grandmother’s to give away since she was “only the stepmom.”
I said that my grandmother may have been the stepmom, but she was still my grandfather’s wife and I was still his grandson. My uncle responded by saying that the watch should have gone to someone who carries my grandfather’s name. By this point, I was angry and drunk and answered, “Maybe she would have given you the watch if you didn’t treat her like crap! Or maybe she just knew that I wouldn’t pawn it to keep the lights on!” The table went silent, and the gathering broke up soon afterward.
The next day, many of my relatives told me that I needed to apologize to my uncle. My mom even suggested that I give my uncle the watch as a “peace offering.” My mom grew up as the odd child out, and as a result has a tendency to placate her half siblings even when they’re being unreasonable. I told her that I don’t care what her half brother thinks, that he and his children are trash, and that I have as much right to my grandfather’s property as any of them do. AITA for keeping the watch?