This is a slightly different tale.

I used to do the administration for a number of company pension schemes. The companies themselves deal with the members and I dealt with the companies.

One particular company was very supportive of its workers and knew their family backgrounds well. One middle aged gentleman, I shall call George, had never had a relationship and lived alone but was always kind and generous to family and friends. He met a woman, I shall call Lucy, with 3 young children who had been made homeless by her ex husband. He immediately offered a roof over their heads because of the children.

As time went on Lucy started a relationship with George and insisted they got married for the sake of the children. George's friends and family tried to dissuade him as they had heard rumours about Lucy that showed her in a most unpleasant light such as the children had different fathers none of whom were the ex husband. George went ahead to provide security to the children.

After 6 months Lucy changed the locks on the house and left George's personal possessions on the doorstep. His friends and family rallied around to help him out. George hoped to sort things out with Lucy so didn't start divorce proceedings. Lucy had all the paperwork she needed to sell George's house and move over 100 miles away to start again leaving George with nothing but a broken heart.

George developed cancer and within 6 months he had died. Suddenly Lucy reappeared demanding to receive the death in service benefits of a cash lump sum and a monthly pension.

This is where the revenge comes in.

The Trustees of the pension scheme have the final say as to who gets what of the benefits. Only a certain portion of the pension must go to the bereaved spouse. The Trustees were fully aware of the background and wanted to ensure that as little as possible went to Lucy. One of George's siblings produced a form stating that the cash lump sum should be divided equally between all the siblings. There was a slight question mark over whether George had filled it in and signed it but the Trustees gratefully accepted it as valid. The Trustees also declined to pay the balance of the pension to Lucy.

Needless to say Lucy was incensed that she was denied the money she felt she was due. All parties stood their ground and provided her solicitor with the legal documentation of the scheme to prove she had no right to anything more.

I had great pleasure in sending out the cheques to the siblings.