DEAR ABBY: For my 50th birthday 10 years ago, my father, with whom I have had a tumultuous relationship, gave me cherished rings as gifts. One was my grandmother’s and the other was my grandfather’s, both of whom are deceased. This was at a time when we were in a good place, and it meant the world to me that he thought enough of me to give them to me. They were the only things I had of his parents.
During COVID, I called Dad to check on him and my stepmom. He quickly turned the conversation to politics, a topic I have asked repeatedly over the years that we avoid. The conversation grew heated, and he hung up on me. A month later, he texted me asking me to return his father’s ring. I have always gotten along with my stepmom, but now she’s on me to return it, too. She says the ring should go to my cousin “Gavin” because he is the male grandchild, and that I can keep my grandmother’s ring. So Dad wants to take back a gift he gave me and give it to someone else.
