A man was shocked to see his mother-in-law sitting next to his boss in his car a day after he kicked her out. “Oh my God!” the man gasped. He had no idea how his mother-in-law had become friends with his boss.
Even after working tirelessly for the past two decades, Jack believed he hadn’t achieved enough to call himself a successful man. At 43, he still thought he could do much better, but his wife, Laura, thought otherwise.
He met Laura at work, but she later resigned and started her own business. Since she was a marketing graduate from one of the best business schools in the country, she knew how to attract customers with little effort.
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When Jack saw her business flourish, he felt intimidated and developed an inferiority complex. “I don’t think I can ever be as good as her,” he would tell himself.
After tying the knot with Laura, Jack felt her parents didn’t like her because he wasn’t as rich as them. Laura came from a wealthy family, while Jack’s parents were not that rich. However, Laura always told Jack it was all in his head and that her parents had nothing against him.
Jack’s insecurity grew with time, but he never listened to his wife. To cope with his feelings of unworthiness, he paid more attention to his work and tried his best to get a promotion. He would spend most of his day at his office and come home late every night.
One day, Jack’s wife called him at work and told him something unexpected. “Jack… Please come home right now,” Laura said in a shaky voice. “Dad passed away.”
“Don’t you understand I don’t want her in my house?” Jack yelled.
Oh no! Jack thought and immediately left his workplace. He consoled his wife and helped with the funeral arrangements. A few days later, Laura told Jack she wanted her mother to live with them.
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“Jack, you know my mother has been feeling lonely after dad’s death,” she said. “I’ve offered her to stay here with us, and if―”
“What? How can you do that without asking me?” Jack looked at his wife with his eyes wide open.
“Why would I ask you? She’s my mother, and she needs me right now.”
“So what? You could have thought of something else. I don’t want her to stay at our house.”
“But why?” Laura frowned.
“She cannot deal with the grief of losing dad all by herself, Jack. She’s coming here once she accepts my offer.”
“No, Laura,” Jack shook his head. “That won’t happen.”
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Two days later, Laura’s mother, Melissa, called her and said she was ready to move in with them. Laura was Melissa’s only child, so she had no option except to live with her daughter until she felt she was ready to live alone.
“That’s great, Mom!” Laura exclaimed while talking to her mother on the phone. “Jack and I will pick you up this evening, okay? Love you!”
“Was that your mom?” Jack asked after Laura ended the call.
“Yes. She’s ready to move in with us.”
“Don’t you understand I don’t want her in my house?” Jack yelled.
“It’s either her or me!”
Laura looked at her husband in shock. “Calm down, Jack. You need to think about this calmly,” she told him. “I’m her only child, and she needs my help. She will leave in a few months.”
“I don’t think she’s ever going to leave!” Jack yelled and stomped out of the bedroom.
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Once Melissa moved in, Jack tried his best to annoy her so she would leave soon. He would pick fights with her purposely and often argued with her.
One day, Jack was attending an online meeting with his boss from his bedroom when Melissa suddenly barged in. “I’m sorry, Jack. But you won’t be getting a promotion this year,” Jack’s boss told him.
Jack forced a smile and finished the meeting with his boss. Then, he turned around and was shocked to see Melissa in his room. “What are you doing here? Were you listening to my conversation with my boss?” he asked her.
“No, dear,” Melissa replied softly. “I was waiting for you to end the call. I came here to tell you dinner’s ready.”
“I know why you were here!” Jack yelled and stormed past his mother-in-law. “Laura! Look, your mom is spying on me!”
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He went downstairs and told Laura what had happened. “Ask her to leave out right now, Laura! I won’t tolerate this,” he said.
“That’s not possible, Jack,” Laura replied calmly.
“Look, I need you to kick her out before Christmas,” he told her. “I won’t let her ruin my Xmas dinner. You need to send her back home on Christmas Eve.”
“But, Jack…”
“I don’t want to hear any excuses, Laura. I’ve given this plenty of time and thought,” he said and stomped out of the house.
“I immediately recognized him when I saw him on your laptop screen that day,” she added.
Laura knew she couldn’t argue with her husband anymore, so she tearfully asked her mother to go back on Christmas Eve. The next day, Jack was happy because his mother-in-law wasn’t around. He decorated the house and ordered Laura’s favorite food for dinner.
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While sitting at the dinner table with Laura, Jack suddenly heard a car park in their driveway. “Who’s that?” he asked Laura.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged.
Jack went to the door and was shocked to see Melissa sitting beside his boss, Matt, in the car he recognized as his boss’. “Hi, Jack!” Melissa waved as she got out of the vehicle. “Hi, Melissa,” he smiled awkwardly before looking at Matt with his eyes wide open.
“Please come in!” Laura said and welcomed her mother and Matt inside.
Once everyone sat at the dinner table, Jack asked Melissa what was happening. “How do you know Matt?” he asked curiously.
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“I have known this boy for decades, Jack!” Melissa chuckled. “I used to work as a secretary for his father when he was a kid. I even babysat him a couple of times when his father wasn’t around.”
Melissa also told Jack she saw Matt while he was talking to him on a video call. “I immediately recognized him when I saw him on your laptop screen that day,” she added.
“What? Really?” Jack gasped. He couldn’t believe what his mother-in-law had just told him.
“Yes, Jack,” Matt smiled. “I had no idea Melissa was your mother-in-law. Such a small world, no?”
“Yeah, this is very surprising,” Laura laughed.
“Do you know why we’re here, Jack?” Matt asked sternly.
“To have dinner with us, right?” Jack smiled.
“Or do you have another surprise for me?”
“I do have one!” Matt said.
It turns out, Melissa put a good word in for her son-in-law with his boss. She told him how hard-working and deserving he was. As a result, Matt decided to promote Jack. “You’ve earned it, Jack!” Matt smiled and shook Jack’s hand.
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“I can’t believe this!” Jack looked at his wife. “Did you know your mother talked to my boss?”
“Yes, Jack,” Melissa smiled. “Mom told me she would come for dinner tonight with Matt.”
Jack was over the moon after learning that Matt had promoted him. He thought this was the best Christmas present and thanked his boss and mother-in-law for making his dream come true.
Later that night, Jack apologized to Melissa for being rude and allowed her to stay in his house for as long as she wanted. “You’re the best mother-in-law I could have asked for!” he told her.
What can we learn from this story?
- Never judge people based on your opinions. Jack thought Melissa didn’t like him, so he was rude and didn’t allow her to stay in his house. However, when he learned how kind his mother-in-law was, he instantly regretted judging her earlier.
- Actions speak louder than words. Melissa never told Jack what she felt about him, but what she did for him was enough to prove that she loved him as her son.
Share this story with your friends and family. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
Wealthy Neighbor’s Son Shattered My Window with a Ball — They Declined to Compensate, but Fate Struck from an Unexpected Source
I marched outside, the offending baseball clutched in my hand like a grenade. Baron Bigshot was in his driveway, polishing his luxury car with the care most people reserve for newborns.
“Hey!” I shouted, storming up to him. “Your son’s baseball just came through my window. It nearly hit my daughter!”
He barely glanced up. “Oh? And you’re sure it was my son’s ball?”
I thrust the blueberry pie-lathered ball in his face. “Unless baseballs are falling from the sky now, yes, I’m pretty sure.”
He sighed like I was some peasant interrupting his important car-polishing duties. “Look, Ms…”
“Angela. We’ve been neighbors for three years.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Right, right. Angela. Do you have any proof it was my Billy’s ball?”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. “Proof? There’s pie filling on it!”
“Ah,” he nodded sagely, “so you admit you tampered with the evidence.”
I felt my eye start to twitch. “Listen here, Baron Big—”
“I beg your pardon?”
I took a deep breath. “Mr. Worthington. Your son broke my window. He could have seriously hurt my daughter. The least you could do is pay for the repairs.”
He chuckled, actually chuckled! “My dear, do you know how much that would cost?”
“Probably less than one of your car’s tires,” I muttered.
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t appreciate your tone. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a birthday party to prepare for. Important guests are coming, you understand. Out of my property!”
He said that. Yep! No apology. No NOTHIN’.
As he turned away, something in me snapped. “Oh, I understand perfectly. I understand that you care more about your fancy party than the safety of your neighbors!”
He spun around, his face red. “Now see here—”
But I was on a roll. “No, you see here! Your son has been terrorizing this neighborhood for months. We’ve all been too polite to say anything, but enough is enough. You need to take responsibility!”
“I suggest you leave now before I call the police for trespassing.”
Defeated and furious, I trudged back home, the sound of his expensive sprinkler system mocking me with every step.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of cleaning up glass and comforting a still-shaken Penny.
As evening fell, the sounds of Baron Bigshot’s party drifted over. Laughter, clinking glasses, and what I was pretty sure was a live band.
I was just about to close the curtains (what was left of them anyway) when I saw something odd. A group of young men in masks, all wearing football jerseys, was marching up Baron Bigshot’s perfectly manicured lawn.
“What in the world?” I murmured, pressing my nose against the wooden window sill divider.
Suddenly, they all raised their arms, each holding a football. And then, in perfect synchronization, they let loose.
Footballs rained down on Baron Bigshot’s party like a sports equipment hailstorm. I watched, mouth agape, as chaos erupted.
Guests screamed and ducked, champagne flutes shattered, and Baron Bigshot himself stood in the middle of it all, looking like a man who’d just seen his worst nightmare come to life.
As quickly as it started, it was over. The football players high-fived each other and jogged away, leaving destruction in their wake.
I was still trying to process what I’d seen when there was a knock at my door. It was Mrs. Stewart, grinning like the cat that got the cream.
“Did you see that?” she asked, barely containing her glee.
I nodded, still stunned. “What… how…”
She winked. “Let’s just say my nephew’s football team owed me a favor. Thought our dear neighbor could use a taste of his own medicine.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing, tears streaming down my face. “Mrs. Stewart, you’re a genius!”
She patted my arm. “Sometimes, dear, karma needs a little push.”
The next morning, I was enjoying my coffee when there was a furious pounding at my door. I opened it to find Baron Bigshot, looking decidedly less baronial in his rumpled pajamas.
“YOU!” he sputtered, pointing an accusing finger at me. “You did this!”
I took a sip of my coffee, savoring the moment. “Did what?”
“Don’t play dumb! The football attack! It ruined everything!”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And do you have any proof it was me?”
He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, clearly recognizing his own words being thrown back at him.
I leaned against the doorframe, feeling surprisingly calm. “You know, Mr. Worthington, sometimes life has a funny way of teaching us lessons. Maybe this is yours.”
His face turned an impressive shade of purple. “This isn’t over!”
As he stormed off, I called after him, “Oh, and Mr. Worthington? You might want to consider investing in some wooden planks for your windows. I hear they’re all the rage these days.”
I closed the door, grinning to myself. Penny looked up from her coloring book, curiosity shining in her eyes.
“Mommy, why was that man yelling?”
I scooped her up, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Oh, sweetie. He just learned a very important lesson about being a good neighbor.”
Well, folks, there you have it. Karma works in mysterious ways, doesn’t it? Sometimes it’s swift, sometimes it takes its sweet time, and sometimes it needs a little nudge from a well-meaning neighbor with connections to a high school football team!
So, tell me, have you ever had a neighbor from hell? A Baron Bigshot of your own? Drop your stories in the comments. After all, misery loves company, and nothing brings people together quite like tales of nightmare neighbors!
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