When Mia’s mother-in-law, Trudy, threw a lavish party for her 45th birthday, Mia had no choice but to do as she was asked. This included being an invisible helper throughout the festivities. But luckily for Mia, karma was on her side, ready to teach Trudy a lesson.
Get out the popcorn, folks, because this story is one of those moments where the universe steps in and delivers a cosmic beating when you least expect it.
Let me introduce you to the main players in the story:
A smiling teenager | Source: Midjourney
My name is Mia. I’m sixteen years old and stuck in a suburban house with my dad and my stepmom, Trudy. Trudy has been there for about two years and is playing the “evil stepmom” role perfectly.
If you looked up the word “pretentious” in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure you’d find a picture of him staring back at you.
Life with her is like a bad reality show, but no one is filming and no one is paying me for my efforts.
Close-up of an elderly woman | Source: Midjourney
Dad keeps himself out of the way as much as he can. He’s a “happy wife, happy life” type, except Trudy is never truly happy. She’s the type who expects the world to fall at her feet and cater to her every whim.
Now let’s talk about last Saturday, the day of Trudy’s birthday party. It was so over-the-top that, honestly, it could have been a wedding reception.
It was her 45th birthday, and Trudy was trying to cling to her youth in every way possible. The week before the party, she strutted around the house like some kind of queen.
An elderly man smiling | Source: Midjourney
“You’d better get me something special this year, Mia,” she said, walking into the kitchen as I was chopping fruit for my morning smoothie. “A dishwasher would be nice. After all, I’ve done a lot for you.”
Yes, of course. Good old Trudy. She’s done a lot for me… if you count bossing me around like I’m some kind of Cinderella.
Close-up of a smoothie | Source: Midjourney
“Uh, Trudy,” I said, adding some yogurt to the blender, “I’m saving up a little for my prom dress.”
I already knew where this conversation was going.
Her face turned weird, like she couldn’t believe I just said that.
“Your prom dress?” she scoffed. “Mia, that’s ridiculous! You could just buy something from one of the dress shops. Something cheap. A dishwasher is much more convenient. I don’t want to hear any more excuses.”
A woman standing in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
Excuses? I can’t believe it. This woman honestly expected me to spend my life savings on a kitchen appliance just because she “deserved” it. Where’s my fairy godmother when I need her?
And anyway, it was Trudy who convinced my dad that I was too young to get an after-school or weekend job.
“Mia can only babysit the kids on this street,” Trudy told my dad one night at dinner. “She’ll be safe and only a few houses away from us. And besides, it’s not like she needs a lot of money.”
A woman sitting at a dinner table | Source: Midjourney
So, all the savings I made for my prom dress? They came from the babysitting jobs I’d taken over the past year.
They wouldn’t even be enough to pay for a tiny dishwasher, let alone the dress I wanted. But I was determined to find something I loved.
Fast forward to Trudy’s 45th birthday. The house was buzzing with caterers, an event planner was running around with a clipboard and enough flower arrangements to rival a garden center.
An outdoor birthday party setting | Source: Midjourney
Meanwhile, I was in the background, wiping down mirrors, setting up drink stations, and generally trying to avoid eye contact.
“Good heavens!” I thought to myself, “does the royal family come here?”
I set up the gin station and tried to head off to my room, hoping to make myself presentable before Trudy’s troop of friends showed up.
A gin station | Source: Midjourney
As soon as the guests arrived, Trudy transformed into some sort of celebrity. She walked around, flashing fake smiles and soaking up compliments like she was at the Oscars or something.
“Mia! Can you refill the glasses? My guests are thirsty!” she barked from outside.
Of course, I had no choice but to do it. I couldn’t say no. Not with so many people around me. Trudy would probably explode.
A woman wearing a golden dress | Source: Midjourney
I did as I was told, floating like the invisible Cinderella. I counted the minutes until we lit the candles on the elaborate cake and the whole day would come crashing down to nothing.
I hid for a few moments, finally managing to get my hands on some food. At least Trudy liked her food, and she’d told the caterers she wanted elaborate meals.
“Are you hiding here, kiddo?” my dad chuckled when he caught me eating a portion of lobster macaroni and cheese.
A bowl of lobster macaroni and cheese | Source: Midjourney
“I’m starving, Dad,” I replied, taking another bite. “And everyone else is eating anyway.”
“Take some time for yourself, Mimi,” he said. “Eat. I’ll bring you one of those fancy milkshakes from the milkshake station.”
Soon after, it was time for the cake. My dad lit the candles while Trudy beamed like the Cheshire Cat and did a little dance.
A golden and white cake | Source: Midjourney
Everyone sang to her, and Trudy blew out the candles. As the party drew to a close, she clinked her fork against her wine glass and stared at me with her terrible, expectant stare.
“Mia, since you didn’t bother buying me a dishwasher for my birthday, the least you can do is wash all these dishes. It’s only fair.”
I stood there, stunned for a second. Everyone went silent. Twenty pairs of eyes stared at me as if I were the villain in this scenario.
She actually said it. Out loud. In front of all her friends.
A smug woman in a golden dress | Source: Midjourney
“You didn’t get your mom a birthday present?” said Alexis, one of Trudy’s friends. “That’s just… rude. And sad.”
My throat tightened, but I managed to keep my voice calm.
“Trudy, I told you, I didn’t have the money. Especially for a dishwasher. I was saving up for prom.”
She waved her hand as if I was talking nonsense.
A distraught teenager | Source: Midjourney
“Just do the dishes, Mia,” she said. “Do something useful for once.”
I could have screamed. But instead, I swallowed my pride and nodded.
“All right. I’ll change and get started,” I said.
I spent the next hour with my elbows in soapy water, scrubbing until my fingers went numb. I wanted to cry, but instead, I scrubbed even harder, imagining the day I would finally escape this madhouse.
A teenage girl washing dishes | Source: Midjourney
By the time I finished washing the dishes, the party was already over and Trudy’s friends were long gone. I dragged myself to bed, drained of all emotion.
The next morning, I woke up to Trudy’s scream coming from the kitchen. I thought maybe one of her new gadgets had broken down. She’d just bought herself a fancy new coffee machine like the ones in cafes.
A coffee machine | Source: Midjourney
But when I walked into the kitchen, I found her standing in the middle of a disaster area.
The kitchen was ransacked.
The smell of burning plastic filled the air and the ground was flooded.
“Mia!” she shouted when she saw me. “Look what happened!”
A flooded kitchen | Source: Midjourney
I blinked, still half asleep.
“What… what’s going on?”
“The pipes!” she shouted, waving her arms. “Oh, my kitchen is ruined! It’s going to cost a fortune to fix!”
“But everything was fine last night when I went to bed. What happened here?”
My father poked his head into the kitchen.
An annoyed woman | Source: Midjourney
“Trudy, did you really pour all the meat oils down the sink last night?” my dad asked.
“I did it!” she said. “I didn’t know where to throw them away. And the caterers left without taking them. But I also threw drain cleaner down the sink.”
“Oh, Trudy! You’re not supposed to do that! Now look! You’ve ruined everything! I told you to pour a kettle of boiling water.”
oil poured down a sink | Source: Midjourney
My first instinct was to laugh. I know I shouldn’t have, but come on. After all? Didn’t karma play a role in this story?
As Trudy lost her mind, I couldn’t help but feel a small smile tug at my lips. I said nothing.
The following week, the kitchen was completely out of commission. My father, bless him, tried to calm her down, but the damage was done. The cost of repairs was so high that Dad announced we would have to cut back.
An annoyed woman | Source: Midjourney
“Except for Mia,” he said. “I have $500 for her prom dress.”
“You’re not serious, David!” Trudy hissed. “You want me to pay for the new kitchen tiles, but can you spoil Mia?”
“You spoiled yourself for your party. I can spoil my child for prom.”
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
That’s how Trudy learned not to upset my dad. But she changed her tune a bit. She let me get my part-time job and tried to work things out with me.
“I’ll come with you when you go to get your dress, Mia,” she told me.
Do you think this will last?
A smiling teenager | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
If you liked this story, here’s another one for you |
My stepmom secretly canceled my hair appointment to ruin my prom, but she was speechless when a limo pulled up to my house.
For prom, Emily wanted to do everything she could to look perfect, from her outfit to her hair and makeup. But her stepmother, Carla, intervened and canceled Emily’s hair appointment. All was not lost, however, as a limousine showed up at Emily’s house… but who planned it?
Okay, fasten your seatbelts, because you absolutely have to hear this!
To give you some context, I’m Emily, 17, a senior in high school. I live with my dad, my stepmom Carla, and her son Mason. He’s 11, and honestly, we get along like siblings should.
A smiling young girl | Source: Midjourney
But Carla?
Yeah, that woman can’t stand me. It all started seven years ago, after my mother died of a cold that wouldn’t go away. Before I knew it, my father was dating Carla, and a year later, he married her.
“Your father didn’t waste any time, did he?” my aunt had blurted out on the day of the wedding. “And who is Carla anyway? She’s nothing compared to your mother!”
A little girl and her aunt | Source: Midjourney
Read the full story here .
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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