My mother-in-law and I had never met, and she always tried to get under my skin. But when she pulled a stunt at my workplace, I’d had enough, and I decided to teach her a valuable lesson right then and there, to the praise of my colleagues and manager.
Yesterday, I was halfway to my shift at the upscale grocery store where I work part-time when I saw her: Denise, my mother-in-law (MIL). She walked through the automatic doors as if she were entering her kingdom. I had no idea that her presence would lead to a confrontation in which I would have to stand up for myself.
The soft background music in the store did nothing to drown out the click of her heels on the polished floor as she made her grand entrance, sparkling with expensive jewellery. Denise exuded an aura that demanded everyone stop and admire her presence.
And, to be honest, she expected it.
She was wearing her usual ‘look at me’ outfit: a custom-made designer coat, large sunglasses, even though the lighting in the room was perfect, and a diamond necklace that probably cost more than I earned in a year.
When she walked straight up to my register with a smirk on her lips, my stomach did a little flip. What was she doing here?
Denise had never come to my workplace before, and at that moment, part of me wished it would always be that way. This woman had a way of making me feel two inches taller, as if her disapproving glances and passive-aggressive comments weren’t enough of a daily reminder that I wasn’t ‘good enough’ for her precious son Jack.
We’ve been married for five years, and my mother still found ways to remind me that I didn’t meet her standards. My husband wasn’t much help and always took her side to avoid further drama, saying things like, ‘That’s just how Mum is.’
His unwillingness to defend me drove me crazy! But I loved him and believed that my mother would eventually tire of it. For years, I put up with her antics and continued to bite my tongue… until yesterday. Yesterday, Denise mocked me for the last time because I taught her a lesson she will never forget.
Here’s how it happened…
She stopped in front of my cash register and gave me such a fake smile that it sent shivers down my spine. In her hands were two jars of caviar — the brand name, elite, top-of-the-line kind that costs more than my rent.
I glanced at the price tags. Yes, it was as bad as I thought: hundreds of dollars for two tiny jars.
‘Darling,’ Denise said in that sickeningly sweet tone she always used when she wanted something. She placed the jars on the counter with a soft thud and glanced over her shoulder, apparently checking to see if we had any spectators.
‘I need you to take care of this.’
Confused, I blinked, trying to understand what she was asking.
‘Of course,’ I replied, reaching out to scan the cans for her, but she stopped me to clarify.
‘No, silly, I need you to take care of this, dear,’ she replied, looking annoyed but pleased that she had stumped me.
‘Take care of it?’ I repeated, unsure if I had heard her correctly or understood what she really wanted.
Denise tilted her head and gave me a pitying look, as if I were a child incapable of understanding basic math.
‘Pay for the caviar, dear. You’ve always been so slow,’ she said, as if explaining the most obvious thing in the world.
‘You see, I’m hosting a small dinner party tonight, and my friends expect only the best. I’m sure Jack won’t mind if you help out. After all, that’s what family does. And I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to disappoint my guests, would you?’
I stared at her, my hands frozen on the cash register. Stunned is an understatement for how I felt at that moment. I wanted to laugh, but the words stuck in my throat.
‘Denise, this caviar costs hundreds of dollars,’ I said in a low voice, trying to maintain my composure. ‘I can’t…’
But she cut me off with a dismissive wave of her hand.
‘Oh, don’t be so dramatic,’ she said mockingly. “My Jack will cover it all. You’re his wife, and it’s your job to help with things like this.”
I had put up with a lot from Denise over the years, but this? This was something new. She wanted me to shell out hundreds of dollars on the spot for caviar she didn’t need, just to impress her fashionable friends!
My colleagues watched the scene unfold, probably wondering what was going on. I could feel their eyes on me, and the customers in line shifted uncomfortably, pretending not to be eavesdropping.
‘Denise,’ I said, trying to keep my voice steady, ‘I’m not going to pay for your caviar.’
Her smile faltered, but only for a second. She quickly recovered, brushing off my refusal as if it were a minor inconvenience.
‘Come on, sweetie,’ she said, her voice sounding falsely kind. “Don’t be selfish. You know how important this is to me. My friends expect the best from you.‘ She leaned closer and whispered, ’If you don’t help me, I’ll make sure Jack knows how unwilling you are to cooperate.”
That was it…
Something inside me clicked. I wasn’t going to let this woman blackmail me in front of a crowd, especially at my own workplace! I squared my shoulders and gave her a sweet but forced smile, pretending to agree to her demands.
‘You know what, Denise?’ I said, my voice now a little louder. ‘You’re absolutely right. I’ll take care of it.’
Her eyes lit up with satisfaction, certain she had won. ‘I knew you’d understand,’ she said, already preparing to enjoy her victory.
I grabbed the jars of caviar and scanned them, feeling the weight of each dollar as it added up at the register. My heart was pounding, but I knew exactly what I was going to do. After I packed the caviar when my mother wasn’t looking, I leaned forward and pressed the microphone button on the register.
My voice boomed loudly and clearly from the speakers as I gave Denise a taste of her own medicine, but amplified…
‘Attention, shoppers,’ I said, trying not to let the glee show in my voice.
‘Today I want to introduce you to a special guest — my mother-in-law, Denise! She came to buy two jars of our best caviar and asked me, her cashier daughter-in-law, to pay for them. Let’s give her a round of applause for being such a generous member of the family!’
For a split second, the store fell silent. Then someone in the back started clapping, slowly at first, but then others joined in. Soon the whole store was clapping and cheering!
My colleagues were grinning from ear to ear, and even the customers in the queue were giggling and clapping along with them!
Denise’s face turned a shade of red I had never seen before!
‘What the hell are you doing?’ she hissed, looking at me as if I had just committed a crime.
I kept smiling, pretending not to notice.
‘Oh, I just thought everyone should know how generous you are, Denise. Isn’t that what you wanted?’
She grabbed her bag from the counter, her lips pressed into a thin line. Without another word, she stormed out of the shop, her heels clicking furiously on the tiled floor as the applause continued!
It didn’t stop until she was out the door, and by then I was practically beaming with delight!
When she left, my colleague Rachel came over to me, barely able to contain her laughter.
‘That,’ she whispered, ‘was the most LEGENDARY thing I’ve ever seen!’
The store manager, who had been watching the whole thing from the back, winked at me as he walked by. ‘Remind me never to cross your path,’ he said with a grin.
I couldn’t stop smiling as I finished my shift. It wasn’t just the applause or the fact that I had finally stood up to Denise so openly. It was the fact that, for once, I had outplayed her.
It wasn’t until later, when I got home, that the full meaning of what had happened dawned on me. Jack was sitting on the sofa with his phone in his hand, looking confused and impressed at the same time.
‘What the hell happened to my mother today?’ he asked, unable to hide a hint of a smile.
I sat down next to him and told him everything. I braced myself, expecting him to be angry or at least a little annoyed. But instead, he just shook his head, trying to stifle a laugh.
‘You know,’ he said, ‘I think she might leave us alone for a while.’
And you know what? He was right. Since then, my mother hasn’t called, written or shown up!
Unfortunately, Denise isn’t the only problematic couple. Jane moved in with her son and his wife, pretending she had problems with her house, but then it turned out that she wanted to keep an eye on the couple and make sure they gave her grandchildren. The daughter-in-law didn’t like it and took revenge in her own way.
