My mother-in-law and I never saw eye to eye, and she always tried to get under my skin. But when she pulled a stunt at my workplace, I had enough and decided to teach her a valuable lesson then and there, to the praise of my colleagues and manager.
Yesterday, I was about halfway through my shift at an upscale grocery store where I work part-time when I saw her: Denise, my mother-in-law (MIL). She was strolling through the automatic doors like she was walking into her kingdom. Little did I know that her presence would cause a confrontation where I was forced to stand up for myself.
A cashier in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney
The store’s faint background music did nothing to dull the sound of her heels clacking on the polished floor as she made her grand entrance, dripping with expensive jewelry. Denise had that air about her like everyone should stop what they were doing and admire her presence.
And to be honest, she kind of expected it.
She was in her usual “look-at-me” outfit: a tailored designer coat, big sunglasses despite it being perfectly lit indoors, and a diamond necklace that probably cost more than I made in a year.
A well-dressed woman in a store | Source: Midjourney
When she strutted straight toward my register, a smirk already forming on her lips, my stomach did a little flip. What on earth was she doing here?
Denise had never come to my job before, and at that very moment, part of me wished it could’ve stayed that way forever. The woman had a way of making me feel two inches tall as if her disapproving looks and passive-aggressive comments weren’t enough of a daily reminder that I wasn’t “good enough” for her precious son, Jack.
A man posing alone | Source: Freepik
We’ve been married for five years, and still, my MIL found ways to remind me that I didn’t measure up to her standards. My husband didn’t help much and always appeared to take her side to avoid further drama, saying things like, “That’s just how Mom is.”
His unwillingness to have my back drove me insane! But I love him and believed my MIL would eventually get tired. For years, I put up with her antics and continued biting my tongue… until yesterday. Yesterday was the last time Denise messed with me because I taught her a lesson she’d never forget.
Here’s how it happened…
A cashier in a store | Source: Midjourney
She stopped in front of my register and gave me that fake smile that sent chills down my spine. In her arms were two cans of caviar, the specialty, high-end, top-of-the-line kind that cost more than my rent.
I glanced at the price tags. Yep, it was as bad as I thought: hundreds of dollars for two tiny tins.
“Sweetheart,” Denise said in that sickly sweet tone she always used when she wanted something. She dropped the cans down with a soft thud on the counter and glanced over her shoulder, probably making sure we had an audience.
“I need you to take care of this.”
An arrogant woman placing caviar on the counter | Source: Midjourney
Confused, I blinked, trying to process what she was asking.
“Sure,” I replied, reaching to scan the cans for her, but she stopped me to clarify.
“No, silly, I need you to TAKE CARE OF IT, darling,” she replied, looking annoyed but thrilled to be putting me on the spot.
“Take care of it?” I repeated, unsure if I’d heard her right or understood what she really wanted.
Denise tilted her head and gave me a pitying look like I was a child who couldn’t understand basic math.
“PAY for the caviar, my dear. You’ve always been so slow,” she said as if she were explaining the most obvious thing in the world.
An unhappy woman with her arms crossed | Source: Midjourney
“See, I’m hosting a little dinner party tonight, and my friends are expecting ONLY the best. I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind if you helped out. After all, it’s what family does. And I’m certain you wouldn’t want me to disappoint my guests, would you?”
I stared at her, my hands frozen on the register. Stunned is an understatement for how I felt at that moment. I wanted to laugh, but the words were caught in my throat.
“Denise, this is hundreds of dollars’ worth of caviar,” I said, my voice low, trying to keep my composure. “I can’t—”
But she cut me off with a dismissive wave of her hand.
A woman waving her hand dismissively | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” she scoffed. “My Jack will cover it. You’re his wife, and it’s your job to help with things like this.”
Now, I had put up with a lot from Denise over the years, but this? This was new. She wanted me to shell out hundreds of dollars, on the spot, for some caviar that she absolutely didn’t need, just so she could impress her fancy friends!
My co-workers were watching, probably wondering what was happening. I could feel their eyes on me, the customers in line shifting awkwardly as they pretended not to eavesdrop.
Shocked customers staring in one direction | Source: Midjourney
“Denise,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, “I’m not paying for your caviar.”
Her smile faltered, but only for a second. She quickly recovered, brushing off my refusal like a minor inconvenience.
“Oh, come on, honey,” she said, her voice dripping with false kindness. “Don’t be selfish. You know how important this is to me. My friends expect the best.” She leaned in closer and whispered, “If you don’t help me out here, I’ll make sure Jack knows exactly how uncooperative you’re being.”
A woman addressing someone | Source: Midjourney
That was it…
Something inside me snapped. I wasn’t about to let this woman blackmail me in front of a crowd, in my own workplace no less! I squared my shoulders and gave her a sweet but tight-lipped smile, pretending to go along with her demands.
“You know what, Denise?” I said, my voice a little louder now. “You’re absolutely right. I’ll take care of it.”
Her eyes lit up with satisfaction, convinced she had won. “I knew you’d see reason,” she said, already preparing to bask in her victory.
A woman smiling in a store | Source: Midjourney
I grabbed the cans of caviar and scanned them, feeling the weight of every dollar as it added up on the register. My heart was pounding, but I knew exactly what I was going to do. After I bagged the caviar when my MIL wasn’t looking, I leaned forward and pressed the microphone button at my register.
My voice rang out loud and clear over the speakers as I gave Denise a taste of her own medicine, but amplified…
A woman holding a megaphone | Source: Midjourney
“Attention, shoppers,” I said, trying to keep the glee out of my voice.
“I’d like to introduce you all to a very special guest today, my mother-in-law, Denise! She’s here to buy two cans of our finest caviar, and she’s asked me, her cashier daughter-in-law, to pay for them. Let’s give her a round of applause for being such a generous family member!”
For a split second, the store was dead silent. Then, someone in the back started clapping, slowly at first, but then others joined in. Soon enough, the whole store was clapping and cheering!
Customers clapping in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney
My co-workers were grinning from ear to ear, and even the customers in line were chuckling and clapping along!
Denise’s face turned a shade of red I’d never seen before!
“What the hell are YOU doing?” she hissed under her breath, glaring at me like I’d just committed a crime.
I kept smiling, pretending to be oblivious.
“Oh, I just thought everyone should know how generous you are, Denise. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
A smug cashier | Source: Midjourney
She snatched the bag from the counter, her lips pressed into a thin line. Without another word, she stormed out of the store, her heels clicking furiously against the tile floor as the applause continued!
It didn’t stop until she was well out the door, and by then, I was practically glowing from the satisfaction of it all!
After she left, my co-worker Rachel sidled up next to me, barely able to contain her laughter.
“That,” she whispered, “was the most LEGENDARY thing I’ve ever seen!”
A shocked cashier | Source: Midjourney
The store manager, who’d been watching the whole thing from the back, gave me a wink as he passed by. “Remind me to never get on your bad side,” he said, grinning.
I couldn’t stop smiling as I finished my shift. It wasn’t just the applause or the fact that I’d finally stood up to Denise in such a public way. It was knowing that, for once, I’d outplayed her.
It wasn’t until later that night, when I got home, that the full impact of what happened hit me. Jack was sitting on the couch, his phone in hand, looking confused and impressed at the same time.
A confused man looking at his phone | Source: Freepik
“What the hell happened with my mom today?” he asked, not quite able to hide the hint of a smile.
I sat down next to him and told him everything. I braced myself, expecting him to be mad or at least a little annoyed. But instead, he just shook his head, fighting back a laugh.
“You know,” he said, “I think she might leave us alone for a while.”
And guess what? He was right. My MIL hasn’t called, texted, or shown up since!
A happy couple | Source: Midjourney
Denise sadly isn’t the only troublesome MIL out there. Jane moved in with her son and his wife, pretending to have issues with her home, only to find out she wanted to monitor the couple and ensure they give her grandchildren. Her daughter-in-law was having none of it and retaliated the best way she knew how.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
When the captain’s voice is heard speaking to the poor, heavy woman on the plane, the rich man mocks her. -A
An affluent man becomes displeased with being seated next to a corpulent woman in first class and begins to voice his complaints to the flight attendant.
The instant James Courtney spotted the woman seated beside him on the flight, he knew it was going to be a rough one. She was enormous! With her seated next him, how in the world was he going to travel in comfort?
The woman took a seat, jabbing at James with her elbow as she fastened her seat belt. “Observe it!” She turned to face James as he aggressively yelled at her.
She sobbed, “Oh, I’m so sorry. Please pardon me.”
“Pardon me?” sarcastically questioned James. Or pardon the three thousand doughnuts you consumed to reach that weight?
The woman gave him a startled gasp, and James noticed that she was rather young with a weak but sweet face. He was inspired to scoff, “Lady, you need to book TWO seats when you travel!”
The woman’s eyes welled up with tears, but James was in the mood, especially after noticing how cheap and dated her clothes were and how worn out her shoes were.
“I assume your entire budget goes on nachos and hot dogs, right?” he asked. So you’re not able to afford two seats? The next time you pass the hat, I’m sure everyone on the plane will be quite giving!
The woman turned to face the window, and James saw the tears streaming down her cheeks in the reflection. He said, “Listen.” “I’m sure my friend who owns a clinic down in Mexico would give you a liposuction for a lot less money!”
By the time James felt his discomfort from being pressed up against her soft weight had subsided, the young woman’s shoulders were quivering with sobs. He thus requested a Martini when the bartender arrived with the drinks cart.
In his best James Bond voice, he said, “Shaken, not stirred,” and then, “I don’t know what Moby Dick here will drink.”
The attractive attendant gave him a snide look while pressing her lips together tightly. Next, she spoke to the woman seated beside her. “Madam, what would you like to drink?”
With a nod, the woman dabbed at her eyes. “Please, give me a diet Coke.”
James sneered. “Don’t you think a diet Coke would be a little late in the game?” Though James felt a slight glow upon realizing he’d upset both the flight attendant and the woman, they both chose to ignore him.
While the woman next to him sipped her diet Coke, he reclined and bit on an olive and sipped his Martini. With a shudder, he realized she would eventually need to use the restroom and would be squeezing by him.
Shortly after he had finished his last drink, the flight attendant arrived carrying food. She placed a lovely tray in front of him and another one in front of the passenger next him.
“Are you certain that will suffice?” The flight attendant was asked by James, “Why do you think it would take a village to feed this lady?”
Disregarding him, the flight attendant continued serving the other first-class customers. “She really was impolite, wasn’t that?” James questioned the person seated beside him, saying, “I think I’ll complain about her.”
However, the other traveler disregarded him as well, and James proceeded to enjoy the genuinely superb meal. When the flight attendant returned, he was finishing the last of his wine, and she was beaming.
“Pardon me,” she began. “The captain would love to have you come up to the cockpit. He’s a big fan.”
After being startled, James noticed that the large woman sitting next to him was being spoken to by the flight attendant. She was flushing, nodding, and smiling. This implied that James needed to stand up and give her space.
After guiding the woman off of the aircraft, James resumed his seat. He expected to be forwarding a good deal of venomous emails concerning the first class service and conditions on the company’s flights to the management.
When the captain’s voice came over the speakers, he was mentally crafting some great diatribes. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said. One of us is a celebrity! You will recognize the voice if, like me, you are an avid listener of “I Love Opera.”
When a beautiful voice began singing a few bars of a well-known aria in the cabin, the other passengers began to applaud and make joyful comments to one another. “That’s correct,” declared the captain. “We’re flying with the lovely Miss Allison Jones to perform a charity concert for world hunger.”
James winced as the entire aircraft broke into spontaneous applause. The flight attendant then approached. “Listen up, buster,” she replied in a harsh, icy tone. “I’m putting you in economy if you upset that girl again, no matter how many millions you have.”
James noticed the sparkle in the flight attendant’s eye as he opened his mouth to object. “I apologize,” he muttered.
“You don’t have to apologize to me!” said she.
After some time, Allison Jones, the large woman, reappeared, grinning and signing autographs for the other travelers. James shot to his feet to give her room to sit.
He smiled his most endearing smile and said, “Listen.” “I apologize if I offended you a little; I didn’t know who you were.”
James saw that Allison had the most stunning eyes when she turned to face him. It makes no difference who I am. Never, ever treat someone that way! Furthermore, you’re not sorry. If I wasn’t sort of famous, would you even be saying sorry? I mean, I can’t control my weight, but you can alter your mindset. Give up passing judgment on others.
James stopped talking, lowered himself back into his chair, and remained silent until their arrival in Portland.
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