On Jean’s sixth birthday, my mother-in-law, Jacqueline, surprised her with a dazzling pink bicycle. Streamers, daisies, even a little silver bell — it was perfect. Jean was thrilled, and even I was taken aback by Jacqueline’s rare generosity. But I should’ve known it was too good to be true. Her smiles always came with strings attached.
Five days later, Jacqueline showed up unannounced and snatched the bike off our porch. Her reason? My niece Mia saw it at the party, threw a tantrum, and demanded one too. Instead of buying another, Jacqueline took Jean’s — because “she’s six, she won’t remember.” Jean sobbed as her grandma drove away with her birthday gift. I promised myself I wouldn’t let it end like that.
That night, I cooked Jacqueline a fancy dinner and made a big announcement. We had planned to gift her a lakeside cabin for her birthday — until now. Instead, we were putting that money into a savings account for Jean. “So she can replace anything taken from her again,” I said sweetly. Jacqueline’s face went pale — and dessert had never tasted better.
The next morning, Jacqueline returned the bike — silent, no apology, just shame. Jean beamed as she rode it down the driveway, joy restored. Adam and I stood watching, knowing we’d made our point. Sometimes, the best revenge is giving someone exactly what they deserve — nothing. And this time, the lesson came with training wheels and streamers.