My widowed Mum spent two exhausting weeks decorating a mansion with wallpaper by herself. But to her dismay, the arrogant owners didn’t pay up and even threatened her. Seeing her tears made my blood boil, and those cowards had no clue what was coming next.
What would you do if someone caused your mother to cry? Not just a few tears, but the type of crying that shakes her whole body and breaks your heart? I’m Kimberly, and my Mum, Ruby, means everything to me. She’s incredibly strong, but when she breaks down, it feels like my world is falling apart. This happened recently, and I knew I had to act. Those people who hurt her? They were about to experience a lesson they’d never forget…
My Mum, Ruby, is 59. She raised me alone after my Dad died when I was young. She gave up her dreams of college to work and ensure I had all I needed. Even now, her dedication to hard work is unwavering.
She wakes up before dawn to get to her cherished job and always puts me first, making sacrifices so I can have the best. I’m immensely grateful for her endless love and sacrifices… they’ve shaped who I am today.
Mum has a remarkable talent for handiwork, especially wallpapering. Her installations are always flawless… you should see the precision of her work.
So when this wealthy couple, the Bensons, hired her to wallpaper their enormous mansion, it seemed like a dream opportunity.
“Oh, Kimmy!” Mum exclaimed when she got the job. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement. “Just think of what we can do with that paycheck. Shopping, fancy dinner, a movie, maybe even the play at the local theater for your birthday!”
I couldn’t help grinning at her excitement. “That sounds incredible, Mum. You deserve this big break.”
For two weeks straight, Mum worked tirelessly in that house. Each evening, she’d come home exhausted but hopeful.
“The Bensons seem decent enough,” she’d tell me over our microwave dinners. “Mrs. Benson even praised my work today. Said it was the best she’d seen. Oh, darling! I’m so happy and excited.”
I nodded, pleased to see her proud of her work. “That’s wonderful, Mum. I bet they’ll be thrilled when it’s all done.”
But on that final day, everything crumbled. Mum stumbled through our front door, her face streaked with tears and hands trembling. I knew something was terribly wrong.
“Mum? What happened?” I asked, rushing to her side.
She looked at me, her eyes red and swollen. “They… they won’t pay me, Kimmy. Not a single penny.”
My jaw dropped. “What? Why not?”
“Kimmy, I don’t know what to do,” Mum sobbed, her shoulders shaking as she sat at our tiny kitchen table. “How could they treat me this way?”
I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her pain deeply. “It’s okay, Mum. We’ll figure it out. First, calm down and tell me what happened.”
Mum’s voice cracked as she recounted the conversation with the Bensons.
“I was supposed to get my paycheck today. Mrs. Benson smirked at me and said, ‘We’re not paying you a single penny.’ When I asked why, she replied, ‘We don’t like the pattern anymore. And your work isn’t as good as we’d hoped. It’s awful. Get off our property before we throw you out.’”
I felt my blood starting to boil. “Are you kidding? After two weeks of hard work?”
Mum nodded, wiping her eyes. “I tried to argue, but they threatened to call the police and accuse me of trespassing if I didn’t leave immediately.”
My fists clenched by my sides. “Those entitled jerks! They can’t just cheat you out of your hard-earned money!”
Mum’s shoulders slumped. “I worked so hard, Kimmy. I put everything into that job. And now… now we can’t even celebrate your birthday as I promised.”
Seeing my Mum so defeated ignited a fire in me. She always taught me to stand up for what’s right, and it was time to act on that lesson.
“Don’t worry, Mum. We’ll figure this out. I promise,” I said, my mind racing with ideas.
By luck, Mum had mentioned over the weekend that the Bensons were going out of town. It was the perfect chance for some… payback.
I called my best friends, Jake and Mia. “Guys, I need your help. It’s for my Mum.”
Jake’s voice came through, concerned. “Everything alright, Kim?”
“Not really,” I replied. “But it will be. Can you guys come over? And bring any leftover wallpaper you have. Remember that one with those awful prints?”
Mia chimed in, “Wallpaper? What are you planning, Kim?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Oh, just a little redecorating project. I’ll explain when you arrive.”
When they showed up, I laid out my plan. Jake’s eyes widened. “Kim, are you sure about this? It’s kind of… illegal.”
I nodded firmly. “They stole from my Mum. This is justice.”
Mia furrowed her brow, holding up a roll of dreadful wallpaper. “Well, count me in. No one messes with Ruby and gets away with it.”
That night, armed with the ugliest wallpaper known to humanity and more glue than we likely needed, we snuck onto the Bensons’ property.
“Can you believe these people?” Jake whispered as he found the spare key under the welcome mat. “Who still hides a key here?”
I shrugged. “People who think they are untouchable, I guess.”
Inside, we got to work. The elegant, expensive wallpaper my Mum had meticulously hung was swiftly covered by neon colors, clashing patterns, and even some loud cartoon characters mixed with graffiti art.
Mia stifled a giggle as she hung a particularly awful section. “Oh man, it looks like a unicorn threw up in here.”
I stepped back to admire our work. “It’s perfect. They wanted a new pattern? They’ve got it now.”
Before we left, I made sure to leave a note for the entitled Bensons:
“Hope you love the new wallpaper! Free of charge! ;)”
Jake raised an eyebrow at me. “You’re evil, you know that?”
I grinned back. “Nah, just protective of my Mum!”
Monday morning came, and the ensuing chaos was better than I could have imagined. We heard everything from the Bensons’ neighbor, Mrs. Thompson, who despised the couple.
“Oh, honey,” Mrs. Thompson cackled over the fence, “you should have seen it! Mrs. Benson was screaming about her ‘perfect home’ being ruined. And Mr. Benson? He was on the phone with the police, ranting about a break-in.”
I tried to keep a straight face. “Oh no, that’s awful. Did the police do anything?”
Mrs. Thompson winked at me. “Well, that’s the best part. Since there was no forced entry and nothing was stolen, they couldn’t do a thing!”
I breathed a sigh of relief, then froze as Mrs. Thompson leaned in close.
“You know,” she whispered, “I might have some security camera footage showing three young people entering that house on Friday night. I know who did it! But between you and me? After what those Bensons did to your sweet Mum, my cameras might have mysteriously malfunctioned that night!”
My jaw dropped. “Mrs. Thompson, I don’t know what to say… I just wanted to…”
She patted my hand. “Say nothing, dear. Just know that karma works in mysterious ways… and sometimes, it needs a little help from the neighbors.”
Soon, everyone in the neighborhood knew about how the Bensons tried to cheat my Mum. And let me tell you, people were not happy about it.
One afternoon, as Mum and I walked home from the grocery store, we ran into Mr. Jenkins from down the street.
“Ruby!” he called out. “I heard about what those cheats did to you. My sister’s redoing her house. Are you interested in wallpapering for her?”
Mum’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Mr. Jenkins, that would be wonderful!”
As we walked away, Mum squeezed my hand. “Isn’t it strange, Kimmy? Ever since that awful incident with the Bensons, I’ve had more job offers than ever.”
I tried to hide my smile. “Yeah, Mum. Really strange. Must be karma or something.”
Meanwhile, the Bensons were left with their tacky, ridiculous wallpaper and a ruined reputation. No one in town wanted to engage with them or even invite them to neighborhood events anymore.
A few weeks later, Mum and I were sitting on our porch swing, enjoying the warm evening. She turned to me, a mischievous gleam in her eye.
“You know, Kimmy,” she said slowly, “I ran into Mrs. Benson at the supermarket today.”
I almost choked on my lemonade. “Oh yeah? How did that go?”
Mum chuckled. “She looked like she’d seen a ghost when she saw me. Tried to hurry away, but I caught up. Do you know what I said?”
I shook my head, eager to hear.
“I said, ‘I hope you’re enjoying your new wallpaper, Mrs. Benson. I hear it’s quite… unique!’”
“You should have seen her run!” Mum finished, giggling.
“You know, Kimmy,” Mum added, her eyes twinkling, “I think the Bensons learned a valuable lesson about karma.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Oh yeah? What’s that, Mum?”
“That it comes in all patterns and colors!” she said, laughing.
We burst into laughter, the kind that makes your sides hurt and tears run down your face. It’s become our little inside joke, a secret victory we cherish.
As our giggles subsided, Mum squeezed my hand. “I’m proud of you, sweetie. You always stand up for what’s right.”
“Mum… you knew? How did you…?” I gasped.
“Yep! I knew you did it all!” she said, a playful glint in her eye.
I smiled back, feeling warmth spread through my chest. After all, one can never hide anything from Mum, right? Sure, what I did wasn’t exactly legal, but sometimes justice wears a disguise. And in our case, it wore some truly dreadful wallpaper!”