What would you do if someone made your mother cry? Not just a few tears, but the kind of crying that shakes her whole body and shatters your heart? I’m Kimberly, and my Mom, Ruby, is my everything. She’s incredibly strong, but when she breaks down, it feels like my world is ending. Recently, it happened, and I knew I had to act. Those jerks who hurt her? They were about to learn a lesson they’d never forget…

My mom, Ruby, is 59. She raised me all on her own after my Dad passed away when I was little. She gave up her own dreams of college to work and make sure I had everything I needed. Even now, her belief in hard work is unwavering.

She wakes up before dawn to get to her beloved job and always puts me first, cutting corners for herself so I can have the best. I’m so grateful for her endless love and sacrifices… they’ve made me who I am today.

Mom’s got this incredible talent for handiwork, especially wallpapering. Her installations are always perfect… I mean, you should see how precise her work is.

So when this loaded couple, the Bensons, hired her to wallpaper their massive mansion, it seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Oh, Kimmy!” Mom had exclaimed when she got the gig. Her eyes were practically shining with excitement. “Just think of what we can do with that paycheck. We’ll go shopping, have a fancy dinner, catch a movie, maybe even see that play at the local theater for your birthday!”

I couldn’t help but grin at her enthusiasm. “That sounds amazing, Mom. You deserve this big break.”

For two weeks straight, Mom worked her fingers to the bone in that house. Every evening, she’d come home exhausted but hopeful.

“The Bensons seem nice enough,” she’d tell me over our microwaved dinners. “Mrs. Benson even complimented my work today. Said it was the best she’d ever seen. Oh, darling! I’m so happy and excited.”

I nodded, happy to see her proud of her work. “That’s great, Mom. I bet they’ll be thrilled when it’s all done.”

But on that final day, everything went to hell. Mom stumbled through our front door, her face streaked with tears and her hands shaking. I knew something was terribly wrong.

“Mom? What happened?” I asked, rushing to her side.

She looked at me, her eyes red and puffy. “They… they won’t pay me, Kimmy. Not a single cent.”

My jaw dropped. “What? Why not?”

“Kimmy, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Mom sobbed, her shoulders heaving as she sat at our tiny kitchen table. “How could they do this to me?”

I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her pain deep in my chest. “It’s okay, Mom. We’ll figure this out. First, calm down and just tell me what happened.”

Mom’s voice cracked as she recounted the conversation with the Bensons.

“I was supposed to be getting my paycheck today. Mrs. Benson just smirked at me and said, ‘We’re not paying you a single cent.’ When I asked why, she had the nerve to say, ‘We don’t like the pattern anymore. And your work isn’t as good as we expected. In fact, it’s awful. Get off our property before we throw you out.’”

I felt my blood begin to boil. “Are you kidding me? After two weeks of backbreaking work?”

Mom 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 right away.”

My fists clenched at my sides. “Those entitled jerks! They can’t just scam you out of your hard-earned money like that!”

Mom’s shoulders slumped. “I worked so hard, Kimmy. I put everything into that job. And now… now we can’t even celebrate your birthday like I promised.”

Seeing my Mom so defeated lit a fire in me. She’d always taught me to stand up for what’s right, and it was time to put that lesson into action.

“Don’t worry, Mom. We’ll figure this out. I promise,” I said, my mind already racing with ideas.

As luck would have it, I remembered Mom telling me a few days ago she had overheard the Bensons mentioning they were going out of town for the weekend. It was the perfect opportunity for a little… payback.

I called up my best friends, Jake and Mia. “Guys, I need your help with something. It’s for my Mom.”

Jake’s voice came through the phone, concerned. “Everything okay, Kim?”

“Not really,” I replied. “But it will be. Can you guys come over? And bring any leftover wallpaper you might have lying around. Remember that wallpaper we all laughed at? The one with those crappy 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 get here.”

When they arrived, I laid out my plan. Jake’s eyes widened. “Kim, are you sure about this? It’s kinda… illegal.”

I nodded firmly. “They stole from my Mom. This is justice.”

Mia furrowed her brows, holding up a roll of truly hideous wallpaper. “Well, count me in. No one messes with Mama Ruby and gets away with it.”

That night, armed with the ugliest wallpaper known to mankind and more glue than we probably needed, we snuck onto the Bensons’ property.

“Can you believe these people?” Jake whispered as he easily found the spare key under the welcome mat. “Who still hides a key here?”

I shrugged. “Rich people who think they’re untouchable, I guess.”

Once inside, we got to work. The elegant, expensive wallpaper my Mom had so carefully hung was quickly covered by neon colors, clashing patterns, and even some obnoxious cartoon characters peppered with graffiti art.

Mia stifled a giggle as she hung a particularly awful section. “Oh man, this looks like a unicorn threw up in here.”

I stepped back to admire our handiwork. “It’s perfect. They wanted a new pattern? Well, they’ve got it now.”

Before we left, I made sure to leave a note exclusively for the entitled Bensons:

“Hope you love the new wallpaper! Free of cost! ;)”

Jake raised an eyebrow at me. “You’re evil, you know that?”

I grinned back. “Nah, just protective of my Mom!”

Monday morning rolled around, and the chaos that ensued was better than I could have imagined. We heard it all from the Bensons’ next-door neighbor, Mrs. Thompson, who couldn’t stand the couple.

“Oh, honey,” Mrs. Thompson cackled over the fence, “you should have seen it! Mrs. Benson was shrieking like a banshee about her ‘perfect home’ being ruined. And Mr. Benson? He was on the phone with the police, going on and on about a break-in.”

I tried to keep a straight face. “Oh no, that’s terrible. 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, but then froze when Mrs. Thompson leaned in close.

“You know,” she whispered, “I might have some security camera footage of three young people entering that house Friday night. I know who did this! But between you and me, okay? After what those Bensons did to your sweet mother, I think 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, the entire neighborhood knew about how the Bensons had tried to cheat my Mom out of her pay. And let me tell you, people were not happy about it.

One afternoon, as Mom and I were walking home from the grocery store, we ran into Mr. Jenkins from down the street.

“Ruby!” he called out. “I heard about what happened with those Benson crooks. Listen, my sister’s remodeling her house. Would you be interested in doing the wallpapering?”

Mom’s eyes lit up. “Oh, Mr. Jenkins, that would be wonderful!”

As we walked away, Mom squeezed my hand. “Isn’t it strange, Kimmy? Ever since that awful experience with the Bensons, I’ve been getting more job offers than ever.”

I tried to hide my smile. “Yeah, Mom. 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 do business with them or even invite them to neighborhood barbecues anymore.

A few weeks later, Mom and I were sitting on our porch swing, enjoying the warm evening air. She turned to me, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“You know, Kimmy,” she said slowly, “I ran into Mrs. Benson at the supermarket today.”

I nearly choked on my lemonade. “Oh yeah? How’d that go?”

Mom chuckled. “Well, she looked like she’d seen a ghost when she spotted me. Tried to hurry away, but I caught up to her. You know what I said?”

I shook my head, hanging on every word.

“I said, ‘I hope you’re enjoying your new wallpaper, Mrs. Benson. I hear it’s quite… unique!’”

“You should’ve seen her face when she fled the spot!” Mom finished, giggling.

“You know, Kimmy,” Mom added, her eyes twinkling, “I think those Bensons learned a valuable lesson about karma.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Oh yeah? What’s that, Mom?”

“That it comes in all patterns and colors!” she leaned in, chuckling.

We burst into laughter, the kind that makes your sides hurt and tears stream down your face. It’s become our little inside joke, a secret victory we cherish.

As our giggles subsided, Mom squeezed my hand. “I’m proud of you, sweetie. You always stand up for what’s right.”

“Mom… you knew? H-how did you…?” I gasped.

“Yep! I knew you did it all!” she said, a mischievous glint in her eye.

I smiled back, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. After all, you can never hide anything from your mother, right?! Sure, what I did wasn’t exactly legal, but sometimes justice wears a disguise. And in our case, it wore some seriously ugly wallpaper!

Here’s another story: When an entitled couple refused to pay him after a bathroom renovation, plumber Pete devised a clever act of revenge that would leave their bathroom crawling with regret.

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.