My Stepmom Told Me to Wash Dishes After Her Birthday Party Because I Didn’t Gift Her a Dishwasher – Karma Hit back for Her Audacity

When Mia’s stepmother, Trudy, plans an elaborate party for her 45th birthday, Mia has no choice but to do as she is told, including being a hidden helper throughout the festivities. But lucky for Mia, karma seems to be on her side, ready to teach Trudy a lesson.

Grab some popcorn, folks, because this story is one of those moments when the universe steps in and delivers a cosmic smackdown right when you least expect it.

Let me introduce you to the key players of the story:

A smiling teenage girl | Source: Midjourney

I’m Mia. I’m sixteen years old and stuck in a suburban home with my dad and stepmom, Trudy. Trudy’s been around for about two years, and, oh boy, does she have the “wicked stepmother” act down perfectly.

If you looked up “entitled” in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure you’d find her picture staring back at you.

Life with her has felt like living inside a bad reality show, but no one is filming, and definitely not paying me for my trouble.

A close up of an older woman | Source: Midjourney

Dad stays out of the way as much as he can. He’s the “happy wife, happy life” type of man, except that Trudy’s never really happy. She’s the type who expects the world to fall at her feet and cater to her every whim.

Now, let’s talk about last Saturday, the day of Trudy’s birthday party. It was so over-the-top that, honestly, it could have been a wedding reception.

It was her 45th birthday, and Trudy was trying to hold on to her youth in any way she could. In the week leading up to the party, she strutted around the house like some kind of queen.

A smiling older man | Source: Midjourney

“You’d better get me something special this year, Mia,” she said when she came into the kitchen as I was cutting up fruit for my morning smoothie. “A dishwasher would be nice. After all, I’ve done a lot for you.”

Yeah, sure. Good old Trudy. She’s done a lot for me… if you count bossing me around like I’m some sort of Cinderella knockoff.

A close up of a smoothie | Source: Midjourney

“Uh, Trudy,” I said, adding yogurt to the blender, “I’m kind of saving for my prom dress.”

I already knew where this conversation was going.

Her face twisted into this weird look, like she couldn’t believe I just said that.

“Your prom dress?” she scoffed. “Mia, that’s ridiculous! You can just buy something from one of the clothing stores. Something cheap. A dishwasher is much more practical. I don’t want to hear any more excuses.”

A woman standing in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney

Excuses? I was floored. This woman really expected me to drop all my savings on an appliance just because she “deserved” it. Like, where’s my fairy godmother when I need her?

And anyway, Trudy was the one who convinced my dad that I was too young to get an after-school or weekend job.

“Mia can only babysit kids on this street,” Trudy told my dad one night at dinner. “She’ll be safe and only a few houses away from home. And anyway, it’s not like she needs that much money.”

A woman sitting at a dinner table | Source: Midjourney

So, all my prom dress savings? They were from babysitting jobs that I had taken over the past year.

They wouldn’t even cover a tiny dishwasher, let alone the dress I wanted. But I was determined to still find something that I loved.

Fast forward to the day of Trudy’s 45th birthday. The house was buzzing with caterers, an event planner ran around with a clipboard, and enough floral arrangements to rival a garden center.

An outdoor birthday party setting | Source: Midjourney

Meanwhile, I was in the background, wiping down mirrors, setting up drink stations, and generally trying to avoid all eye contact.

“Jeez,” I said to myself, “are the Royal Family coming over?”

I set up the gin station and tried to leave for my room, hoping that I would make myself presentable before Trudy’s posse of friends showed up.

A gin station | Source: Midjourney

As soon as the guests arrived, Trudy transformed into some kind of Celebrity. She walked around, tossing fake smiles and soaking up compliments like she was at the Oscars or something.

“Mia! Can you refill the drinks? My guests are thirsty!” she barked from the marquee outside.

Of course, I had no choice but to do so. I couldn’t say no. Not with so many people around. Trudy would probably implode.

A woman wearing a gold dress | Source: Midjourney

I did as I was told, floating around like the invisible Cinderella. I was counting down the minutes until we lit the candles on the elaborate cake and the whole day would just dwindle into nothing.

I hid away for a few moments, finally able to get my hands on some food. At least Trudy loved her food, and she had told the caterers that she wanted elaborate meals.

“You’re hiding here, kiddo?” my dad chuckled when he caught me eating a portion of lobster mac and cheese.

A bowl of lobster mac and cheese | Source: Midjourney

“I’m starving, Dad,” I said, eating another forkful of food. “And everyone is eating anyway.”

“Take some time off, Mimi,” he said. “Eat. I’ll bring you one of those fancy milkshakes from the milkshake station.”

Soon after, it was time for the cake. My dad lit the candles while Trudy beamed like a Cheshire cat and did a little dance.

A gold and white cake | Source: Midjourney

Everyone sang for her at the top of their voices, and Trudy blew out the candles. As the party was winding down, she clinked her fork against her wine glass and fixed me with that awful, expectant glare of hers.

“Mia, since you didn’t bother to buy me a dishwasher for my birthday, the least you could do is wash all these dishes. It’s only fair.”

I stood there, stunned for a second. Everyone went quiet. Twenty pairs of eyes stared at me like I was the villain in this scenario.

She really said it. Out loud. In front of all her friends.

A smug woman in a gold dress | Source: Midjourney

“You didn’t get your mom a birthday present?” one of Trudy’s friends, Alexis, said. “That’s just… rude. And sad.”

My throat tightened, but I managed to keep my voice calm.

“Trudy, I told you, I didn’t have the money. Especially for a dishwasher. I’ve been saving for prom.”

She waved her hand like I was talking nonsense.

An upset teenage girl | Source: Midjourney

“Just wash the dishes, Mia,” she said. “Do something useful for once.”

I could have screamed. But instead, I swallowed my pride and nodded.

“Fine. I’ll get changed and started on them,” I said.

I spent the next hour elbow-deep in soapy water, scrubbing until my fingers went numb. I wanted to cry, but instead, I just scrubbed harder, imagining the day I’d finally escape this madhouse.

A teenager washing dishes | Source: Midjourney

By the time I finished, the party was over, and Trudy’s friends were long gone. I dragged myself to bed, emotionally drained.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of Trudy’s shriek coming from the kitchen. I thought maybe one of her fancy new gadgets broke. She had just bought herself a lavish new coffee machine that looked like it belonged in a coffee shop.

A coffee machine | Source: Midjourney

But when I walked into the kitchen, I found her standing in the middle of a disaster zone.

The kitchen was trashed.

The smell of burnt plastic filled the air, and the floor was flooded.

“Mia!” she screamed when she saw me. “Look at what happened!”

A flooded kitchen | Source: Midjourney

I blinked, still half-asleep.

“What… what is going on?”

“The pipes!” she shrieked, flailing her arms. “Oh, my kitchen is ruined! This is going to cost a fortune to fix!”

“But everything was fine last night when I went to bed. What happened here?”

My dad stuck his head into the kitchen.

An annoyed woman | Source: Midjourney

“Trudy, did you really drop all the meat oils into the sink last night?” my dad asked.

“I did!” she said. “I didn’t know where else to throw it out. And the caterers left without taking it. But I did throw some drain cleaner down the sink, too.”

“Oh, Trudy! You’re not supposed to do that! Now look! You messed this up! I told you to just pour out a kettle of boiling water.”

Oil being poured in a sink | Source: Midjourney

My first instinct was to laugh. I know I shouldn’t have, but come on. After everything? Didn’t it just seem like karma played a part in this, too?

While Trudy was losing her mind, I couldn’t help but feel a tiny smirk tugging at my lips. I didn’t say a word.

For the next week, the kitchen was completely out of commission. My dad, bless his heart, tried to soothe her, but the damage was done. The cost of the repairs was so high that Dad announced that they’d have to cut back on expenses.

An annoyed woman | Source: Midjourney

“Except for Mia,” he said. “I have $500 for her prom dress.”

“You can’t be serious, David!” Trudy hissed. “You want me to pay for the new kitchen tiles, but you can spoil Mia?”

“You spoiled yourself for your party. I can spoil my child for her prom.”

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney

And that was how Trudy learned not to cross my dad. But she did change her tune a bit. She allowed me to get my part-time job, and she tried to actually mend things with me.

“I’ll come with you when you go looking for your dress, Mia,” she said.

Do you think it will last?

Little Boy Brings Food To Beggar & His Dog Daily, One Day Boy Sees Dog Barking On His Doorstep – Story Of The Day

A policeman’s son befriends a homeless man and his dog and brings them food every day. Then the dog appears unexpectedly and alerts him to an injustice.At twelve, Brian Devlin was small for his age, and not very athletic. His father, Gary, didn’t really understand his shy, bookish son. His son was nothing like him…
He had been a tall, strapping, boisterous boy, always up to his ears in mischief. Gary tried to build his son’s self-confidence, but the harder he tried, the more Brian seemed to pull away.

Brian was smart, that Gary couldn’t deny, and he had a scholarship at a prestigious private college on the other side of town. The boy was scared of taking a bus, but since the school was close to his work, Gary picked him up every afternoon.
Gary was a desk Sargeant at the local precinct, and by the time his work ended at 5:00 p.m., the school day was long over. In the winter, Brian waited in the library and did his homework. But in the summer, he sat on the school steps and waited for his dad, soaking up the sunshine.

One afternoon, when Gary arrived, Brian wasn’t on the steps. He was outside the school gates Petting a dog. Brian looked up at his dad with a happy grin.
Don’t make assumptions about people before you know who they are.
“Look, Dad,” he cried, then he said to the dog, “Dance!”

The dog hopped up onto its back legs and did a little jig, front paws up in the air and its tongue lolling out happily.

“Isn’t that so cool?” the boy asked.

“Yes,” Gary said, surprised by the enthusiasm Brian was showing. “Whose dog is that?”

“It’s Carl’s,” Brain said, and pointed at a man sitting on the pavement and leaning back against the school fence. The man was in his forties and he was clearly homeless.

A ragged bundle of blankets lay on the ground next to him, and he was unshaven. The dog, however, was well cared for. It was a Golden Retriever, and its fur was groomed and gleaming.

The man shrank back when Gary looked at him, so he said to his son, “Come on, now, it’s time to go.”

On the way home, Gary said, “Listen, Brian, I want you to stay away from that man and his dog, OK?”

“Carl’s OK and I love Goblin!” Brian protested.

“Goblin?” Gary asked. “Is that the dog’s name? Well, I’m sure Goblins’ a good dog, but I don’t want you befriending vagrants, Brian. Do you understand?”
“But dad…” Brian protested.

“Not another word,” Gary snapped.

The next day, when Gary came to fetch Brian, the boy was studiously sitting on the steps reading a book, but that night, his wife co

mplained that half a roast chicken was missing.

“I don’t understand!” she cried. “I set it aside to make sandwiches for Brian’s lunch and now it’s gone!”

Gary looked over at Brian and the boy looked so innocent that he was immediately suspicious. Was Brian taking food to school for that vagrant and his dog?

Gary started keeping an eye on the pantry and noticed that tins of sausages kept vanishing. He now knew that his son was stealing so he could feed the dog and the homeless man every day. Gary felt a pang.

His son, who had such difficulty making human friends, had bonded with the dog. It was a pity it belonged to a vagrant, a man who might be dangerous.

Two days later, Gary got off work early and when he arrived at the school, he caught Brian outside the gates. He had a bag in his hand and he was saying: “Hey guys, I have your favorite spaghetti, Carl. And for you boy, your favorite sausages!”
“BRIAN!” he thundered. “What are you doing?”

The boy looked up at him, and for the first time, Gary saw fear in his son’s eyes. Immediately he felt a surge of anger

It was this derelict’s fault that his son was afraid of him! He stepped forward and clenched his fists. “Get away from that man,” Gary shouted. “Get into the car!”

That night, Gary and his wife sat down and talked to Brian about the dangers of befriending strange men. Brian shrugged it off. “Dad, I know about stranger danger and bad touching. Carl is NOT like that, he’s nice. You can tell he’s a good person because Goblin loves him so much, and Goblin’s the BEST, smartest dog.”

“Brian,” Gary said quietly. “I’m sure Goblin’s a great dog, but you know what? Hitler had a great dog and he loved him, and I’m sure the dog loved him back. A good dog does NOT make this vagrant a good person. Please stay away from him, Brian!”
“NO!” shouted Brian, and he pushed back his chair. “Carl is my friend and I love Goblin! Why do you always have to spoil everything? I HATE YOU!”
That night, Gary made a decision. He was going to solve this problem his own way…

That Saturday, Brian woke up early to the sound of anxious barking. He thought sleepily, “That sounds just like Goblin!”

Brain jumped out of bed and looked out of his window. It WAS Goblin, and he was standing on the porch barking anxiously and looking very unhappy.

“Goblin!” Brian cried as he opened the door, and immediately the dog ran to him. Goblin put his head in Brian’s lap and started whining. “What’s wrong, boy? Where’s Carl?”

But the dog just whined and shivered so Brian decided to do something he’d always been afraid to do before — go to his dad’s work and ask for his help.

Gary was stunned when he saw Brian at the precinct with the dog by his side. “Brian!” he gasped. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“Dad!” he cried. “I think something bad happened to Carl. Goblin came looking for me and he’s very scared…” But Goblin wasn’t looking scared, he was looking up at Brian’s dad and growling.

Brian had never heard Goblin growl before. “Dad!” he asked. “What have you done?”

Gary flushed. “Carl was loitering near a school and he was warned off twice, so we arrested him!”

“But dad!” Brain cried. “He did nothing wrong! He’s not well, he needs help…You don’t know anything about him! He’s a veteran and he was in the bomb squad and he worked with sniffer dogs to find explosives. That’s why Goblin’s so well trained. He’s a good man and you arrested him because he’s sick!”

“He’s not SICK!” Gary cried angrily. “He’s a bum!”

Brian had tears in his eyes. “No, dad,” he said softly. “He doesn’t drink or anything, and most of the time he talks to people who aren’t there. He needs help.”
Gary was ashamed of himself, mostly because he couldn’t admit that there was a part of him that was jealous of Carl and his easy friendship with his son.

He did some investigating and discovered that Carl had a sister in a neighboring state who had been looking for him for years. He contacted Carl’s sister and she was overjoyed.

She took Carl home and enrolled him in an outpatient mental Health clinic immediately. Goblin went too, of course. Brian missed Carl, but mostly he missed Goblin.

Then one day his dad came home with a big grin on his face and a strange lump under his jacket. He lifted out a wriggling puppy and presented it to Brian. “There you go,” he said. “You have to name him!”

Brian started crying, he was so happy. “Goblin,” he gasped. “His name is Goblin Two!”

What can we learn from this story?

Don’t make assumptions about people before you know who they are. Gary assumed Carl was a drunk and a danger before he knew anything about him.
Kindness and compassion are the greatest of virtues. Brian’s empathy led him to befriend Carl, and he helped him find his way back home.