Dora Sees an Opportunity
When Dora got home, I wasted no time.
“Dora, I’m so sorry,” I said sincerely. “Jake threw a toy, and it hit the TV. I looked up the model—it’s about $1,100. I’ll replace it with the same one.”
She sighed dramatically. “Ugh. Great.” Then, to my surprise, she nodded. “Fine. Just send me the money, and I’ll handle the replacement.”
I exhaled in relief. Crisis averted.
Or so I thought.
Two days later, an email from Dora landed in my inbox—not with her payment details, but with a demand for $2,500.
I blinked. Re-read the number. Checked the sender.
Yep. It was from Dora.
I called her immediately. “Hey, uh… I think there’s a typo in your email?”
“Nope,” she replied casually. “That’s the cost.”
My stomach dropped. “Dora, the TV was worth $1,100.”
“Well, yeah,” she admitted, far too nonchalantly, “but I’m upgrading. And since I was going to get a better one anyway, you should just cover the full cost.”
I actually laughed—a short, incredulous chuckle. “Wait. You expect me to upgrade your TV because my kid accidentally cracked the old one?”
“Don’t you dare laugh at me!” Dora snapped. “Your brat destroyed my property!”
Anger surged through me. “Don’t ever call my son a brat! He’s seven and has been crying himself to sleep over this!”
“Oh, spare me the emotional drama,” she scoffed. “This isn’t about Jake’s feelings. This is about responsibility. And since you’re so responsible, you can pay for the upgrade.”
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in check. “Dora, no. I agreed to replace what was broken. Not buy you a luxury upgrade.”
When Greed Backfires
Dora wasn’t happy with my refusal and, in classic fashion, escalated things quickly.
“If you don’t pay, I’ll take legal action,” she threatened.
I almost laughed again. “You mean, sue me?”
“Yes,” she snapped. “I have every right.”
At this point, I’d had enough. “Go ahead,” I said, calling her bluff. “Sue me for the money I already offered to pay.”
She didn’t respond right away, probably shocked that I wasn’t caving.
And then karma stepped in.
Not even a week later, Dora called me—not to apologize, but to groan about how she’d tried to install her new, much fancier TV… and completely botched it. The expensive replacement she had bought ended up falling off the wall, shattering on impact.
It was completely destroyed.
“I can’t believe this is happening!” she wailed over the phone. “Now I have to buy a new one again!”
I couldn’t help it—I bit back a smug smile. “Wow, Dora. That’s really unfortunate. Maybe you should have just taken the one I was willing to pay for.”
Silence.
Then she hung up.
And just like that, the universe took care of the problem for me.
The Sweetest Ending
A few weeks later, Liam showed up at my door, clutching a hand-drawn card.
“I’m sorry about everything, Aunt Rachel,” he mumbled, handing it to me. “Mom was really mean to you and Jake. Can… can Jake still come over?”
I pulled him into a hug. “Of course, sweetheart. Family fights sometimes, but we never stop loving each other.”
Jake hesitated before stepping forward. “Really? We can still be friends?”
The boys rushed to hug each other, and I had to blink back tears.
That evening, Jake asked, “Mom, why did you fight so hard? We could’ve just paid what Aunt Dora wanted.”
I sat beside him, choosing my words carefully. “Because sometimes, honey, standing up for what’s right is more important than keeping the peace. And sometimes, the hardest people to stand up to… are family.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Like when you don’t let me have ice cream for dinner?”
I laughed, pulling him close. “Exactly like that.”
In the end, Jake learned accountability, Liam learned forgiveness, and Dora?
Well, maybe she learned something too.