I’m Poppy, thirty, and newly in love with caulk guns and paint swatches. My husband Chace, twenty-eight, is steady—the kind of man who can fix a leaking faucet with a YouTube video and stubbornness. After years of saving, we bought our first place. It’s not perfect, but every creak and scuff is ours. Our living room was our big splurge—a muted botanical wallpaper with a shimmer. We spent weekends aligning seams, chasing bubbles, and laughing through mistakes. When it was done, I felt proud like never before.
We planned a family dinner to show it off—pasta, garlic bread, salads, cozy and simple. Jess, my sister-in-law, came with her seven-year-old twins, Harry and Luke. Jess is a single mom, and everything with her is a competition—who works harder, whose kids are smarter, who brings the best dessert. I set up a kids’ corner with cartoons and snacks, hoping to keep the boys busy.
But then I heard giggling, not the sweet kind. I found the twins with bright marker swirls covering our new wallpaper from baseboard to waist height. Marker caps were scattered like confetti.
“Oopsie,” Harry said, holding out a green cap. Luke grinned. “Great job, bro! Mom will reward us!”
I called Jess, who laughed. “Boys will be boys,” she shrugged. “Don’t stress. You can just redo it.”
“Jess, that wallpaper cost hundreds,” I said, trying to keep calm. “We spent weeks on it.”
She said, “You bought a house, you can afford to redo a wall. They’re just kids.”
I didn’t bill her. I waited for an apology or even a text. Nothing.
Days later, Jess dropped by with a casual visit. The twins whispered, “Mom said to draw on the wallpaper again so she gets more mad. She promised LEGO if we do.”
I froze.
That night, I recorded the boys when Jess came over again. They giggled about the “masterpiece” plan and the LEGO reward.
The next family dinner, I played the recording in front of Jess.
She denied it, but Chace and I stood firm. “You used your kids to damage our home.”
Jess exploded, accusing us of being ungrateful. She stormed out with the twins, slamming the door.
Family sided with us after hearing the truth. Jess stopped coming to dinners at our place. Word spread, and soon Jess posted a photo of the twins with brand-new LEGO sets, captioned “Proud of my creative little artists!”
We paid $450 to fix the wall, choosing washable sage paint this time. As Chace taped and I rolled, we laughed, tired and happy.
“It was worth every penny,” Chace said, wrapping an arm around me.
I smiled. “Just to see her squirm.”
Sometimes karma doesn’t need theatrics. You just keep your cool and let the truth speak for itself.
