Meredith gets an unexpected request to attend her sister-in-law’s birthday party. Karen wants all of her guests to pay $1,000 for a TV she already bought. Meredith is shocked and angry, and she decides she will not let this go. But can she do something to get back at her bold sister-in-law, or will Karen get away with her crazy request?
“Is this real?” I grumbled as I looked at Karen’s fancy invitation. I had the fancy card in my hands while sitting on my old, worn-out couch.
We were invited to her new housewarming party through letters that sparkled in gold and were written in fancy writing.
I got excited at the thought of going to see Karen’s new house and spending time with my family.
I liked that Karen was always prone to taking things too far.
It felt great to think about partying with everyone, especially since we hadn’t all been together to have fun in a while.
I was wrong.
After a few days, Karen sent me a new message on my phone. I quickly opened it because I thought it might have party information or be a warning.
After what I read, I couldn’t say anything.
For her welcome gift, Karen had bought a 75-inch 4K TV for $4,000. She asked each of us to give her $1,000.
I said out loud, “She’s got to be kidding,” and my stomach dropped. I looked over the message again, hoping I had got it wrong. No, it was very clear. Karen had actually told each of us to give her $1,000.
I got angry and shocked at the same time. She must be crazy to think that we could afford such a pricey present.
I took a look around my small living room, which had an old TV and worn-out furniture. I thought that $1,000 was a lot of money. I wasn’t just willing to give it away on a whim.
“Are she crazy! Do she think we’re rich?” I got angry.
I called my husband on the phone. I told David right away, “You won’t believe what Karen just asked us to do.”
David let out a sigh. “Is that another one of her big ideas?”
I think she wants us to each give her $1,000 to buy a TV. David, get a TV! That’s crazy, right?”
David’s laughter could be heard over the phone. “Oh, Meredith, she was a pain all the time.” You mean, a thousand dollars?”
“I understand. “This kind of money isn’t even lying around,” I said, getting more and more angry.
“Are you going to tell her?” David asked.
I took a big breath. “I need to.” It’s just too much.
After a few days, David and I went to Karen’s new house for the party.
When we walked in, the huge TV in the living room caught my attention right away. It stood like a memorial, and Karen was beaming with pride next to it.
David said under his breath, “Wow, that’s some TV.”
There were lots of family and friends in the house, and everyone loved the new space. Karen was having a great time as she flew around and showed off every part of her body. I noticed that she was dropping not-so-subtle hints about the TV as the night went on.
It’s the best, right? “It’s a 75-inch 4K TV that cost a lot, but it was well worth it,” she told everyone nearby.
I could tell my anger was rising.
Karen finally snuck me into the kitchen after what seemed like a hundred comments about the TV.
She looked at Meredith with interest and said, “Meredith, about the TV.”
“Yes, Karen?” In my answer, I tried to sound as cool as possible.
“Have you had a chance to bring the cash?” “I need everyone to help pay for it,” she said straight out.
I took a big breath. I told Karen, “I need to be honest with you.” “A gift for a new home should be thoughtful and not too expensive for everyone.” A thousand dollars is too much to ask for.
Karen’s eyes got really big in shock. “But it’s a gift from my family!” Everyone needs to help!”
That makes sense, but we can’t pay for it. “A gift shouldn’t cost a lot of money; it should be something that shows we care,” I said.
She was angry and tried to argue. “But I already bought it, and everyone should help pay for it!”
“We’re happy for you that you got a new house, Karen,” I told her strongly. “But you need to know that not everyone has that much money to spare.” No one should force us to spend more than we can afford. We should all give what we can.
Her face turned red with anger. “This is unbelievable.” I believed you would get it!”
I stood my ground and said, “I’m sorry you feel that way, but this is how we feel.”
Karen gave me a mean look for a moment and then stormed off without saying a word. I sighed because I knew Karen wouldn’t change her ways until she learned a lesson. So, David and I made a plan.
The next day, I got my family together at our house.
Everyone squished around the dining room table, ready to talk about what to do next.
“Thanks for coming, everyone,” I said as I scanned the room for familiar faces. “Karen wants the TV money, and we need to talk about it.”
David gave me a nod. “My wife and I have an idea,” he said.
After taking a deep breath, I said, “I know Karen’s request wasn’t reasonable, but we can use this to teach her a lesson.” We’ll give her the $1,000 she wants, but in pennies.
The whole room laughed out loud. “Are you sure?” my cousin Tim asked with a smile.
I told them, “Dead serious.” “We’re going to the bank to get the pennies and give them to her.”
David also said, “It’s a way to make a point about how unreasonable her request is without getting into a fight.”
I leaned forward and said, “But that’s not all.” “We’ll also write notes from the heart about how much family means to us and why gifts that are thought out are better.” It will be funny and important at the same time.
Everyone agreed, and they were all excited about the plan. At the bank, we changed our money for pennies for the rest of the day. The tellers thought we were crazy, but it was worth it. We took great care with the money and made sure that everyone had exactly $1,000.
David looked at me and smiled as we were leaving. “This is going to be fun.”
I said yes. “I hope it helps Karen see what’s important.”
We put the coins and bills in a big box once everything was ready. We were all ready for the big tell. That wasn’t all, though.
On the set day, we all got together again, but this time at Karen’s house. We each had a bag full of pennies with us. We told her that we would be able to help in the end, and she was very pleased.
“Hey everyone! I’m so happy you could make it!” Karen smiled at us as she opened her door.
We said nice things to each other, and after a while, Karen couldn’t hold back any longer. She looked around eagerly and asked, “So, about the TV money.”
I tried to keep a straight face as I nodded. “Yes, Karen, we have it right here.”
After that, David and his family began giving the bags of pennies to him. When Karen understood what was going on, her smile broke.
It made her face turn red with shock and shame.
“What is this?” She spoke slowly and looked at the bags.
“That’s the thousand dollars you asked for,” I told her in a sweet voice. “For a penny.”
She gave me a wide-eyed look. “You must be joking.” That’s not funny!”
I gently told them, “We’re just giving you exactly what you asked for.”
Karen went from being shocked to angry very quickly. “What am I going to do with all these pennies?” This is crazy!”
I could tell they were very angry, but I kept my cool. “Karen, we wanted to show you that your demand was crazy.” For us, $1,000 is a lot of money, so it wasn’t fair to ask for it as a welcome gift.
Karen glared at me and clenched her hands. “I’m shocked that you hurt me like that!”
I said in a soft voice, “It’s not about doing something to you.” „It’s meant to help you understand that gifts should come from the heart, not because you expect something or feel pressured to give one.
When she turned to look at her family, everyone was nodding their head. Karen sighed in frustration as her shoulders dropped. But this wasn’t over yet. I had one more surprise for her.
I got out a small package that was nicely wrapped and gave it to her.
She looked at it carefully and asked, “What is this?”
“Just a little something to remember the event,” I said with a smile.
When Karen opened the box, she saw a small plate inside. It said, “Thank you for Karen’s Housewarming Gift—75 Inches of Entitlement.”
Her face turned red again as she looked at it for a moment.
The family laughed out loud.
Karen shook her head and said, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I could see the corner of her mouth twitch.
The plaque is now next to the TV. I said, “We thought it would be a good way to remember.”
Karen looked at the sign and then back at me. I thought for a moment that she might lose it again, but she just tried to laugh. “All right, all right, I understand.” “I learned my lesson,” she said.
What would you have done?
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