Now that her condition is in remission, she wanted to find employment immediately in order to pay her bills, so she accepted a position as a waitress at a nearby café. Even on her worst days, she never moans and always has a smile on her face.It was just Mom and me against the world when we were kids. We’ve always had a tight relationship, discussing anything from late-night movie marathons to our favorite literature.There could not be a more inspiring role model than her, since her strength and positivity are contagious. It has been sad and amazing to watch her suffer while maintaining her spirit. Let’s meet Karen, the entitled woman. She began frequenting the café every day, taunting my mother and making crude remarks without any justification. Here are some instances of her nasty behavior:One day, I made the decision to go see Mom at the café during my lunch break. She was serving Karen when I found her, and she was obviously acting like a diva. Karen said loudly, “Excuse me,” and waved her hand theatrically as though she were calling for help. “I let my napkin fall. Please get me another one, my dear.”Mother, who was ever-patient, grinned and gracefully gave Karen a clean napkin. Karen, nevertheless, wasn’t done.“Marilyn, is it?” Karen glanced at the name badge on my mother’s uniform. “Try not to be so slow the next time. I don’t have all day,” she said with a snide, condescending tone. I balled my fists beneath the table, but Mom only grinned and nodded. “Obviously, ma’am. Do you require anything else at all?” Karen waved at her and turned away, focusing instead on her phone.I was present when Karen chose to take issue with every aspect of the service at another time. She said, “This coffee is too hot!” “This pastry is cold as well. Have you bothered to look into it? And have a peek at this table! It’s soiled.” “I’m so sorry, ma’am,” Mom said in apology. I’ll immediately clear the table and get you a fresh pastry.”“Oh, and those flowers!” Karen went on. “They’re withering away. Perhaps you ought to bring some from your own garden if you are unable to keep fresh ones here.” Although Mom’s expression wavered a little, she answered, “I’ll see what I can do, ma’am.” The hardest part was when Karen took offense. It’s such a shame when people don’t take care of themselves, she murmured aloud to a friend one afternoon as she gave her mother a hard look. Take a look at her; she always seems worn out. I suppose that some people aren’t meant to succeed.” Mom never wanted to complain or cause a scene because she is an angel. However, things got out of hand last week. Mom, her uniform smeared with coffee, returned home in tears. It came out that Karen had thrown her coffee at my mother because she thought it was too chilly. Seeing her in that state devastated my heart.“What happened?” I asked, patting away her tears. Audrey, it’s nothing. She attempted to brush it off as “just a rough day at work,” but I could see the hurt in her eyes. < “Mom, please tell me,” I urged. She let out a sigh. “Karen. Because her coffee wasn’t hot enough, she tossed it at me. She basically yelled at me and walked out when I tried to apologize.” “Why is her hatred of you so strong? What issue does she have?” I questioned, a mix of worry and rage in my voice.Audrey, this goes beyond a patron mistreating a waiter. Karen is an old classmate. This goes way back,” Mom finally acknowledged after hesitating for a while. Ever since your father favored me over her in the past, she has harbored resentment for me.”“That’s it!” I said, fury trembling in my voice. “I’m not letting her get away with this!” Audrey, please. “I’ll manage it,” my mother said. She spoke in a persuasive tone that was infused with love and care for me. Trying not to worry my mother too much, I shook my head. But as soon as we hugged, I began planning how I was going to give Karen a lesson she would never forget. After deciding that enough was enough, I made the decision to act independently. Locating Karen on the internet was a breeze. Upon perusing her social media pages, it became evident that she was fixated on her appearance. She flaunted her immaculate beauty and opulent lifestyle.I did some research and came up with a really clever approach. I first created a fictitious Instagram account and pretended to be Lila Sanders, an influencer in high-end beauty. The account looked authentic, with a few bought followers and purchased interactions. The next action followed. I began responding to Karen’s posts, giving her praise and gradually winning her over to the false account. Following a week of cordial correspondence, I claimed to have an extra VIP ticket and sent her a message about an exclusive beauty event in town that was invite-only.“Hello Karen! I hope all is okay with you. I’ve been really enjoying your postings lately; you have such a perfect style! 🌟 I’m contacting you because I have an additional VIP ticket to the town’s exclusive beauty event that is being held by invitation only next week. It will be a wonderful chance to network and indulge in some opulent pampering. Given your intense interest in fashion and beauty, I thought you would be intrigued. Tell me if you want to participate! Warm regards, Lila Sanders.Karen leaped at the opportunity. “Wow, it sounds incredible! She responded with a text that virtually sprang off the screen, “I’d love to go!” I informed her that “the event is at the Grand Hotel.” “The dress code is really strict, so make sure you look your best.” She immediately responded. “Definitely! I’m quite excited! I really appreciate the invitation. Knowing that Karen would soon regret even bothering with my mom, I grinned to myself. Karen arrived looking stunning, walking into the hotel lobby with a smug expression on her face. Observing from a distance, I saw her confident manner gradually turning into perplexity as she approached the front desk.Mr. Daniels, the hotel manager, was already waiting and appeared to be annoyed. Pretending to be Karen, I had contacted ahead of time to cancel her actual spa day reservation and tell them she was sick and would not be able to make it. “What do you mean my reservation is canceled?” Karen’s voice lifted, drawing the attention of others in the vicinity. “I didn’t cancel anything!” Mr. Daniels gave a headshake. “I apologize, ma’am, but someone claiming to be you canceled the reservation. The cancellation fee and other expenses have already been deducted.” Red in the face, Karen attempted to defend herself. “This is absurd! I want my money back!” “Unfortunately, it’s not feasible,” Mr. Daniels clearly stated. “We had everything ready for your visit, and now it’s too late to rebook.”Karen was so humiliated and flustered that she had to pay up, which caused the other guests to stare at her with suspicion. She was fumbling for her credit card and I could see her eyes darting around, attempting to avoid the looks. I couldn’t resist grinning to myself. I wasn’t finished, though. Do you recall the staged beauty pageant? I had arranged for Karen to receive a delivery of inexpensive, sticky, glittering “beauty products” packaged in opulent-looking packaging. I visualized the scene playing out at Karen’s house as I watched her exit the hotel. Karen discovered the delivery waiting for her when she eventually arrived home. She was excited to open the parcels and was shocked to find sticky goo and glitter all over her pricey living room and dress.She cried out, “What the—?” while frantically attempting to remove the glitter that adhered to everything it came into contact with. It was almost impossible to clear up the mess, and I knew it would take days to be completely gone. Karen’s desperate attempts to repair her reputation caused her social media posts to plummet. Her once-perfect pictures now revealed a stressed-out woman frantically attempting to keep up her façade. To the great relief of my mom, she even had to take a vacation from her daily visits to the café. But the last straw was when I chose to speak with Karen face-to-face. On one of her regular visits to the café, I strolled in and approached her table with composure.“Karen,” I said in a firm voice. “I am fully aware of who you are and your past actions. You believe that making fun of my mother elevates you, but all it does is show how insecure and resentful you are. My mother overcame cancer and keeps up her hard work every day, but you hold onto small grudges from your high school days. You are just making yourself look foolish with your activities, so it’s time to grow up and go on.” Karen as red as a beet and lost all ability to speak. Having heard our chat, the other patrons of the café gave her a disapproving look. With a swift gathering of her belongings, she lowered her head in shame and fled. Since then, I haven’t seen her in the café.My mother wasn’t overly happy about the deception when she learned what I had done. “Audrey, I appreciate you standing up for me, but was all that really necessary?” With a mix of curiosity and concern in her voice, she questioned.“You’ve always supported me, Mom, putting in countless hours to make sure I’m happy. I squeezed her hand and said, “This was nothing compared to what you’ve done for me.” She let out a sigh but couldn’t help but smile. “Justice in the most glittery, sticky way possible, huh?”“Exactly,” I said, smiling. “Karen needed a taste of her own medicine.” In light of this, Karen, I sincerely hope you will think twice before snapping at someone who is merely trying to make your day better. You are the strongest person I have ever met, Mom, I promise.If you had been in my position, what would you have done differently? Did you find this story entertaining?