As Lila was ready to celebrate her 17th birthday, she received an unexpected and creepy gift from her stepmother: a pink funerary urn. Like the type you keep ashes in? Yes, that’s the one. But that’s not all! Lila learns that her college fund was given to Monica to open her salon. What will Lila do?
Let me tell you, I’ve been sitting on this one for a few days, just trying to make sense of what went down.
I always thought my stepmom, Monica, was the worst, though not Disney villain evil. She was the kind of person who talks over you, forgets your birthday, and calls you “kiddo” when you’re practically an adult.
A smiling teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
But, what she pulled on my 17th birthday? It shattered whatever shaky truce we had.
At least, that’s what I thought. Turns out, things weren’t exactly what they seemed.
Here’s how it all went down.
My mom, Sarah, died when I was ten, and after that, it was just Dad and me. We were a solid team. The type of team that has pizza for dinner half the week, late-night movies, and this unspoken agreement that we’d always have each other’s backs.
Two boxes of pizza on a coffee table | Source: Midjourney
Then came Monica, about three years ago.
At first, she wasn’t horrible; she was just… there. Like a stray cat that never leaves, so you have no choice but to adopt it. Monica moved into our house, took over the bathroom with her fifty bottles of face serums and creams, and slowly pushed her way into my dad’s world.
Monica had big dreams of opening a hair salon, which was fine. I wasn’t against people having dreams. I had my own dreams waiting for me, but she treated me like I was just this annoying piece of furniture that came with the house.
A woman’s vanity | Source: Midjourney
Honestly, I was counting down the days until I could escape to college.
Dad had promised me since middle school that there was a college fund waiting for me.
“Don’t worry, sweet girl,” he told me. “Your mom and I put together the fund when you were five. There’s more than enough, and every year on your birthday and Christmas, I add more.”
A smiling little girl | Source: Midjourney
“Thank you, Dad,” I said. “I just want to study and make something of myself, like Mom said.”
“You only have to worry about your grades, Lila,” he said. “I’ll handle the rest.”
Naturally, I worked my butt off in school, knowing that in a few years, I’d be out of here.
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
College was my golden ticket, and no one — not even Monica — would stand in my way.
At least, that’s what I thought.
On the morning of my 17th birthday, I came downstairs expecting the usual lukewarm effort. By lukewarm, I mean a sad card, some pancakes, and Monica forgetting my favorite syrup. Dad was at work, so it was just Mon and I.
A plate of pancakes and a card on a table | Source: Midjourney
She handed me a gift bag, which was already weird because Monica wasn’t exactly the thoughtful or sentimental type.
“Happy Birthday, kiddo,” she said, flashing one of her tight-lipped smiles.
I wasn’t expecting much, but I sure as hell wasn’t expecting this.
I reached inside the bag and pulled out… an urn.
A shocked teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
A funerary urn.
You know, the kind that people store ashes in. Cold, heavy, and, well, pink. It was pink.
I just stared at it, my brain short-circuiting.
“What the hell is this?” I asked, holding the urn like it was cursed.
A pink funerary urn | Source: Midjourney
Monica leaned against the kitchen counter, smug as ever.
“It’s symbolic,” she said as if that explained anything.
“Symbolic of what?”
Monica’s grin widened.
A smiling woman in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“It’s time to bury your dreams of college, kiddo. Your dad and I talked about this, and we decided to put the college fund to better use.”
“Better use?” I asked, a cold shiver running through me.
“Yep. We’re investing it in my hair salon. College is a gamble, Lila. A business? That’s something real, sweetie.”
A hair salon being renovated | Source: Midjourney
She sipped her coffee like she’d just said the most reasonable thing in the world.
I was frozen in place, trying to make sense of what I’d just heard. Had they really taken my future, everything I’d worked for, and sunk it into Monica’s salon dream?
“How could you do this?” I whispered.
Monica just smiled, a little too pleased with herself.
A shocked teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
“Life’s full of disappointments, kiddo. Better get used to it now,” she said.
Wow.
That was it. I was done. I ran upstairs, slamming the door behind me so hard that the walls shook.
I cried so hard it hurt. What else could I do? Everything I had been holding onto was gone, and the only person I thought I could count on, Dad, had let this happen.
An upset teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
My mom wanted me to get out and make something of myself. And now? It was all over.
The next few days were a blur. I didn’t speak to Monica or my dad unless I absolutely had to. Every time I looked at that stupid urn sitting on my desk, my stomach twisted.
I couldn’t even bring myself to throw it out. It felt like some kind of morbid evidence. Like proof of the betrayal I didn’t see coming.
A pink funerary urn on a desk | Source: Midjourney
At school, my friends tried to cheer me up.
“Maybe she thought it was funny, Lila,” my friend Kira said. “Like, who really knows what Monica is thinking?”
“And anyway, there’s nothing stopping you from throwing it out! Just do it! Don’t overthink it,” Mel said.
Three teenage girls | Source: Midjourney
But still, I couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that Monica was prancing around, acting like she was the queen of the house, while I sat there with no future.
Then, a few days later, something strange happened.
When I got home from school, there was a note on my desk. Not in an envelope, just folded, with my name written in Monica’s messy handwriting.
A woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
Meet me at the salon at 6 P.M. tonight. No questions. Just trust me. -M.
I almost laughed out loud. Trust her? Yeah, right.
But something about the note gnawed at me. Maybe it was the fact that I wanted to confront her one last time, tell her exactly what I thought of her.
Against my better judgment, I decided to go.
A note on a table | Source: Midjourney
When I got to the salon, the lights were off, and the front door was unlocked.
I hesitated for a second, wondering if this was some elaborate prank. But curiosity got the best of me.
I stepped inside, and there they were. Monica and my dad, standing side by side, both grinning widely.
“Surprise!” Monica shouted, throwing her arms up like this was the happiest moment of her life.
The entrance to a salon | Source: Midjourney
I just stared at them, completely lost.
“What is this?”
Monica stepped aside, and that’s when I saw it — a shiny, brand-new sign mounted on the wall.
Dream Cuts: A Scholarship Fund in Honor of Sarah
I blinked, feeling like the room was tilting on its axis.
A hair salon | Source: Midjourney
“What… what is this?”
Monica smiled, but it wasn’t her usual smug grin. This one was softer, almost real.
“We didn’t use your college fund, kiddo. It’s all still there. The salon? It’s not just for me. It’s for you, too. For other kids like you, too.”
I couldn’t breathe.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
“But then, why would you make me think otherwise?” I asked.
Monica winced, putting her hand on her head.
“Yeah, so, the urn thing… That was not my best idea. I thought it’d be motivational, like, bury the past and embrace the future. You know? But it turns out that it was just creepy.”
A woman with her hand on her head | Source: Midjourney
I stared at her, speechless.
My dad stepped forward, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
“We’ve been planning this for months, Lila,” he said. “Your mom always wanted to help kids get to college. This salon is going to fund scholarships. For you and for others in her name.”
“The salon has been my dream, Lila,” Monica said. “But it was never going to come at your expense. This way, a great portion of all our profits in the future will go to the fund.”
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
I didn’t know what to say.
Or what to think.
Just that I felt a warm haze take over me.
Monica laughed softly.
“I’m not a monster, darling,” she said. “I just didn’t want you to think that I was trying to take over your mom’s role.”
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
For the first time in a long time, I smiled.
It wasn’t perfect, but things with Monica probably never would be. But, at that moment, standing in the middle of a salon named for my mom’s dream, I realized that she wasn’t trying to ruin my life.
She was trying to build something bigger than any of us.
A smiling teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
And somehow, against all odds, it felt like a new beginning.
And yeah, I kept the urn. But I planted white peace lilies in it, thinking it would be symbolic after all. And who knows, maybe I’ll take the urn to college.
What would you have done?
Peace lilies planted into a pink funerary urn | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
I Transferred $24K to My Daughter for Her College Tuition, Only to Discover She Never Enrolled — What She Spent It On Made Me Pale
Caroline had been saving for her daughter’s college fund since Angela was born. But after a classmate of Angela’s reveals that Angela is not actually enrolled in college, Caroline must uncover what her daughter is doing and what she used the money for.
Children are always going to break your heart. This was something that I learned the hard way after trusting my daughter, Angela, completely.
A close-up of a smiling girl | Source: Midjourney
Since Angela was born, I have been saving for college. I needed to know that irrespective of what life threw my way, I would be able to educate my child.
“I think you can wait until she’s a little older,” my husband, Holden, said. “We can do it together.”
“You can add to her college fund later,” I said, looking at my baby girl. “But I’m going to start from next month. I wasn’t able to study, Holden. And it was because we didn’t have the opportunity to do so. Angela is going to get that opportunity.”
A smiling baby girl | Source: Midjourney
“Okay, Caroline,” my husband said. “You start it now, and I’ll add to it in a year. The house will be paid off, and I’ll be able to put that money into the fund.”
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
After I requested my neighbors to refrain from parking in my designated spot, they retaliated by wrapping my car in tape. I chose not to overlook their childish response.
Gregory’s life took an unexpected turn when he got into a fight with Jack, his new neighbor, about a parking space. Gregory came up with a cunning scheme for retaliation after finding his car covered with tape one morning. This strategy led to a sequence of unexpected events and a spectacular showdown that caught the neighborhood’s attention.
Gregory Watson is my name, and I’m in my early 50s. This is the neighborhood I’ve lived in for more than 20 years. Since my wife Margaret passed away from cancer eight years ago, it has just been my grandson Harry and myself.
During the holidays, my scholarship-winning pupil Harry comes to visit, but other than that, I’m content to be alone.
The quiet was disturbed when Jack and his son Drew, who looked to be in his early 20s, moved in next door. I felt something was wrong with Jack from the beginning; his arrogance bothered me. But as he started to park in my assigned area, things got heated.
The first time it happened, I tried to be friendly and said, “Hey, Jack.” “I have that place all to myself. It is rather visibly marked.
Jack gave a sly little shrug. “I didn’t see your name on it,” he curtly retorted.
I initially ignored it, thinking it was an isolated incident. But it kept happening time and time again. I requested him to move each time, but he ignored me.
Because I use a cane and have chronic leg pain, I require a parking space close to my door.
My patience was exhausted during our most recent meeting. I was furious when I knocked on his door.
“Jack, please move your automobile right now. I am unable to park further away since walking that distance hurts too much.
After rolling his eyes, he finally shifted his automobile. That wasn’t the solution I thought it would be.
I woke up the next morning to a nightmare: all of the tape was wrapped around my automobile. It covered every square inch. I said, “Are you kidding me?!?” in shock. Who acts in that way?
I knew from away that Jack and his son Drew were trying to scare me into submitting. I captured multiple pictures as proof.
I laboriously sliced through the tape layers all morning. Despite how frustrating it was, I wouldn’t let them win.
I gave my young friend Noah, who lived nearby, a call later that day. “I need your assistance.”
After losing their parents in an automobile accident a few years prior, Noah and his brother Kris were now living with their grandmother, Kelly. She was horrified to hear about my predicament and offered her grandchildren’s help.
“Mr. Watson, what do you need us to do?” With worried eyes, Noah enquired.
I smiled as my strategy came together. “Jack will learn a lesson from us that he won’t soon forget.”
I took a cab to work and stopped at a few stores to pick up some things, such wind chimes, plastic flamingos, and biodegradable glitter bombs. I imagined Jack and Drew’s reactions when they realized what I had in store for them.
Kris, Noah, and I got to work that night. Initially, we evenly dispersed the biodegradable glitter around Jack’s front yard, making sure it sank into every crevice. Even if it’s harmless, cleaning it up would be a hassle.
I added, trying not to chuckle, “Noah, make sure to sprinkle some over by the flower beds.”
With a broad smile, Noah said, “Got it, Mr. Watson,” tossing another handful of glitter into the shrubbery.
Then we planted plastic pink flamingos across his yard in a spot where Jack would notice them as soon as he opened his door. His well-manicured lawn was suddenly covered with a vivid sea of flamingos.
Kris chuckled when arranging the final flamingo. “This will be incredible. He won’t be aware of what hit him.
Satisfied with our job, I nodded. Sweet, huh? Simply watch for his attempt to get rid of these.
In the end, we covered his house with inexpensive, loud wind chimes. A wind gust started as we were finishing, making a symphony of clanging noises that would no doubt annoy him. I felt like I had luck on my side.
Kris commented, “Perfect timing,” as she watched the chimes swing in the wind. “He’s going to go insane.”
We put in a lot of overtime to make sure everything was perfect. After we were done, I stood back and appreciated our creation.
I gave them a back pat and said, “Okay, boys.” “Let’s evaluate Jack’s tolerance for a taste of his own medicine.”
We laughed quietly together and went back to our houses.
I got up early the following morning, curious to see Jack’s response. It wasn’t very long. I could definitely hear a door banging at around seven in the morning.
“How in the hell?” I could hear Jack’s voice in my backyard. I laughed so hard that I had to glance out my window.
“Dad, what happened?” Drew questioned, running out into the front yard as he heard his dad yell.
With a look of amazement on his face, Jack stood on his porch. The flamingos stood like sentinels, the wind chimes made a cacophonous noise, and his yard was a dazzling mass of glitter. He looked around, as if he didn’t know where to start.
I gave in to the temptation of going outside and acting naive. Jack, good morning. Good morning, young man. You have quite the mess there.
Jack glared at me. “Did you carry out this task?”
I gave a shrug. “I have no idea what you’re discussing. Perhaps you ought to think about showing your neighbors greater consideration.
Before he could reply, his door was knocked on. Thanks to my phone call, two police officers stood there looking serious.
“Mr. Jack Patterson?” asked one of them.
“Yes, that is me,” Jack answered, his annoyance giving way to confusion.
The officer went on, “We need to talk to you about some recent incidents.” “We’ve received complaints about you vandalizing a vehicle and parking in a designated spot.”
Jack’s expression turned pale. “Depraved? I didn’t—
The policeman showed pictures as proof. “We have surveillance footage as well as proof that you and your son taped Mr. Watson’s car.”
Jack stammered, “But what about my yard, though? Take a look at this.
The policeman gave a headshake. We’re here to discuss vandalism and parking. We have to take you to the station. And you as well, young man.
I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction flood over me as they dragged Jack and Drew away. There was justice being done.
I was ecstatic. Nobody dared to park there again after I took up the free spot. Noah, Kris, and Kelly came over to celebrate later that day.
Kelly gave me a strong hug. Greg, I’m so relieved that’s finished. None of that trouble was worth it for you.
“No, I didn’t,” I answered, grinning at the children. “Now that you’re all here, I can park in peace,”
Noah grinned. “Mr. Watson, anytime. We’ve got you covered.
“Yes, and we’ll be ready if he ever tries anything again,” Kris continued.
We laughed together and enjoyed each other’s company for the remainder of the evening. With Jack, the nightmare was finished, and I felt peace come back into my life.
I was grateful to have such great neighbors as I watched Noah and Kris joke about.
Harry went home for the holidays a few weeks later. The warmth of family and friends flooded the house. There was Kelly, Kris, and Noah, and we all crowded around the fireplace.
Harry had a quizzical expression on his face as he glanced about. “So, what’s this big story that I keep hearing tidbits of?”
I laughed and patted the chair next to me. Harry, please have a seat. You’ll adore this, I promise.
We took turns telling the story, adding details and giggling over the recollections.
With a gleam in her eye, Kelly offered her analysis, while Kris imitated Jack’s disbelieving look at seeing the flamingos. Noah gave a lively explanation of the glitter bomb scheme.
With his eyes expanding with every turn, Harry listened closely. “Not at all! Grandpa, you actually did that?
I smiled and nodded. “Yes, we definitely did. You ought to have seen his expression when the police arrived.
Harry started laughing. That is quite clever! I wish I could have witnessed it in person.
Kris replied, reclined in his chair, “You would have loved it.” “It resembled something from a motion picture.”
Noah added, “Yes, I have heard they had to pay a hefty fine and left the neighborhood for good.”
“Much better,” Kelly continued. “So, Greg, we can all live in peace now?”
With a pleasant smile, I nodded. We continued to tell stories throughout the evening, reflecting on the past and making plans for the future. There was laughter and love in the house, the type that only close friends and family can give.
In the end, it was more than simply getting back my parking space and educating Jack and Drew. What really mattered was the relationships we had and the experiences we produced together.
In case you enjoyed this story, here’s another one you might find interesting: My seemingly perfect life fell apart in ways I could never have imagined when a strange woman showed up on my doorstep carrying a baby. I had no idea that this encounter would set off a series of events that would reveal secrets, destroy confidence, and completely alter my perception of the world.
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