My stepdad, Jeff, bragged about being the breadwinner in the family for as long as I can remember. During every single dinner, he would throw it in our faces that he was the one bringing food to our table, and my mom became a silent figure over the years, just nodding and never saying a word. My siblings and I put up with Jeff’s out-of-control behavior for mom’s sake, until he humiliated her in the worst way possible, by gifting her toilet paper for her birthday and making fun of her.
Little did this man know that he would be the one needing that toilet paper; badly.
“Girls, you are lucky I gave you roof over your head,” he would often say while enjoying in his favorite, rather worn, recliner.
He considered himself “the king of the castle.” The truth was that he did pay all the bills while we were growing up, but that didn’t give him the right to treat my mother as less worthy than him.
My brother, Anthony, lived in another state, while I, Chloe, and Lily visited mom frequently.
But every visit was defeating. We would witness her becoming a shadow of the woman she once was, and it was all because of the constant humiliation.
On the day of her birthday, we decided it was enough.
We all gathered at mom’s place, with perfectly wrapped gifts, but it was Jeff’s gift that left us in complete shock.
In the days preceding the birthday, he bragged about getting her the ideal present, saying, “This one’s going to knock her socks off,” while laughing uncontrolably.
And finally, the present was there, and it represented the ultimate act of humiliation.
As he handed her the huge, beautifully wrapped package with ribbon on it, my sisters and I could sense it would be something that would make us mad, and we were right.
My mom unwrapped it and saw toilet paper. 12-pack. Four-ply. Jumbo rolls.
Jeff started laughing and said, “Isn’t this the perfect gift. Is as soft as you are, and the four-ply represents your four kids.”
My mom could hardly contain her tears from rolling down her face. My sisters and I were fuming, but didn’t say anything. Instead, we plotted revenge, as perfect as Jeff believed that gift had been.
The following day, we talked to mom and told her it was about time she leaves that cruel man who only took advantage of her and treated her like a servant. He never respected her, and honestly, it looked like he never loved her.
She was afraid, but we assured her we were there for her.
Chloe and I called Jeff a few days latter and invited him over to his favorite Chinese restaurant.
The first thing he said when he entered the place was that it was nice someone paying for him for a change.
He ordered his usual, but both Chloe and I knew our plan would still work.
“When are your mom and Lily getting here?” he kept asking, and we assured him over and over again that they were on their way.
Instead, Lily was helping mom pack all of her belongings while a huge truck waited in front of the house. She was about to take everything she managed to buy for Jeff with her hard saved money, including his recliner.
In the meantime, Chloe and I ordered Szechuan beef, Kung Pao chicken, and the spiciest mapo tofu on the menu. Each of the dishes looked like a masterpiece, garnished with herbs and spices that could even make a grown man cry.
“Serve yourself, Jeff,” I said, “if you can handle spicy food.”
“Girls, I didn’t know we would be sharing,” he said with a grin of satisfaction on his face. And yes, we knew he would want to show off and pretend he could handle the hot chillies.
“Be careful, it’s hot,” Chloe said. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Jeff answered and took a bite of the beef.
His face turned red in an instant, but trying to prove his manliness, he continued eating the extremely spicy food.
Once we were done, we suggested heading home and check why Lily and mom didn’t come. “Maybe something went wrong,” I suggested, pretending to be worried.
The house was dark. Mom’s belongings were already transported to Lily’s place while she and Lily waited for us in the garage.
“What’s going on,” Jeff asked once he turned the lights on. “Where’s my recliner?”
“Well, Jeff, that reclined was mom’s, she bought it for you, and now it’s gone with the rest of her belongings,” I said.
He froze. “What!? Your mom would never do something like that, she’s too nice for such a thing.”
“Yes, she might be, but we aren’t.”
Before he could even say another word, his stomach gurgled loudly. He bent forward a bit, clutching his gut. “It’s the spicy food,” he said before he ran to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
It was then that my mom and Lily got out of the garage, just in time to hear him panicking. “What the hell! Where’s the toilet paper?” he yelled.
That’s when my mom leaned on the door and said, “I took it along with your recliner. After all, it was my birthday present and belonged to me.”
For the next couple of weeks, mom stayed with Lily until we arranged a new place for her where she could start her life over, without Jeff, the toxic man who thought so low of her.
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Bored Daddy
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