The warm afternoon sun spilled through our kitchen window as I watched my eight-year-old nephew Jake carefully draw a rainbow on the patio with blue chalk. His little sister, Cindy, sat beside him, giggling as she added a purple dragon next to it. Their fingers were stained with colors, their faces glowing with joy.
“Aunt Kayla, look! I made a castle!” Cindy shouted, pointing proudly at her drawing.
I crouched next to her, smiling. “Wow! Is that where the princess lives?”
Cindy shook her head seriously. “No! That’s where the dragons live!”
I laughed. “Well, that’s even cooler!”
Behind me, my husband Finn chatted with his parents, Charlie and Daisy. And then there was his sister, Nina—glued to her phone as usual, sitting on our patio chair like she was too important for everything around her.
Every weekend, Nina and the kids stayed with us. I didn’t mind the children—I loved spending time with them. I taught them painting and drawing, and they lit up our home with laughter. But Nina? She treated our house like a free hotel with room service and no checkout time. Not a word of thanks. Ever.
Then, as usual, Nina’s sharp voice cut through the peace like a knife. “Alright, everyone! Time to get ready for dinner! Let’s go to the restaurant!”
I glanced at my watch. It was only 5:15 p.m. “Hey, Nina, the early bird special starts at six. If we wait just 45 more minutes, we can use my coupon—save almost a hundred bucks.”
Nina rolled her eyes. “Ugh. So? We can just eat now and pay regular prices.”
My stomach twisted. Regular prices meant $175 or more for all of us. With the coupon, it would be $75 total. “Nina, we’ll save so much if we wait a little. I planned it that way.”
Her face turned cold. “The kids are starving. They can’t wait.”
I looked at the kids. Jake was still adding clouds to his rainbow. Cindy was making the dragon breathe fire.
“They look fine to me,” I said carefully.
“They’re NOT fine!” Nina snapped. “Jake, Cindy! Come inside. It’s time!”
“Really, Nina, they’re happy right now. Just 45 minutes. That’s not long.”
She glared at me. “If you can’t afford to feed everyone, maybe you shouldn’t have offered in the first place.”
That stung. My husband and I had volunteered to treat everyone before they even arrived.
“It’s not about affording it. It’s about not being wasteful,” I said, trying to stay calm.
But she wasn’t listening. She disappeared inside.
A few minutes later, the kids returned… now dramatically holding their stomachs and groaning.
“Aunt Kayla…” Jake moaned. “I’m sooooo hungry. My tummy hurts!”
Cindy clutched her belly. “Mine too! It’s growling like a bear!”
I stared at them, stunned. Just minutes ago, they were fine. I looked up and saw Nina in the doorway with her arms crossed—and a smug little smirk on her lips.
Daisy stood up immediately. “Oh no! The poor children! We must go now!”
Charlie nodded. “They shouldn’t have to wait. Let’s just leave.”
My blood boiled. Nina was using her own kids to force us into going early. And the worst part? Everyone was falling for it.
I turned to Finn. “Can we just wait? I mean, they were fine a moment ago…”
He shrugged. “We could wait, but if Nina wants to go…”
“Exactly!” Nina shouted. “We’re leaving. Everyone get ready!”
I looked at her and couldn’t stay silent anymore. “Using your own children to manipulate people? That’s pathetic.”
She scoffed. “Everyone’s hungry. Get over it! If you can’t afford dinner without a coupon, maybe you shouldn’t pretend to be generous.”
That was it. I felt something snap inside me. But instead of shouting, I smiled.
“You know what?” I said, forcing cheer into my voice. “You’re right. Let’s go now. Dinner sounds great!”
Nina lit up like she’d just won the lottery. “Finally! Took you long enough.”
We all grabbed our things. As we walked to the car, Finn leaned in. “You okay? You seem… weirdly calm.”
“I’m perfect,” I whispered, squeezing his hand. “Just trust me.”
He looked at me and smirked. “I know that face. What are you planning?”
“You’ll see,” I said, and winked.
The restaurant was already buzzing with early diners. We slid into a large booth, and our server, Marcus, came over with a friendly smile.
“I’ll be right back,” I said casually. “Just going to the restroom.”
But I didn’t go to the restroom. I walked straight to Marcus at the computer.
“Hey,” I said. “I need a special favor.”
He raised his pen. “Sure. What’s up?”
I leaned in and explained exactly what I wanted.
He raised an eyebrow. “You sure?”
I held up my phone. “It’s 5:35. Trust me.”
Then I slipped him a folded $20.
Marcus gave a small nod. “Alright. Consider it done.”
I walked back to the booth, heart racing, and took my seat.
“So,” I smiled, “ready to order?”
Nina immediately went all out. “Grilled salmon with lobster tail for me, steak for Jake, chicken parmesan for Cindy.”
I watched her pile on the expensive choices. Her goal was clear—run up the bill as high as possible.
“And for you?” Marcus asked, turning to me and Finn.
“We’ll wait for the six o’clock specials,” I said sweetly. “We’ll just have our regulars.”
Marcus nodded and walked away.
Nina leaned back, satisfied. “See? That wasn’t so hard. You just have to be flexible sometimes.”
“You’re absolutely right,” I said, hiding my grin. “Flexibility is key.”
Twenty minutes later, Marcus returned—with three steaming plates.
He placed Nina’s salmon and lobster in front of her, then the steak and chicken parmesan in front of the kids.
Nina blinked. “Wait… where’s everyone else’s food?”
“Oh,” I said calmly, “ours will be ready at six. That’s when my coupon starts.”
Nina’s eyes widened. “What?!”
“I offered to pay for dinner at six o’clock. You wanted to eat now, so… you’re on your own.”
“You’re KIDDING me!”
“Nope. You made a choice. I just followed your lead.”
“This is ridiculous! You’re punishing me.”
“Not punishing. Just… letting you experience the consequences of your choices.”
She turned to Finn. “Say something!”
Finn shrugged. “Kayla said she’d pay for a six o’clock dinner. You chose now.”
She turned to her parents. “Mom? Dad?”
Charlie and Daisy looked anywhere but at her. They didn’t bring wallets.
Charlie coughed. “No point in wasting a good coupon.”
Daisy nodded. “We’ll just wait for the special. No big deal.”
Marcus returned with a leather folder. “Here’s your check, ma’am.”
Nina opened it. “Ninety-eight dollars?!”
Marcus smiled. “The lobster tail was an upcharge.”
She dug through her purse, muttering. The kids happily ate, totally unaware of the storm.
“You’re being petty,” Nina hissed. “And vindictive.”
I smiled. “Nope. Just consistent. You wanted dinner now? You got it.”
At exactly six o’clock, Marcus brought our meals. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
“Enjoy!” he said, barely hiding his grin.
Cindy tugged on her mom’s sleeve. “Can we go to the playground now?”
“We have to wait for them to finish,” Nina snapped.
I took a bite of my burger and looked at her. “You don’t have to. You’ve eaten. Feel free to go.”
That was it. She jumped up, her chair screeching. “Come on, kids. We’re leaving.”
“But I want to stay!” Jake protested.
“NOW!” Nina barked, grabbing her purse.
As they stormed out, I called, “Thanks for dinner, Nina! Let’s do it again soon!”
She didn’t even turn around.
Back at the table, it was quiet. Then Daisy said, “That was…”
“Brilliant,” Finn said, chuckling. “Absolutely brilliant.”
“I feel a little bad,” I admitted, though honestly… I didn’t. “But I’m done being used.”
“She deserved it,” Finn said. “Using the kids? That’s crossing a line.”
Dinner after that was peaceful. The bill? $74.50—with the coupon. Worth every cent.
As we walked to the car, Finn slid his arm around me.
“Remind me never to cross you,” he joked.
“Just don’t use kids as pawns, and we’re good.”
“Noted!”
Two weeks later, Nina still hasn’t spoken to me. Honestly? It’s been amazing. The kids ask about us sometimes, but she quickly changes the topic.
I’ve learned something: I’m not letting people use me anymore. Family or not.
Sometimes, the best way to teach someone a lesson… is to give them exactly what they asked for. Actions have consequences.
And the next time someone thinks they can push me around?
I’ll smile, nod… and hand them their own dinner bill.