Rachel woke up that morning horrified. In a split second, as she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized what had happened and quickly realized that her mother-in-law Marie had done it. Rachel was absolutely furious.
Rachel wanted revenge. Rachel decided that if Marie thought it was fine to pull these kinds of antics, then she should have no problem if someone did something similar to her. So Rachel plotted a scheme to get revenge on Marie the day of the concert…
Rachel and Her Mother-In-Law Had Some Issues
Rachel was 26 and recently married, living happily in Portland, Maine. While her wedding had overall been a wonderful event, it was also the height of her problems with her mother-in-law Marie. Marie doted on her son to such an extent that she often tried to control every situation he was involved in. This drove Rachel nuts.
Rachel Was Type A
Rachel had a “type A” personality, which is to say that she too liked being in charge of things. So whenever Marie came around and got involved in Rachel’s life, they had a tendency to butt heads. Most of the time Rachel was able to let it go. But other times, Marie drove her nuts and did things without Rachel’s consent.
Marie Had A Passion
Marie and her family were all pretty passionate fans of the band Dead and Company. The band was known for its psychedelic rock sound and improvisational music. Rachel’s husband enjoyed the music but mostly indulged his family’s obsession. Rachel thought the group was awful but she was willing to attend an upcoming concert with them.
Rachel Tried Her Best
Rachel tried her best to get along with Marie. She certainly had no desire to fight with her mother-in-law. But it was a struggle. So when Marie bought tickets for everyone to go to a Dead and Company concert, Rachel agreed to go. Who knows, she thought, it might be a good time. She never could’ve predicted that all hell was about to break loose.
Marie Had An Idea
Marie had an idea. She wanted everyone going to the concert to dye their hair different colors to celebrate the band’s psychedelic style. She thought this would be a fun activity for the whole family. Rachel thought the idea was a bit nuts but figured she could spray some temporary dye into her hair to appease Marie.
Marie’s Strong Opinion
But Marie was apparently not satisfied with Rachel agreeing to dye her hair for a night. She wanted Rachel and everyone else to actually dye their hair, meaning the dye could stay in Rachel’s hair for months. Rachel really didn’t want to go about her life with pink in her hair. It just wasn’t her style.
Rachel’s Husband Goes Along With It
Rachel’s husband thought the whole thing was funny and agreed to dye his hair for a while. He didn’t seem to think it was a big deal for Rachel to do it. On the one hand, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. But on the other hand, Rachel worked in a strict office environment where she would stick out like a sore thumb with pink hair.
Rachel Really Doesn’t Want To Do It
The more she thought about it, the more Rachel really didn’t want to go along with this whole hair dying idea. A night or two wasn’t a big deal but why did Marie demand she keep her hair dyed for months? It seemed pretty odd to Rachel. But Marie, of course, being who she was, was incredibly insistent. And everyone attending the concert had agreed to do it except for Rachel.
Rachel Says No
Rachel ultimately decided that she didn’t want to feel uncomfortable at work for months on end just to appease Marie. So she decided she was not going to dye her hair. If Marie was disappointed, so be it. Of course, Rachel saying no caused a whole situation. Marie was angry and doubted Rachel’s commitment to her husband and new family.
Rachel Is Offended
Rachel, of course, found this idea incredibly insulting. This whole thing was just a silly notion for a concert. It really shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Yet, here Rachel was having to defend herself from accusations of not being a good daughter-in-law. This was why she and Marie had issues. Marie was always meddling and demanding Rachel do things against her will.
Rachel Remains Steadfast
Despite all of Marie’s complaints, Rachel remained firm in her decision not to dye her hair. It felt like Rachel was constantly having to do things she didn’t want to do to appease Marie’s weird ideas. She was not going to establish a precedent of just always doing what Marie wanted. So no matter what arguments Marie made, Rachel refused to dye her hair.
A Visit
Marie was planning to visit Rachel and stay for a couple nights. Rachel figured Marie would probably bring up the whole hair dye thing but had already committed to hosting Marie for a couple nights. Plus she figured with her husband and father-in-law there, one of them would probably tell Marie to cut it out if she started harassing Rachel.
A Secret Plan
Rachel couldn’t have known that Marie had a secret plan in mind for her visit. When Marie showed up at Rachel’s house, everything went well at first. Marie was polite and seemed happy to be there. And she didn’t mention the hair dye thing once. Rachel was pleasantly surprised. Maybe, Rachel thought, Marie understood that there was a line in the sand.
A Sneak Attack
Just when Rachel was feeling optimistic about her relationship with Marie, everything came crashing down, thanks to a sneak attack. While Rachel was asleep, Marie snuck into her bedroom and dyed her hair in the middle of the night. Rachel had taken a sleeping pill to help her sleep that night so she was out cold.
Rachel Is Horrified
Rachel woke up the next morning horrified. In a split second, as she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized what had happened. The shock of her hair being dyed in the middle of the night quickly gave way to the realization that Marie had done it. Rachel was absolutely furious. And more than just being angry, she thought her mother-in-law might actually be a nutcase.
A Big Argument
The sneak attack led to a big argument the next morning. Rachel’s husband told Marie she was nuts. Then Rachel’s father-in-law said it was disrespectful to say that to Marie. Then Rachel said it was totally unacceptable to dye someone’s hair in the middle of the night against their will. The big argument only ended when Marie finally left to go home.
Rachel’s Husband Is Upset
Rachel’s husband was usually willing to tolerate his mother’s antics but this was too far. He wondered if he and Rachel should even go to the concert now. He felt his mom owed Rachel an apology. Meanwhile, Rachel had to go to work the next day with her hair a pink disaster. She was beyond embarrassed. How could she explain her hair without letting everyone in the office know that her mother-in-law was crazy?
Rachel Makes Up A Story
At work, Rachel was forced to make up a story about accidentally grabbing hair dye instead of shampoo. While the people in her office just laughed it off, she was so embarrassed. The made-up story made her sound like an idiot. But it made a lot more sense than admitting the truth about her mother-in-law dying her hair in the middle of the night.
A Decision To Make
As the date for the Dead and Company concert approached, Rachel and her husband had a big decision to make: would they still attend the concert? Rachel thought it was probably easiest just to go. Rachel liked the rest of her husband’s family and did genuinely want to see them. She thought if she just avoided Marie for the night, everyone could have a good time.
They Decide
Ultimately, Rachel and her husband decided to go. But on one condition: Rachel wanted revenge. Rachel decided that if Marie thought it was fine to pull these kinds of antics, then she should have no problem if someone did something similar to her. So Rachel plotted a scheme to get revenge on Marie the day of the concert.
Putting An End to the Meddling
Rachel thought if she could pull off this revenge scheme, it would be a clear sign to Marie that her actions wouldn’t be tolerated. Rachel began to think of Marie as essentially a bully. And the way to stop a bully was to stand up to them. The more Rachel thought about it, the more invested she was in her revenge plan.
The Revenge Plan
But first, Rachel needed to come up with a revenge plan. She had to come up with something that would definitely annoy Marie but wasn’t too cruel of a prank. So she started thinking about all of Marie’s pet peeves. Rachel had to come up with something that she knew Marie would hate. But what would that be?
Marie’s Biggest Pet Peeve
The more Rachel thought about it, the more clear her revenge scheme became. The one thing Marie seemed to hate more than anything else was when people asked her age. Marie tended to either refuse to tell people her age or sometimes even lie to pretend she was younger than she actually was.
Rachel’s Idea
A lightbulb went off in Rachel’s head. If Marie hated having people know her age, Rachel would find a way to pull off a harmless prank that she knew would get under Marie’s skin. Marie was actually 68 years old. But she often said she was in her 50s. Rachel decided these little white lies deserved some payback.
Step One
Rachel now knew exactly what her revenge plan would be. The question was: could she pull it off? The first step was calling the concert venue. So Rachel called them the next day to see if her plan was even possible. Thankfully, it was. It would cost Rachel about $200 but it was worth it just to see the look on Marie’s face.
Step Two
Step two was making sure that the plan was seen by lots of people. So Rachel decided to tell a little white lie of her own. She said that she wanted to bury the hatchet with Marie and offered to get her some extra tickets to the concert for Marie’s friends. She figured this would be a nice gesture. But it would also make her revenge plan even more effective.
Marie Is Thrilled
Marie of course interpreted Rachel’s offer to give her some extra tickets as an admission that Rachel was wrong about the whole hair dye situation. She was thrilled that Rachel had not only admitted defeat but also that she could now bring more of her friends to the concert. Marie thought she’d really won the battle but little did she know, she was falling right into Rachel’s trap.
Step Three
The third and final step of Rachel’s plan also involved a little white lie. She told everyone attending the concert that she was paying to have a special “I love you” message posted to the jumbotron during the concert. She wanted to make sure everyone was paying attention when it happened, which would be at exactly 9:00pm.
Marie Is Excited
Marie was excited to hear that Rachel had a sweet little surprise in store. Her opinion of Rachel was rapidly changing. It seemed like Rachel was fully embracing her in-laws for the first time. Marie was delighted and began telling everyone she had misjudged Rachel. But in reality, Marie was only getting herself trapped in Rachel’s web of revenge.
The Day of the Concert Arrives
After all her careful scheming, the day of the concert had finally arrived. Rachel showed up in her pink hair and smiled in every photo Marie took of everyone with their hair dyed. Rachel still thought the whole thing was weird. But her smile was genuine. Her revenge scheme was all about to pay off today.
The Day Was Going Well
Everything started off smoothly. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, especially Marie. She was bragging to all of her friends about Rachel’s planned secret message on the jumbotron. This played perfectly into Rachel’s plans. Rachel, perhaps either because of or despite her revenge scheme was also having a pretty good time.
The Concert Begins
The concert then started and Marie started dancing like crazy. Rachel thought it was kind of funny that her mother-in-law had obviously had one too many margaritas. But the music was surprisingly pretty good, Rachel thought. And the longer the show went on, the closer they got to 9:00pm, which was when Rachel’s scheme came to fruition.
The Time Draws Near
It was about 5 minutes before 9pm. Rachel was practically shaking with anticipation for the big moment that was about to happen. But then, a hitch in her plan. Marie started telling people she was going to the bathroom and asked them to take a video of the jumbotron message. Rachel panicked.
Rachel Springs Into Action
Rachel rushed over to Marie and begged her to stay just 5 more minutes. She really wanted Marie to see the message. It would be really cool, Rachel promised. Marie sighed and said she would stay then. Rachel’s nerves quickly calmed down. Had she not acted, her whole plan would’ve fallen apart.
The Time Arrives
Then, it finally happened. It was 9pm. Everyone in the group turned their eyes toward the jumbotron to see Rachel’s special message. But, of course, she’d lied about what the message would be. She was about to commit the ultimate act of revenge on Marie and she couldn’t wait.
The Message
As the jumbotron displayed all of the messages fans had requested for their friends and loved ones, finally it came to Rachel’s message. In giant letters for tens of thousands of people to see, the message on the jumbotron read: Happy 70th Birthday Marie! There was a brief moment of silence as everyone in the group read the message.
An Explosion of Laughter
Then, seemingly all at once, the whole group burst out laughing. “Marie, you’re so old!” “I thought you were 58!” Everyone cracked up at the message. They all knew Marie lied about her age and to see her receive a birthday message on the jumbotron made them practically cry with laughter.
Marie Is Humiliated
Marie was speechless and humiliated. She just stared angrily at the jumbotron while everyone laughed. Rachel knew her scheme had really gotten under Marie’s skin. Hopefully it would teach her a lesson. Then, it dawned on Marie what had happened: Rachel had gotten her revenge. Once she realized this, she angrily stormed off to the bathroom.
An Awkward Moment
Although everyone, other than Marie of course, had thought the prank was hilarious, Rachel was a little bit nervous to see how Marie would react when she came back from the bathroom. Rachel only wanted to prank Marie, not make her miserable. There was a tense period of about 30 minutes as Rachel waited for Marie to return.
Marie Returns
Finally, Marie came back to her seat. She didn’t even so much as glance over at Rachel. Rachel could tell she was really angry but hoped Marie would realize why Rachel had pulled the stunt. To be honest, Rachel had been so obsessed with pulling off the prank that she hadn’t spent much time considering the possible consequences.
The Concert Ends
The concert ended. Everyone had a great time, except for seemingly Marie. Rachel had actually enjoyed herself, even just beyond the prank. As the whole group filed out of the venue and walked to the parking lot, Rachel noticed that Marie purposefully avoided looking at her the whole time.
A Couple Weeks Go By
After the concert, a couple weeks passed by without Rachel hearing anything at all from Marie. Then, out of the blue, Marie called Rachel. Rachel’s heart pounded as she answered the call. Marie sounded pretty terse on the phone but she invited Rachel out to lunch the next day.
Rachel Agrees to Lunch
Rachel agreed to go. But as soon as she hung up, a million thoughts raced through her mind. Could Marie be planning another prank of her own? Would Rachel’s relationship with her mother-in-law just devolve into the two of them pranking each other forever? Rachel was now anxious about the lunch with Marie the next day.
Rachel and Marie Meet Up
As Rachel entered the restaurant the next day, she was nervous Marie would either try to pull some sort of stunt or that they would get into a shouting match. Rachel really didn’t want to get into any more fights with her mother-in-law. She hoped this lunch would serve as a peace offering between them.
Marie Reveals Her Feelings
As Rachel nervously sat down at the table with Marie, they exchanged some tense small talk and then ordered their food. Marie then took a deep breath and Rachel could tell Marie was about to launch into a whole speech. Rachel’s palms were sweaty as she braced herself for whatever came next.
Marie Admits How She Feels
Marie then said that at first, after the concert, she was furious with Rachel. But as time went on, she realized that Rachel had only done it because of the whole hair dye stunt. Marie said she realized now that she’d crossed a line with the hair dye. She apologized for doing it.
Rachel Is Stunned
Rachel was stunned to hear Marie apologize. She graciously accepted the apology. Then Rachel explained that the concert prank was meant both to get a little bit of revenge but also to let Marie know that she hated how overbearing Marie had become. Rachel said she wanted them to have a great relationship but that it had become very difficult.
Marie Cries
After hearing this, Marie, to Rachel’s shock, began to cry. She said she agreed with Rachel. She admitted that she’d had difficulty letting her son go. Obviously her son was a grown man now and married. Marie said that she did genuinely like Rachel and that her anger toward Rachel was due to her inability to let her son become fully independent.
Rachel Comforts Marie
Rachel comforted Marie. Rachel said she understood how difficult it must be to raise a child for decades and then suddenly not be able to supervise them all the time anymore. Rachel said she understood where Marie was coming from and appreciated her kind words. After she said this, Rachel stood up and hugged Marie.
They Reconcile
That hug was a huge breakthrough in Marie and Rachel’s relationship. The rest of the lunch went incredibly well. And as time passed, Marie was able to see the humor in Rachel’s jumbotron stunt. In fact, the stunt and their lunch ended up healing the divide between them. From that moment on, the two had a wonderful relationship.
The events of this story are entirely fictional and are products of the author’s imagination. Images included are meant for illustration purposes only. Any resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.