My stepmother took the keys to the lake house I got from my mother after she died and planned a party there without asking me beforehand. That mansion wasn’t just a piece of land; it was holy. It was my mother’s safe place, her escape from the world, and the place where I made some of my best childhood memories.
When I found out what my stepmother had done, I was ready to let her have it and teach her a lesson she would never forget. But it turned out that I didn’t have to do anything. Karma had previously planned something much better.
When I was twenty-three, my mother, Caroline, died. She had been my rock and my friend, and losing her felt like losing my footing. My mom and dad got divorced when I was a teenager. It was hard for both of them, but my mom never said anything bad about my dad.
She put all her energy into raising me and taking care of the lake house, a small but beautiful cabin in the woods beside a calm lake in Vermont. She had worked hard to keep it up for generations in her family.
When she died, she gave the lake house to me alone. My dad knew it had been her family’s property and that she wanted me to keep it. For a long time, I kept that spot safe. I left it exactly as she had left it: the rocking chair on the porch was worn, the quilt she made was draped over the couch, and the bookcases were full with books she liked. I would drive out there and sit by the river whenever I felt like life was too much. It made me feel close to her again.
When
Denise and I didn’t get along from the start. She didn’t like the lake house because it wasn’t hers, not because it wasn’t pretty. Every time she came over, she’d say how “quaint” it was, how “it could use a remodel,” or how “it’s such a waste for a young woman like you to keep it locked up when it could be used for entertaining.”
I stopped those talks right away. I told her once, “The lake house isn’t for parties.”” It’s something my mother left behind. I won’t let strangers walk through it.
She pouted and acted like she was hurt. “I was just saying it would be nice to share it with others.” Your mom wouldn’t want it to sit around and accumulate dust, would she?
I almost lost it when she had the nerve to act like she knew what my mother would have wanted, but I held my tongue.
Two summers later, things are moving quickly. I had taken some time off work and was going to spend a long weekend at the lake cottage. I went to my dad’s house to get something, and while I was there, I heard Denise talking on the phone.
“Yes, it’s going to be perfect,” she said with excitement. “Oh, you should see a lake home party. So adorable and old-fashioned. Everyone will like it. There will be food, beverages, and music on the dock. Don’t worry, I have the keys.
I felt a chill in my blood. Keys? I thought I had the only keys. I ran into the room.
“What did you just say?” I asked for it.
Denise jumped and held on to the phone. “Nothing, sweetheart,” she responded in a calm voice. “Just having a chat with a friend.”
I put my arms across my chest. “You mentioned a party at a lake house.” My house is beside the lake.
She smiled at me in a way that made me feel good. “Don’t be so possessive.” I thought, “Why let such a beautiful property go to waste?” when your dad told me you were going out of town this weekend. “Having a few friends over, some good food, and some laughter will liven up the place.”
My hands were clenched into fists. “Denise, you can’t use that house.” You can’t ask folks to come over there.
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” she said. “It’s family.”
“It’s what my mother left me,” I said back. “And I won’t let you.”
Her face became sour. “Well, the invites have already been sent. People are looking forward to it. “You wouldn’t want me to look bad by canceling at the last minute, would you?”
The way she talked about it made me want to scream. I advised her sternly, “Don’t do it.” You will regret it if you go into that house without my consent. Then I left before I could say something I would truly regret.
I was frustrated, and my mind was racing as I drove home. How did she even get a copy of the keys? I remembered that a few months ago, she had insisted on “helping” my dad sort through some of my mom’s old paperwork. I had left my extra set in one of the desk drawers at his residence, and she must have taken them then.
I wanted to call her bluff, but I had a feeling she wasn’t. Denise didn’t care about limits or restrictions. She would organize a party at the lake house if she thought it would help her make friends. I chose to go up there early so I could catch her and her guests.
But I didn’t need to after all.
I got a call from my cousin who lived near the lake the morning of the celebration. He sounded both funny and shocked. He said, “You won’t believe what just happened.” “A lot of people are standing outside your lake house.” All dressed up like they’re heading to a posh summer party. But they can’t get in. Someone must have forgotten to bring the appropriate key.
I blinked and then laughed in shock. “You’re joking.”
He said, “Nope.” “They’ve been out there for almost an hour.” I heard Denise yelling at a locksmith she tried to phone. It seems that the keys she had didn’t function. You should probably go watch the show for yourself.
I didn’t waste any time. It was really funny when I pulled up to the lake house. There were around thirty people on the lawn, carrying beverages in plastic cups and looking bewildered and angry. Some people had already started to complain loudly about “false advertising.”
Denise was in the middle of it all, red-faced and agitated, waving a set of keys at the door and yelling that it should open. She tried everything to get the lock to move, but it wouldn’t.
One woman yelled, “You invited all these people without even checking to see if you had the right key?”
Another man said under his breath, “This is crazy.” I drove for two hours for this?
Denise saw me then, and her face went from scared to angry. She yelled, “You!” “What did you do?”
I carefully got out of my car, enjoying every second. “What do you mean?” I asked without any bad intentions.
“You changed the locks!” she yelled.
I shrugged. “Of course I did.” I wouldn’t want anyone with stolen keys to just walk in and disrespect my mother’s house, after all.
The visitors gasped, and murmurs spread like fire. Everyone looked at Denise. She stammered, “Stolen?” No, I… “I had the keys—”
“From where?” I cut in quickly. “Because only I and the locksmith who changed the locks last month should be able to get in. You stole the old keys without asking, which indicates you acquired them.
Her face grew red. Some visitors were already shaking their heads, packing up their things, and going back to their automobiles. Before the celebration even started, it was falling apart.
Someone said, “I can’t believe this.” “She brought us all the way out here for no reason.”
The lawn was almost empty in a matter of minutes, ruining her “prestigious” celebration. Denise stood alone, angry, as her carefully built reputation fell apart in front of her.
“Isn’t karma funny?” I whispered this quietly as I walked by her. “You wanted to show off at my mom’s house, but instead you showed everyone who you really are.”
She looked at me with absolute loathing, but she couldn’t say anything. She knew she had been caught.
Denise never tried to utilize the lake cottage again after that disaster. She didn’t even talk about it, as if ignoring it would make the shame go away. Some family members who went to the “party” told my father the full thing. He didn’t divorce her, but their relationship was never the same after that.
I didn’t need to teach her a lesson, though. In the most poetic way possible, karma had done it for me. She wanted to take my mother’s heritage to make herself look better, but in the end, all she did was show that she was a thief and a liar.
I believed that was exactly what my mom would have wanted.
