Miranda, a hardworking young Mexican woman, faces a challenge when her ex tries to humiliate her at her job. Miranda is scared to act because her job is at stake, but the pain her ex caused pushes her. Despite the risk of losing her employment, she finds a way to make him pay for his actions.
Miranda’s breakup with her ex had been a public affair, which had plunged her into depression. As an immigrant trying to build a life in a new country, she knew she had to keep working to keep herself afloat. But it seemed like her problems never ended. One day, she was late to her job at the restaurant again and had to explain the situation to her boss, Michael, in the restaurant kitchen.
“I’m really sorry for being late again, Michael. A lot has been happening… my boyfriend and I broke up, and everyone knows about it,” Miranda said quietly.
“Miranda, what happens in your life is your thing, but it’s a problem for me if it messes with your work. I need you here on time, ready to work. This is your final warning,” Michael said seriously.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
Miranda said she’d do better, but things got harder when she saw her ex, Colin, and his girlfriend Leslie, at a table in the restaurant. She asked Michael if she could avoid serving them, but he said no, pointing out the need to stay professional.
“We all have tough stuff to deal with, Miranda. We’re short on people, and I need you to do your job, not run away,” Michael said, not even looking at her.
Miranda had no choice but to serve Colin and Leslie, who were rude and made mean jokes about where she was from.
“Look who we have here, Miranda, serving tables. I guess people from your background really do find their calling in the service industry, huh?” Colin said in a nasty way.
Miranda managed a strained smile and asked if they were ready to order, hiding her turmoil.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
Right then, Colin dropped his fork deliberately, forcing Miranda to retrieve it.
And as Miranda did that, Leslie laughed loudly and clapped. “Look at Miranda! She’s good at picking things up!”
Now, everyone was looking at her, making Miranda feel even worse. She gave the fork back to Colin with a barely steady hand. “Thanks,” Colin said, but he clearly didn’t mean it. “You’re such a team player.”
Miranda tried to stay calm and quickly brought their order, Mexican stew, hoping they would stop being mean. But Colin said the stew wasn’t spicy enough and made a mess by flipping his plate. The mess got all over Miranda’s clothes.
“It’s okay,” she said, trying not to sound upset while she cleaned up. But Leslie kept laughing, and people watched her. So many eyes on her completely shattered the confidence and strength Miranda had tried to muster until now.
She could no longer hold those tears that were welling up in her eyes. She had to go to the kitchen and hide in a corner, and she was so upset she started crying.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
As she broke down into sobs, a voice distracted her. “Here, take this,” it said.
Miranda looked up to see Chef Robert holding a kitchen towel. She knew he was a kind man who helped all his colleagues. Something about his presence made her cry harder as she accepted the towel.
“Look, I don’t want to interfere in your personal life, but you’re stronger than you think, Miranda. You’ve got a spirit that’s much bigger than the problems you’re facing.”
Miranda sniffled, knowing she really needed someone to talk to, so she opened up to Chef Robert. And like a gentleman, he listened as she spoke about her early days with Colin and recalled the time that ruined everything for her. That one time, Colin really wanted to go to a party with her, but she was worried about her schoolwork.
Miranda, Colin, and Leslie were college mates.
“I really should study, Colin,” she had told him. “My grades aren’t looking too good.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
But Colin shook his head, refusing to accept her no as an answer. “Come on, Miranda. You’re smart, and you work so hard. One night off won’t hurt. Please come with me.”
Miranda was stuck. She liked the idea of spending time with Colin but knew she should study. “Let me think about it. I’ll tell you tonight,” she told him finally.
After they kissed and Colin promised her a fun night, Miranda went back to her room feeling excited but also a bit stressed. As soon as she walked in, her roommate — none other than Leslie — interrupted her.
“What’s going on, Miranda? You look so happy. And where did those flowers come from?” she asked. If only Miranda knew the girl was a wolf in sheep’s clothing…
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“It’s Colin. He’s been so sweet, and I really like him. He invited me to a party, but I’m worried about my exams.”
“Miranda, you’ve got to enjoy life too. Don’t miss out because of exams!” Leslie said. “Come on, this is the time to have fun!”
“Les, I really need to study.”
“You’re a smart cookie, Miranda. Taking one night off won’t mess up your future. Have fun at the party with Colin. Trust me, and GO!”
Feeling a bit more confident that one night wouldn’t hurt her studies, Miranda decided to accept Colin’s invite and called him. “I’ll be there, Colin. This night is important to you, so it’s important to me too,” she said.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
But that night, when Miranda walked into the loud club where the party was, she felt a bit out of place. Colin noticed and handed her a drink, “Here, drink this. It’ll make you feel better.”
Miranda couldn’t say no. As the alcohol kicked in, she forgot about all her worries, enjoying the music and dancing, feeling really free.
The next morning, Miranda woke up in a strange place, her clothes all over the floor. She was scared to find herself undressed, around other girls and boys, also barely dressed, just sleeping around.
As she remembered bits and pieces of the night with Colin, a chill ran down her spine. She quickly called a taxi to go back to her college dorm, worried about what others would think if they found her like that.
Back at college, everyone was whispering and looking at her. Miranda had no idea why.
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She was feeling upset and lonely and really wanted to talk to Leslie, but Leslie wasn’t there. Neither Leslie nor Colin answered her calls. Then, the college dean called her, upset about some embarrassing videos and photos, and mentioned that she would be expelled.
Miranda was devastated and went to find Colin for help. But when she found him, he was with Leslie, and they were both laughing meanly.
“Look who’s here,” Colin sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. “Came running back to me, Miranda? Thought I could fix your little problem?”
Leslie’s grin was just as mocking. “Oh, Miranda, did you really think Colin was interested in you? It was all a bet,” she revealed. “Two weeks. That’s all it took for him to get you to play the fool. And now, look at you, practically begging for his help.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
Miranda felt so hurt and alone as she listened to them laugh at her. She knew they had tricked her and she had lost so much, but she also felt a spark of determination to overcome this.
After sharing the details of her past that brought her to this restaurant as a waitress, Miranda decided she wanted revenge on Colin and Leslie. “Robert, can you help me? Make their food super spicy, just once?” she asked.
Robert was unsure, worrying about the restaurant’s image, but Miranda was firm. “I really need this,” she said. “Please, do this for once?”
Robert didn’t want to do that, but somewhere, he, too, felt people like Leslie and Colin deserved a taste of their medicine. “Alright, Miranda. But let’s keep it low-key,” he suggested.
Miranda mixed up a spicy sauce, not thinking about what might happen to her if her plan was exposed. She was just focused on getting even. “Use this,” she said, giving Robert a sauce-soaked napkin.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
When Colin and Leslie got their food, Leslie mocked her again. “This is spicy? This is what you called a SPICY Mexican stew?” she sneered.
Right then, Colin wiped his mouth with the napkin and was hit by the strong spice. His skin flared a deep red as if he’d been slapped by the very essence of the spice, and his breaths became shallow, desperate gasps.
“Colin, breathe, just try to breathe,” Leslie urged, patting his back. However, when people at the restaurant began to stare and laugh, Leslie’s cheeks flushed red with shame. She realized she had been mean to Leslie, and now, others found amusement in her and Colin’s predicament.
Unable to handle the embarrassment, she blurted out, “This is unbearable! We’re finished!” and quickly left.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
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Miranda observed the scene quietly, a hint of a smile on her face. She remembered how they had deceived her, thinking they would be happy together. It seemed fate had other ideas.
Though in pain, Colin loudly yelled that Miranda should lose her job, claiming Miranda ‘messed with his dish,’ and it was then that Michael stepped in with a cool head. He tried the stew and didn’t see any problems. “This dish is perfectly fine, sir. There’s nothing wrong with it,” he declared, spotting the spicy-saturated napkin but discreetly concealing it.
“Also, Miranda’s been with us for a long time. She wouldn’t mess up a meal on purpose,” he said, taking Miranda’s side. At that point, Miranda exchanged a silent look of understanding with her boss, grateful for his help.
Colin looked around for someone to agree with him but found no one. Leslie was gone, and the other customers just watched.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
Then, Michael gave Colin some friendly advice. “You know, Colin, sometimes the heat comes not from the food but from how we act towards others. Maybe think about that, okay?”
Colin was speechless, and Miranda felt a wave of satisfaction. She had found a smart and strong way to stand up for herself and witnessed how empathy and understanding united people.
Michael’s choice to stand up for her and teach Colin about being humble and respectful showed her that even in tough times, there are friends all around.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Shutterstock
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My Husband Insisted on Homeschooling Our Daughter — I Gasped When I Found Out Why
When Mia’s husband, Ben, suddenly starts talking about homeschooling their six-year-old daughter, Lily, she’s surprised. Months earlier, they had been talking about sending the little girl to private school. So, what changed? Mia finds out when she overhears a conversation between Ben and Lily…
This all started a few months ago at a dinner party. My husband, Ben, and I were sitting with a few friends when, out of the blue, he brought up the idea of homeschooling our daughter, Lily.
An aerial view of people at a dinner party | Source: Midjourney
“It’s the system, you know? It’s too rigid, too focused on tests,” Ben said, leaning forward in his seat like he had discovered the secret to the universe.
“Kids need to be free to explore their creativity. I don’t want Lily’s imagination boxed in. She needs to feel things between her fingers and experience life,” he continued.
Ben reached forward to help himself to the bowl of mashed potatoes.
A casserole of mashed potatoes | Source: Midjourney
Everyone at the table nodded, murmuring in agreement.
“Honestly, that’s so true,” our friend Sarah chimed in as she sipped her wine. “Schools just kill creativity. I wish I had done something different with my kids. Last year, Jasmine wanted to show off her creativity through her uniform, but they didn’t accept it at school. She got a suspension warning.”
I remember glancing at Ben, completely surprised at how passionately he was speaking. He had never once mentioned anything about homeschooling before. In fact, he had been talking about us getting our six-year-old into private school.
A little girl in her school uniform | Source: Midjourney
But here he was, talking about homeschooling like he’d been thinking about it for years.
“We could teach her ourselves, Mia,” Ben continued, glancing over at me with a smile. “Think about it, love. No strict schedules, no standardized tests. She could learn at her own pace.”
I nodded, trying to process everything.
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
“Yeah, I mean, it does sound good,” I agreed. “But we need to explore all options about it first.”
I was hesitant. But I was also unsure of why I felt a slight unease creep up on me. Although when Ben spoke so passionately, it was hard not to get swept up in the dream of it all.
After that night, Ben kept bringing it up. At home, over dinner, in passing conversations, he’d make little comments all the time.
A concerned woman | Source: Midjourney
“Lily would be so much happier if she wasn’t stuck in a classroom all day.”
“We could help her learn things that matter, Mia, not just what’s on some test.”
Eventually, I started to believe that he might be right.
Before I knew it, we had decided to pull Lily out of her school and start with the new routine of homeschooling. Ben took charge of everything.
A little girl using a computer | Source: Midjourney
“Like the gifts we talked about? You’ll deliver them, right?”
He had always been more involved with her school meetings, so I trusted him completely. And look, at first, everything seemed to be working. Ben would sit with Lily during “school hours,” and he’d proudly show me the projects they’d worked on when I got home from work.
“I’m glad she’s happy,” I told Ben one evening when I was loading the dishwasher.
A woman loading a dishwasher | Source: Midjourney
“She’s more than happy, Mia,” he said with a smile. “She’s thriving. Look at this! She made a solar system model all on her own.”
But then one day, I came home early from work, eager to show Lily the new set of watercolor paint I had gotten for her. I walked in quietly, not wanting to disturb whatever lesson she and Ben were doing.
And that’s when I heard Lily crying.
A concerned woman | Source: Midjourney
“But Dad, I miss my friends!” Lily sobbed. “They probably think I don’t like them anymore. I’m sure they think we’re fighting! They’ll be so mad at me for not going to school…”
I crept closer to the dining room, which had become the classroom. And I heard Ben’s voice, low and soothing.
“Lily-girl,” he said. “I told you, we can send them little gifts, okay? They won’t be mad at you.”
An upset little man | Source: Midjourney
Lily sniffled, but her tone lifted a little.
“Like the gifts we talked about? You’ll deliver them, right?” she said.
Deliver gifts? What on earth was my child talking about?
“Yes, darling,” he said.
A frowning woman | Source: Midjourney
“Like when you let me come with you when Mommy had to work? You’re going to deliver my friends’ gifts just like when you bring packages to people, right?”
I froze. I tried to piece the information together before storming in and demanding answers.
Ben wasn’t homeschooling Lily out of some grand educational philosophy that he had been talking about endlessly.
An upset little girl | Source: Midjourney
Instead, my husband was delivering packages. All those days that I thought they were doing lessons… what had really been happening under my roof?
“Get your answers, Mia,” I muttered as I walked into the dining room.
Ben’s face turned white when he saw me.
A close up of a shocked man | Source: Midjourney
“Care to explain what on earth Lily is talking about?” I asked.
My chest felt tight, like I was just holding it all together before some horrible news came out.
Ben let out a long breath, running his hands through his hair.
“Honey, why don’t you go play on the swing or watch some TV?” Ben told her.
We waited until Lily was happily running outside to the swing before Ben said another word.
A little girl sitting on a swing | Source: Midjourney
“I… I lost my job, okay? Months ago. I didn’t know how to tell you, Mia.”
I blinked, trying to process his words.
“I didn’t want you to think I was a failure.”
“You lost your job? Then what on earth have you been doing all day?”
“The homeschooling. It wasn’t about Lily’s education. It was because we couldn’t afford the tuition anymore. And I know that a few months ago I wanted her to go to private school, but I couldn’t even afford her public school fees.”
A close up of an upset man | Source: Midjourney
Ben paused, holding his head.
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to retaliate.
“I’ve been delivering packages. It’s not stable, but it’s for a few hours a day. I take Lily with me in between her homeschooling. I know you think that I’ve been working in the study and then teaching Lily, too…”
A man holding two boxes | Source: Midjourney
“You’ve been delivering packages? Really? This whole time?” I asked, stunned. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to think that I was a failure,” Ben said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t know how to fix this situation. But you know how stressful my job was toward the end. Those hours killed me. I thought that maybe if I could just keep things together for a little while longer…”
A frowning woman | Source: Midjourney
I shook my head, trying to wrap my mind around everything. I wanted to be angry.
I wanted to shout at my husband, not because he lost his job, but because he didn’t want to tell me about it. I understood the pressure of losing your job suddenly and then having to put yourself back together.
When I was pregnant with Lily, I lost my job because they couldn’t afford to keep paying me while I was on maternity leave.
A pregnant woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
But Ben carried us right up until Lily was three years old.
I shook my head now, trying to shake some of my thoughts. I felt… sad. Sad that Ben had felt like he had to hide this from me.
“Ben, you didn’t have to do this alone,” I said, reaching toward him.
He smiled at me sadly.
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
We put Lily back into school the next week using our savings. She was overjoyed to see her friends, and the guilt Ben had been carrying around began to lift when he saw her running toward them at the school gate.
As for Ben, he found another job as a grocery store manager. It wasn’t his dream job, but it was honest work that came with medical benefits. And honestly, I think it was just the fact that he was earning properly again that made the biggest difference to him.
A man standing in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney
There was a lightness back in our home that hadn’t been there in a long time. A sense that we were moving forward, together.
What would you have done?
A smiling couple with their daughter | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
Am I Wrong for “Hiding” My MIL’s Birthday Present to My Husband after Finding Out What Was Inside?
Tired of allowing her cold and callous mother-in-law to ruin her husband’s birthday, Lila hides Carol’s birthday present from Bill to save him the hurt and disappointment that usually came with his mother’s gifts. But when Lila’s secret comes out, a series of events unfolds.
I could tell my husband, Bill, was nervous. His birthday was coming up, and every year, his mom’s gift felt like a slap in the face.
Bill sat on our worn-out couch, his shoulders tense.
A man sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“Do you think she’ll actually care this time?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
I sighed, placing my hand on his. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. I knew that I needed to reassure him, but my husband’s relationship with his mother was complicated.
“Maybe,” I said. “But remember, we’re celebrating your birthday, not hers. We’ll have a great time, no matter what, darling.”
A couple holding hands | Source: Midjourney
Bill smiled at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I knew how much he wanted to feel loved and appreciated by Carol, but she always failed to show him that. It wasn’t just about the gifts. It was about the feeling.
Bill had told me the story a long time ago. He was his mother’s son from her first marriage, and their relationship was strong, but things took a turn when Carol met her second husband, Adam.
It became even worse when Bill’s younger brothers were born. Suddenly, Carol only had eyes for Adam and their sons, making it clear to Bill that he was no longer a priority in her life.
A mother and her sons | Source: Midjourney
“Okay,” he said. “This year will be different.”
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.
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