My father-in-law, Richard, lives with us and is always trying to change things around the house. His latest obsession? A swimming pool. Despite me repeatedly telling him our backyard was too small and that I cherished my lawn and flower garden, Richard wouldn’t give up. One weekend, while my husband and I were away, we came back to a shocking sight: my beloved garden was gone, replaced by a giant hole. Richard stood proudly by and said, “I’ve started the pool for you.” Furious, I held back my anger to avoid a family conflict. But karma struck the next day.


When my father-in-law, Richard, tore up my cherished garden to start digging a pool without our permission, I was absolutely livid. For weeks, he had pestered us about the idea, despite my repeated objections. Our backyard was my sanctuary, filled with carefully tended flowers that I had nurtured for years, and I wasn’t about to let him bulldoze it. But while my husband and I were away visiting family for the weekend, Richard took it upon himself to get started, leaving me speechless and heartbroken upon our return.

There, where my beautiful garden once stood, was a massive hole, surrounded by piles of dirt and chaos. Richard, with a smug grin, proudly announced, “I’ve started the pool for you. No need to thank me.” I was seething, but before I could even process the destruction, karma swiftly came into play.

The very next day, as the digging continued, our neighbor, Mrs. Jensen—who had never been on good terms with Richard—caught sight of the chaos. Mrs. Jensen, always keen on following rules, immediately noticed something was off and marched right over to Richard. In her sweet, passive-aggressive way, she informed him that he was violating property regulations and had no proper permits for the work. Before Richard could brush her off, she made a quick call to her friend, the city inspector.

Within hours, the inspector arrived, shut down the entire operation, and slapped Richard with a hefty fine. As if that weren’t bad enough, the contractors hit an old water pipe, flooding the backyard and turning it into a swamp. In the chaos, Richard slipped and fell face-first into the mud, completely ruining his favorite suit. Tom and I watched from the porch, unable to hold back our laughter as the scene unfolded.

In the end, Richard had to foot the bill for the fines, repairs, and cleanup. His pool dreams were washed away, and so was his enthusiasm for meddling in our home projects. Now, he spends most of his time quietly in his room, and even the mere mention of a pool is enough to make him scowl and leave the room.

As for my garden, it took some time, but I was able to replant most of it. In a way, it’s even better than before, and every blooming flower feels like a little victory. The whole ordeal brought my husband and me closer together, and now, we can laugh about the time karma taught Richard a lesson in respecting boundaries.

If there’s one thing I learned from this, it’s that sometimes, you don’t need to fight every battle—karma has a way of sorting things out!


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