Meredith receives an invitation to her sister-in-law’s housewarming party with a shocking demand. Karen insists that each guest pay $1,000 for a TV she has already bought. Stunned and frustrated, Meredith decides she won’t let this slide. But can she find a way to turn the tables on her audacious sister-in-law, or will Karen get away with her outrageous request?
“Can you believe this?” I muttered, staring at the fancy invitation from Karen. I was sitting on my worn-out couch, holding the elegant card in my hands.
It had shimmering gold letters and fancy script, inviting us to her new housewarming party.
I felt a flutter of excitement at the thought of seeing Karen’s new house and spending time with family.
Karen had always had a flair for the dramatic, but I liked that about her.
The thought of celebrating with everyone sounded lovely, especially because it had been a while since we all got together to have some fun.
I was wrong.
A few days later, my phone buzzed with a new message from Karen. Expecting some party details or perhaps a reminder, I opened it quickly.
What I read next left me speechless.
Karen had bought a 75-inch 4K TV for $4,000 and expected each of us to pitch in $1,000 as her housewarming gift.
“She’s got to be kidding,” I said aloud, feeling my stomach drop. I re-read the message, hoping I had misunderstood. But no, it was clear as day. Karen had actually demanded a thousand dollars from each of us.
I felt a wave of anger mixed with disbelief. How could she think we could afford such an extravagant gift?
I looked around my modest living room, at my old television and the outdated furniture. A thousand dollars was a lot of money for me. It wasn’t just something I could spare on a whim.
“Who does she think we are, millionaires?” I fumed.
I picked up the phone and called my husband. “David, you won’t believe what Karen just asked us to do,” I said as soon as he answered.
David sighed. “Let me guess, another one of her grand ideas?”
“She wants us to give her a thousand dollars each to pay for a TV. A TV, David! Can you believe that?”
David’s laughter bubbled through the phone. “Oh, Meredith, she always was a piece of work. But seriously, a thousand dollars?”
“I know. We don’t even have that kind of money lying around,” I said, frustration creeping into my voice.
“Are you going to talk to her about it?” David asked.
I took a deep breath. “I have to. This is just too much.”
A few days later, David and I arrived at Karen’s new house for the party.