A wealthy young woman makes fun of the janitor at her father’s company, and he decides to teach her a lesson she will never forget.
Danielle Grobber had always gotten what she wanted. She was pretty, smart, talented, and very, very rich. At least, her father was very rich, and she always thought his money belonged to her.
Danielle, or Danie, as her friends called her, was a bit spoiled, but she usually used her charm and bright smile to get out of trouble. Then she crossed a line, and her father gave her a lesson she would never forget.
Danielle was excited to go on a two-week vacation to the Caribbean. She had convinced her father to take her shopping, even though she didn’t really need anything; she just loved spending time with him.
Unfortunately, her dad had to skip their lunch to handle some urgent matters. So, Danielle wandered around until she found a famous fast food restaurant. She ordered a burger, fries, a large soda, and an apple pie.
After getting her food, she walked back to her dad’s building, which had a nice lawn with trees, benches, and fountains. She sat down to eat while texting her friends on her phone.
When she finished, she wiped her mouth, crumpled the napkin, and put on her lipstick. Then she got up and walked away, leaving the trash on the bench.
A voice suddenly stopped her. “Excuse me, miss!” it said. “Please pick up your trash and throw it in the bin.”
Danie turned around and saw a thin old man in a janitor’s uniform who was sweeping the path. “Excuse me?” she asked. “Are you talking to ME?”
“Yes, young lady,” he replied. “This park is for everyone who works here, and it’s not fair to leave trash behind.”
“I don’t clean up!” Danie said proudly. “People clean up for me. People like you—the servant class. Isn’t that your job? So just do it!”
The elderly man turned red. “Young lady,” he said. “My job is to keep this building and garden clean, but what you did is rude…”
Danie interrupted him. “You work for my father, so you work for me! If I tell you to clean up, you clean up. If I tell you to lick my shoes, you do that too, or I’ll get you fired!”
Just then, Danie heard a loud voice: “DANIELLE!” She turned to see her father looking very angry. “Who do you think you are?” Jack Grobber asked. “How dare you treat this man poorly? He has worked for me for over 20 years, and he has a family!”
“Daddy?” Danie said in her sweetest voice. “Please don’t be mad! I’m so sorry!” But her father saw a hint of mockery in her smile. Danie thought she would get away with it, just like always.
“Apologize to Mr. Terence, Danielle,” Jack ordered. He watched as she turned to the janitor, trying to act charming, but he knew it was fake.
Jack thought, “It’s my fault. I have to fix this!” But how could he change a lifetime of being spoiled and teach her about respect and responsibility?
Then he had a great idea. “Mr. Terence, you look tired!” he said. “I think you need a vacation!”
Mr. Terence smiled and shook his head. “My wife says the same, Mr. Grobber, but I’m saving my vacation days for Christmas with the grandkids!”
“That’s okay, Mr. Terence,” Jack said. “I’m giving you two weeks off and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas for you and your wife!”
Mr. Terence was shocked. “Sir? The Bahamas? But who will do my job?”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Terence,” Jack said with a smile. “My daughter Danielle will be happy to do your job while you’re away to make up for how she treated you.”
“WHAT?” screamed Danie. “Are you crazy, Dad? I’m going on vacation!”
“Not anymore,” Jack said. “Mr. and Mrs. Terence will go instead, and you will take his place while he is away.”
“YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!” Danie yelled. “I’m not a janitor! Cleaning toilets? Sweeping? Picking up trash? I won’t do it!”
“Yes, you will,” her father said coldly. “If you don’t, I’ll cut off your allowance and take away your convertible…”
“It’s MY car!” Danie cried.
“No, Danielle,” Jack said softly. “It’s MY car. I pay for it all. Everything you have is because of me. It’s time you learn how hard people work for every dollar.”
Danie knew her father well, and she could see in his eyes that she had crossed a line. He would not change his mind!
“You start on Monday,” Jack told her. Then he turned to Mr. Terence. “You should go home and pack! Enjoy your trip!”
On Monday morning, Danie showed up in her uniform, ready to clean and sweep. By the end of the day, she was exhausted, her pretty nails were ruined, and her soft hands were sore.
When Mr. Terence returned from the Bahamas with a nice tan, he told Mr. Grobber that Danielle had done a great job keeping everything clean—no trash in the garden!
From then on, Danie never disrespected anyone who worked hard because she understood how tough that job really was!
Danielle was excited to go on a two-week vacation to the Caribbean. She had convinced her father to take her shopping, even though she didn’t really need anything; she just loved spending time with him.
Unfortunately, her dad had to skip their lunch to handle some urgent matters. So, Danielle wandered around until she found a famous fast food restaurant. She ordered a burger, fries, a large soda, and an apple pie.
After getting her food, she walked back to her dad’s building, which had a nice lawn with trees, benches, and fountains. She sat down to eat while texting her friends on her phone.
When she finished, she wiped her mouth, crumpled the napkin, and put on her lipstick. Then she got up and walked away, leaving the trash on the bench.
A voice suddenly stopped her. “Excuse me, miss!” it said. “Please pick up your trash and throw it in the bin.”
Danie turned around and saw a thin old man in a janitor’s uniform who was sweeping the path. “Excuse me?” she asked. “Are you talking to ME?”
“Yes, young lady,” he replied. “This park is for everyone who works here, and it’s not fair to leave trash behind.”
“I don’t clean up!” Danie said proudly. “People clean up for me. People like you—the servant class. Isn’t that your job? So just do it!”
The elderly man turned red. “Young lady,” he said. “My job is to keep this building and garden clean, but what you did is rude…”
Danie interrupted him. “You work for my father, so you work for me! If I tell you to clean up, you clean up. If I tell you to lick my shoes, you do that too, or I’ll get you fired!”
Just then, Danie heard a loud voice: “DANIELLE!” She turned to see her father looking very angry. “Who do you think you are?” Jack Grobber asked. “How dare you treat this man poorly? He has worked for me for over 20 years, and he has a family!”
“Daddy?” Danie said in her sweetest voice. “Please don’t be mad! I’m so sorry!” But her father saw a hint of mockery in her smile. Danie thought she would get away with it, just like always.
“Apologize to Mr. Terence, Danielle,” Jack ordered. He watched as she turned to the janitor, trying to act charming, but he knew it was fake.
Jack thought, “It’s my fault. I have to fix this!” But how could he change a lifetime of being spoiled and teach her about respect and responsibility?
Then he had a great idea. “Mr. Terence, you look tired!” he said. “I think you need a vacation!”
Mr. Terence smiled and shook his head. “My wife says the same, Mr. Grobber, but I’m saving my vacation days for Christmas with the grandkids!”
“That’s okay, Mr. Terence,” Jack said. “I’m giving you two weeks off and an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas for you and your wife!”
Mr. Terence was shocked. “Sir? The Bahamas? But who will do my job?”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Terence,” Jack said with a smile. “My daughter Danielle will be happy to do your job while you’re away to make up for how she treated you.”
“WHAT?” screamed Danie. “Are you crazy, Dad? I’m going on vacation!”
“Not anymore,” Jack said. “Mr. and Mrs. Terence will go instead, and you will take his place while he is away.”
“YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!” Danie yelled. “I’m not a janitor! Cleaning toilets? Sweeping? Picking up trash? I won’t do it!”
“Yes, you will,” her father said coldly. “If you don’t, I’ll cut off your allowance and take away your convertible…”
“It’s MY car!” Danie cried.
“No, Danielle,” Jack said softly. “It’s MY car. I pay for it all. Everything you have is because of me. It’s time you learn how hard people work for every dollar.”
Danie knew her father well, and she could see in his eyes that she had crossed a line. He would not change his mind!
“You start on Monday,” Jack told her. Then he turned to Mr. Terence. “You should go home and pack! Enjoy your trip!”
On Monday morning, Danie showed up in her uniform, ready to clean and sweep. By the end of the day, she was exhausted, her pretty nails were ruined, and her soft hands were sore.
When Mr. Terence returned from the Bahamas with a nice tan, he told Mr. Grobber that Danielle had done a great job keeping everything clean—no trash in the garden!
From then on, Danie never disrespected anyone who worked hard because she understood how tough that job really was!
Neighbor Refused to Pay My Daughter After a Week of Babysitting – You Won’t Believe How I Got Even
Lucy came home after a long week of babysitting, her face pale and her eyes filled with tears. My heart sank the moment I saw her, as my daughter rarely cried, and when she did, it was never like this—silent sobs, her chest rising with every shaky breath, her body radiating the kind of hurt that makes a mother’s heart ache.
I rushed to her side, placing my hands on her shoulders gently. “Lucy, what happened?” I asked softly, trying to keep my voice steady.
She wiped her tears away but didn’t speak right away. Her hands shook as she fiddled with her sweater, and I could tell something was deeply wrong. After a moment, she finally looked up at me, her voice barely audible.
“Mom, Mrs. Carpenter didn’t pay me for babysitting her kids,” Lucy whispered.
I frowned in confusion. “What? Why not?”
“She said it was a ‘life lesson,’ that I should’ve gotten everything in writing. Then she slammed the door in my face!” Lucy’s voice cracked, and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “She said babysitting was hard work, and that was payment enough!”
I could feel my blood starting to boil. Mrs. Carpenter had refused to pay my daughter for babysitting all week, dismissing it as a lesson in responsibility? My fists clenched as I tried to stay calm for Lucy’s sake.
Lucy’s voice trembled as she continued. “Her kids were terrible, Mom. They wouldn’t listen to me, they threw toys at each other, and when I tried to make them do their reading, they said, ‘Mom says we don’t have to.’ I worked so hard all week, and she acted like it didn’t matter.”
“Oh, sweetie,” I whispered, pulling her close. At 15, Lucy was trying so hard to be responsible, and this was her first real job. “How much did she owe you?”
“I babysat for four hours each day for five days… so $220. I was going to use it for an art course I really wanted to take,” she sniffled.
Without hesitation, I reached for my purse and counted out the money. “Here, you earned this.”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “Mom, no. She’s the one who owes me, not you.”
“Don’t worry about it. You worked hard, and you deserve to get paid. I’ll take care of Mrs. Carpenter myself,” I said, hugging her tightly. “I’m going to make sure she understands that cheating you isn’t something she can get away with.”
As Lucy headed to the kitchen for a snack, I began planning. I wasn’t going to let Mrs. Carpenter get away with this. But I knew that confronting her in anger wouldn’t work. I needed a smarter approach—one that would teach Mrs. Carpenter a lesson of her own.
That night, I lay awake thinking about Lucy’s excitement when she first got the babysitting job. She had been so proud, so eager to prove she could handle responsibility. And now, Mrs. Carpenter had robbed her of that joy. I tossed and turned, replaying the events over in my mind. By the time morning came, I had a plan.
At 10 a.m., I knocked on Mrs. Carpenter’s door, forcing a pleasant smile onto my face. She answered, looking surprised to see me.
“Rebecca! What brings you by?” she asked.
“Oh, I just wanted to thank you for the valuable life lesson you gave Lucy,” I said sweetly, watching as confusion flickered across her face. “You know, the one about contracts and trust?”
Mrs. Carpenter’s smile turned smug. “Well, yes. I’m glad you understand. Children need to learn things the hard way sometimes.”
“Oh, absolutely,” I replied, pulling out my phone. “I’ve been telling everyone about it. In fact, I posted about it in our neighborhood group.”
Her smile faltered. “Posted? In the neighborhood group?”
I showed her the post, along with the flood of comments from other parents in the neighborhood. Mrs. Carpenter’s face paled as she read through them.
“Melissa said she’d never trust someone who treats kids like that,” I said. “And Janet from the PTA? She thinks we should bring this up at the next school board meeting. Says it reflects poorly on the community.”
Mrs. Carpenter’s eyes widened in panic. “Rebecca, I didn’t mean for this to go so far—”
Mrs. Carpenter’s confidence crumbled, and she stammered something about a misunderstanding. But I wasn’t interested in her excuses. I gave her a final smile, turned on my heel, and left.
Later that evening, Lucy came rushing through the door, an envelope in hand. “Mom! Mrs. Carpenter paid me! She said there was a misunderstanding about when she was supposed to pay.”
I smiled, pulling her into a hug. “That’s great, sweetie.”
As Lucy headed upstairs, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied. Some people might say I’d been too harsh or petty, but I didn’t care. My daughter had worked hard, and she deserved to know her efforts had value. Sometimes, the best lesson isn’t about taking the high road—it’s about showing your child that no one has the right to take advantage of them.
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