He handed me a box, I smiled, opened it, and inside was… a rag. His sister burst into hysterical laughter, almost choking. The guests gasped in disbelief. My heart sank. Did he really see me as just his maid?

As she was putting her make-up on, Mary’s heart filled with joy. She was looking forward to the party her husband of ten years was throwing for their wedding anniversary. His parties were always lavish. He paid attention to details and always made sure everything he did was flawless, so there was no reason for this party not to be as extraordinary as every other one John had ever organized. Among those who were invited were their family, friends, and their business partners, and of course, John’s sister Lauren, the only person Mary never got along with.
Lauren was needy, greedy, and demanding. She loved to interfere with everyone’s business and often gave suggestions and made remarks that drove Mary crazy, but she never said anything just because she was John’s sister.

ng, Mary put on her new dress, her red heals, and got downstairs to greet her guests. As she expected, Lauren was also wearing red. Mary knew she chose that color on purpose, but she decided she wouldn’t let anything affect her good mood.
As the night proceeded and everyone had a lot of fun, John asked the guests for their attention. He raised a toast and handed his wife a box wrapped in a huge red bow. Mary was eager to open it, but to her surprise, there was a rag inside. She was left in shock and barely said, “What’s this Jon, is this a joke?”

As everyone was looking at Mary and her reaction, Lauren started laughing uncontrollably, commenting out loud that her brother finally came to his senses and brought the right gift for his stay-at-home wife. She also mentioned that she received an expensive bracelet from John for her birthday, the one she was proudly wearing at that moment.

John smiled as well and told Mary that it was just a little prank his sister convinced him to pull on her, believing the guests would find it fun. He said the real gift will arrive later that night.

Mary was furious. She felt humiliated and wanted the night to be over as soon as possible, especially because of Lauren’s words and John’s inability to confront his sister for her lousy behavior.