When Martha returned home after a peaceful weekend away, she never expected to be met with a nightmare. As she pulled into the driveway, her heart sank. Amy’s beautiful flowerbed—her pride and joy—was completely gone. In its place stood a small army of grinning, brightly colored garden gnomes. Their ceramic faces seemed to mock her, their beady little eyes glinting in the afternoon sun. Martha felt sick to her stomach. How could this have happened?
She barely had time to process the shock before she heard Stephen’s sharp intake of breath beside her. “No way…” he muttered, stepping out of the car.
Martha’s mind raced, but she already knew who had done this. There was only one person in the world who would dare to destroy Amy’s beloved garden—her mother-in-law, Gloria.
Amy was Martha’s whole world. From the moment her daughter was born, they had been inseparable. After Amy’s father walked out when she was just two years old, it had been the two of them against the world. And then Stephen had come along.
Stephen was everything Martha had dreamed of in a partner: kind, patient, and fiercely protective. He had accepted Amy as his own, never hesitating to love her completely. But unfortunately, loving Stephen also meant dealing with his mother, Gloria.
From the very beginning, Gloria had made it painfully clear that she did not approve of Martha or Amy.
“You don’t need a woman with baggage,” Gloria would scoff.
And as if that wasn’t cruel enough, she would add, “Why waste money on gifts for a kid who isn’t even yours?”
Stephen always defended them. “Amy is my daughter, Mother,” he would say firmly. “And Martha is my wife. That makes them family.”
But Gloria would just wave her hand dismissively, as if brushing away an annoying insect.
“You should focus on having your own kids, Stephen,” she would insist. “I want grandbabies, not step-grandchildren or whatever that girl is.”
These conversations never ended well. Stephen tried to reason with her, but Gloria refused to listen. And if Martha so much as opened her mouth, Gloria would snap, “This is a family matter. Stay out of it.”
Martha had spent two years trying to be civil, biting her tongue to keep the peace. But what Gloria had done now was unforgivable.
Amy had worked so hard on her garden. For her twelfth birthday, Martha and Stephen had given her her very own flowerbed, a small patch of earth where she could plant whatever she wanted. It was the best gift she had ever received.
Every single day, she tended to it with love and care, studying which flowers would grow best, planning out the layout, saving up her allowance to buy just the right plants. When the first tulips bloomed, she had been overjoyed.
“Mom, look!” she had squealed, dragging Martha outside. “The daffodils are sprouting!”
She knew the name of every flower. She could tell you exactly when they would bloom, what kind of soil they needed, how much sunlight was best. While other kids her age were glued to their phones, Amy was happiest with dirt under her fingernails, watching the magic of nature unfold.
And Gloria had destroyed it.
Martha stormed into the house, Stephen right behind her.
“Gloria!” she called, struggling to keep her voice even. “What have you done?”
Gloria appeared in the hallway, a smug smile on her perfectly painted lips.
“Oh, Martha! Don’t you just love the gnomes? Flowers only bloom for a season, but decorations last all year. I thought the yard needed something more…permanent.”
Martha could feel Stephen tense beside her.
“That was Amy’s garden, Mom! She worked on it for months. How could you just tear it up?” Stephen’s voice was sharp with anger.
Gloria huffed, folding her arms. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. It’s just some flowers.”
Martha clenched her fists. Gloria would never apologize, never admit she was wrong. No, she needed to be taught a lesson—one she wouldn’t forget.
Taking a deep breath, Martha forced a smile. “You know, you’re absolutely right, Gloria. The gnomes are just lovely. We must reimburse you for them. How much did they cost?”
Gloria blinked, momentarily caught off guard. But then she smirked. “Well, they’re hand-painted, very high quality. About $500 in total.”
Martha nodded. “Perfect. Come to dinner tomorrow, and I’ll settle up.”
Gloria beamed. “Finally, some appreciation! I’ll see you then.” She swept out of the room, looking pleased with herself.
As soon as she was gone, Stephen turned to Martha, frowning. “What are you up to?”
Martha’s smile widened. “Oh, just making sure Gloria gets exactly what she deserves.”
That evening, Martha sat down with a calculator and began tallying up everything Gloria had destroyed: heritage rose bushes, rare tulip bulbs, special organic compost. Every single item Amy had painstakingly chosen. Then she added the cost of professional soil testing, just in case whatever chemicals Gloria had used had damaged the earth. The final total? Fifteen hundred dollars.
The next night, Gloria waltzed into their dining room, head held high. Martha greeted her with a bright smile and handed her an envelope.
“Oh, Gloria, I have something for you!”
Gloria eagerly tore it open. Inside, she found five crisp hundred-dollar bills. But her triumphant expression disappeared when she saw the itemized invoice beneath them.
“What is this?” she sputtered, her face turning red. “Fifteen hundred dollars?! You can’t be serious!”
Martha folded her arms. “Oh, I am. You destroyed something my daughter spent months creating. This is the cost of restoring it.”
Stephen leaned back in his chair, watching with unconcealed satisfaction.
Gloria’s mouth opened and closed several times before she finally stormed out.
The next day, she returned with a check, her face tight with fury. She didn’t say a word as she loaded her gnomes into the trunk of her car, but her silence spoke volumes.
Later, when Martha picked Amy up from her grandmother’s house, she chose her words carefully. “Gloria saw some pests in your garden and wanted to help get rid of them. But she accidentally damaged your flowers, and she feels terrible about it. She gave us money to replace everything you want.”
Amy’s eyes widened. “Really? Can we get those purple coneflowers I saw in the catalog? And maybe some butterfly bushes for the monarchs?”
Martha smiled. “Whatever you want, sweetie. This is your garden.”
Over the next few weekends, they rebuilt the flowerbed together. Stephen installed a new irrigation system, while Amy carefully planned where each flower would go. She even researched companion planting, making sure each plant would help the others thrive.
When it was finished, Amy stood back and beamed. “Mom, it’s even better than before!”
Martha hugged her daughter tightly.
Gloria had been noticeably quieter ever since, and Martha had a feeling she would think twice before interfering again.
Because if there was one thing you didn’t mess with, it was a mother’s love for her child. And if you did, well… you just might end up fifteen hundred dollars poorer with a car full of unwanted garden gnomes.
