Chapter 1
The story started with two boxes of cherries and a disgusting post on social media.
It was right before the New Year and the office felt both busy and restless.
I work hard in a big city, and I just got my year-end bonus.
It was not a huge amount, but it was enough to make the whole year feel worth it.
When I saw the deposit notification on my phone, the first thing I thought about was my parents back in our small hometown.
They had always been very careful with money and only bought fruit when it was on sale.
I heard cherries might help with gout, and since my dad had it, I went ahead and spent over three hundred dollars on two boxes of premium cherries from an upscale grocery store.
Then I had them sent directly to my parents with a cross-city delivery service.
*****
That night, I was still at the office grinding through the year-end accounting when my phone buzzed.
It was a message from our family group chat called Loving Family.
The message was from my aunt, Grace Miller.
She was always the most talkative one in the group and often set the tone for whatever was being discussed.
As soon as I opened the message, I felt a rush of anger.
In the picture was the familiar old coffee table at my parents' place, with two unopened boxes of premium cherries I had carefully chosen sitting on top.
Grace had her hand resting on one box, looking like she was about to give it to a woman wearing a cleaner's uniform.
The message underneath said: [The cleaning lady's out sweeping the stairs in this freezing cold, working so hard. We've got plenty of leftover fruit that no one wanted, so I'm giving her some. Do good and good will come to you.]
Immediately, a long string of relatives started praising her nonstop.
My uncle, Frank Goodwin, commented: [Grace, you've got such a kind heart, just like our mom.]
My aunt, Linda Hunter, praised: [No wonder things always go your way. You're such a caring person.]
My cousin, Benjamin Goodwin, wrote: [I really look up to you, Aunt Grace. You're such a positive role model.]
I stared at the screen, my head spinning, and my hand trembling as I held the mouse.
Those cherries were by no means leftover fruit that no one wanted.
I had them express-delivered to my parents only an hour earlier.
My parents hadn't even opened the boxes yet, but she had already turned them into a way to show off her kindness.
It wasn't kindness at all. She was parading around as generous with my things, using my hard-earned cash to make herself look good.
I took a deep breath to calm my anger and called my mom.
"Mom, where are the cherries I bought?" I asked as soon as she picked up.
The TV was noisy in the background, and my mom sounded nervous and evasive when she spoke. "Well... sweetie, your aunt stopped by this afternoon and saw the delivery.
"She said the cleaning lady didn't have much and had never tried expensive fruit like this..."
"So you let her take them?" I cut her off, raising my voice. "Mom, those two boxes cost over three hundred dollars. You and Dad didn't even try one, and she gave them all away?"
"Keep your voice down," my mom whispered quickly. "She's family, and you know how she talks.
"If I'd said no, she would've called me stingy all year long. It's fine. Letting it go is better than arguing."
I'd heard that same line so many times before.
My mom had always been too easygoing and let people push her around.
Grace, on the other hand, was known for acting kind and generous everywhere.
The truth was her kindness never cost her anything. She always let people like my mom pay for her good image.
I was still burning with anger when Grace called me out in the family group.
She wrote: [Renee, honey, I heard you got your year-end bonus. You kids really shouldn't be so extravagant. Why did you buy such pricey fruit? I was kind enough to share it for you. No need to thank me.]
The last line couldn't be more absurd.
She even dared to act all high and mighty and lecture me for being extravagant.
I stared at the screen and laughed bitterly from sheer rage.
If she had to be this shameless, I wouldn't hold back from tearing off her fake mask.
I typed quickly and sent a message in the chat. [Aunt Grace, those cherries weren't ordinary snacks. They were for my dad's special diet.
[If you wanted to do something nice, you could've used your own things instead of giving away what I'd gotten for my dad.
[Did you even say anything to that lady about how much she was taking? That's two whole boxes. What if her blood sugar gets too high from eating them? Who's gonna be responsible if that happens?]
The second I sent the message, the whole group went dead quiet.
The endless compliments toward Grace stopped immediately.
It was simple. All Grace cared about was making herself look good, without stopping to think about anyone else. She showed no regard for her own family and acted with no responsibility toward the person she claimed to be helping.