Patricia had money for caterers, flowers, and live music, but suddenly decided $300 was too much for the woman cleaning up after everyone left. Mom was ready to let it go until she found something hidden under the table the next morning.
My mom had been cleaning houses since Dad died.
It wasn’t glamorous work.
Some days it left her so exhausted that she fell asleep on the couch before finishing dinner.
But she never complained about the work itself.
She only complained when people treated her like the work didn’t matter.
Our neighbor Patricia was exactly that kind of person.
Patricia lived three houses down from us in a home twice the size of ours.
It had a landscaped yard, a three-car garage, and a backyard big enough to host a wedding.
For her 60th birthday, she practically did.
There were caterers carrying silver trays through her kitchen.
There were enormous flower arrangements on every table.
There was a live band on the patio and strings of lights covering the backyard.
Patricia told everyone she had spent almost $10,000 on the celebration.
She seemed proud of that number.
When she asked Mom to stay after the party and clean everything, Mom hesitated.
“It’s going to be a big job,” Mom told her.
“I know,” Patricia said. “I’ll give you $300.”
Mom agreed.
She started cleaning as guests began leaving and didn’t finish until almost two in the morning.
I was still awake when she came home.
The moment she walked through the door, I knew something was wrong.
She looked exhausted, but it wasn’t just exhaustion.
“What happened?”
Mom put her purse down. “She didn’t pay me.”
What happened next changed everything… FULL STORY on the next page.
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