Besides our grit, my brother and I don’t share the same personality traits. Growing up in a family of white-collar workers, we both ended up having successful careers. I married an electrician whose business is incredibly victorious, but my brother can’t shake off the fact that he’s an electrician. One day, my brother’s snide remarks got the best of me. However, karma got to him before I did.
I’ve always been blessed with the most hardworking parents, who raised me comfortably. We had more than we needed growing up, but my parents made sure to teach us the value of hard work and having a business mindset.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
My dad, Tom, runs his own business, and my mom, Linda, is a brain surgeon. My older brother, Jack, is a lawyer who loves flaunting his wealth. He wanted to start his own law firm but was too lazy to do the dirty work.
Instead, he preferred maintaining his lavish lifestyle, buying expensive suits, shoes, belts, and driving a Porsche he talks about non-stop. To top it off, he’s engaged to his third fiancée.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
Living in Modesty vs. Lavishness
In contrast, I’m much more introverted and usually happy to stay in the background. I run my own business, which is quite successful, but my husband, Mark, is the real breadwinner.
He’s a master electrician with a highly successful business that brings in more than four times what I make. Despite our income, we live a modest lifestyle and prefer to keep our earnings private. Jack doesn’t know that Mark didn’t just become an electrician; he also went to business school, which helped him turn his skills into a thriving enterprise.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
Mark’s humility is one of his most admirable traits. Instead of splurging on luxuries, he channels a significant portion of his income into charitable donations and investments in startups.
My parents are aware of this generosity, especially after we surprised them with an all-expense-paid cruise for their 30th wedding anniversary. As a frequent traveler, my dad knew the hefty price of the ticket and was taken aback by the gesture.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
Mother’s Day Showdown
On Mother’s Day, both Jack and I brought gifts for our mom. Jack gave her an extravagant watch, while I got her certificates for several spa treatments near her hospital. As always, my mom thanked us both warmly during our celebration.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
But then Jack couldn’t resist bragging about the cost of the watch. He glanced at Mark and made a snide comment about how an electrician could never afford something so lavish.
“The watch is actually a limited edition, Mom. The sales associate knew I was a big-time lawyer, so she immediately offered it to me, knowing I would get it. It would have been a different story if an electrician walked in,” Jack sneered. “No offense,” he added, looking at Mark.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
Mark just smiled and shrugged it off, but I could see the tension in his eyes. Jack kept going, making more belittling jokes about Mark’s job. “I mean, fixing wires and outlets? How hard can it be?” Jack chuckled.
At one point, I had enough of him insulting my partner, who worked harder than my brother to get where he was. In fact, Jack probably didn’t know that my husband made five times what he does and could probably buy his law firm. My husband and I kept silent.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
Jack’s arrogance had always been a thorn in my side, and his latest display was the last straw. I decided then and there that he needed a lesson in humility, but little did I know, karma had already set the stage.
Karma’s Dramatic Entrance
A few weeks later, our family gathered at my parents’ house for a barbecue. Jack arrived late, as usual, making a grand entrance in his Porsche. He parked it conspicuously out the front, where everyone could see it.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
He walked in with his fiancée, Emily, on his arm, flaunting her like another one of his trophies. He made his rounds, boasting about his latest courtroom victory and the lavish honeymoon he was planning for his third marriage.
As the afternoon wore on, I took a deep breath, ready to bring my plan to teach Jack a lesson into action. I discovered that the handbag he bought for Emily was a fake. I owned the same bag, a genuine one gifted by Mark.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
I planned to expose this by comparing the two in front of everyone. Just as I was about to gather everyone for the reveal, we heard a commotion from the front of the house.
We rushed outside to find a tow truck hooking up Jack’s beloved Porsche. Jack, visibly panicked, was arguing with the tow truck driver.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
“This is a mistake,” he stammered. “I’ll sort this out.”
The driver shook his head. “It’s being repossessed. You missed several payments.”
Jack’s face went pale. He looked around at the gathered family members, his confidence crumbling. Emily, clearly mortified, slipped away into the house. Jack was left standing alone, a far cry from the boastful man who had walked in earlier.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
Unmasking the Truth
He finally confessed: “I lost my job. The car had been leased under my firm’s name, and with no job, I couldn’t keep up the payments.”
We all gasped. “What? How come none of us knew?” my dad asked, clearly shocked.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
Jack sighed, looking defeated. “I’ve been trying to keep it under wraps. I led a high-profile case that went terribly wrong. My negligence led to a significant financial loss for the client, and they sued the firm. No one wants to hire me now.”
As I watched him, I felt a mix of satisfaction and pity. He had needed to be humbled, but the reality was harsher than I had intended. The fake bag also made sense now. He tried to keep that image, but he eventually failed. I approached him quietly.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
“Hey,” I said softly. “Maybe this is a sign to rethink things.”
He looked at me, his eyes filled with a vulnerability I had never seen before. “I guess I had this coming, huh?”
“Maybe a little,” I admitted. “But you’re still my brother. We can get through this.”
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
Mark stepped forward then, placing a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I could use an extra pair of hands at my business. It’s not glamorous, but it’s honest work, and it pays well.”
Jack looked shocked. “You’d really hire me? After everything I said?”
“Everyone deserves a second chance,” Mark replied with a kind smile. “I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
A New Beginning
As the sun set on that eventful day, Jack accepted Mark’s offer. It wasn’t easy for him to start over, but he worked hard, learning the trade from the ground up. Over time, he developed a newfound respect for the value of honest, hard work. His arrogance faded, replaced by humility and gratitude.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
Sometimes, life has a way of teaching lessons more effectively than we ever could. Jack had been brought down a peg, and though the journey ahead was tough, our family supported him. And perhaps, just perhaps, he emerged from this ordeal a better man.
Similarly, another narcissistic person was taught a lesson by a family member when she least expected it.
My Narcissistic Mom Made My Wedding All about Her — When She Insisted on Displaying Her Portrait, I Snapped
I’ve never been the type to go against my parents’ wishes. Growing up, I was always the good kid, the one who did everything to make them happy. My mom, especially, loved being in control of everything — from my birthday parties to my graduation dinners. Sometimes, it felt like she was the one turning a year older or getting a diploma.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
But my wedding day was different. This was one day I wanted to be completely mine, without my mom’s interference. Of course, that didn’t last long. It started with her insisting I wear her veil — the same one she wore when she married my dad.
To be honest, I didn’t mind that. The veil was a family tradition, beautiful and intricately detailed, and it had been tailored and improved with each generation. I was happy to wear it on my special day.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
As the wedding preparations went on, though, my mom tried to control every little decision. A few days before the wedding, I sent her a picture of a memorial table I had set up for my late cousin and dad.
My cousin was like the older brother I never had, and my dad treated him like a son. We were incredibly close, and losing them both was devastating. I loved the idea of having a table to honor them because it broke my heart that they couldn’t be there.
My Brother Kept Insulting My Husband for Being ‘Just an Electrician’ – I Wanted to Teach Him a Lesson, but Karma Did It Better
When my mom saw the picture, she freaked out. She was upset that she wasn’t included in that one thing. She insisted that I put a portrait of her on the table too.
“That’s literally a table for the fallen. It’s a military tradition,” I tried to explain. “It’s to commemorate those who have passed away and can’t be at my wedding.”
Read more here.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.