Gloria, my mother-in-law, did something that would change everything at Thanksgiving dinner. Her famous turkey with a printed picture of my face on it was the last straw in a long line of passive-aggressive actions.
Gloria had always been a master operator. She used her sharp tongue and condescending attitude to make me feel like I was not important or valued. But she went too far on that terrible Thanksgiving day.
I had to do something while sitting at the dinner table, my face red with shame. But I chose to be more subtle with Gloria instead of addressing her directly.
I stood up and took a picture of Gloria’s turkey while keeping a cool head. I made sure to get her smug face in the picture too. After posting the picture to Facebook, I made an event called “Gloria’s Annual Turkey Roast” and added all of her friends to it.
“Need a centrepiece for your holiday table? The caption I wrote was the cherry on top.” People are talking about Gloria’s unique “turkey selfies” all season long! Don’t wait, book now for Christmas!”
There was a huge reaction. As Gloria’s “turkey selfie” went viral, her friends and neighbours started to comment and message her, asking for her help and praising her creativity. As more comments came in, though, it was clear that Gloria was not pleased.
She came to my door with a red face of anger and told me to take down the post. I gave her a sweet smile and told her I thought she’d enjoy the attention.
Gloria became known in our neighbourhood as “the turkey lady” over time. Even though she never said it, the way she treated me changed a lot. She stopped being so hostile, and our encounters became a little more polite.
As for me, I learnt a useful lesson about how to deal with tough people by being funny and creative. I can’t help but smile every time I remember that famous Thanksgiving dinner.
