When 68-year-old Patsy posted a joyous swimsuit photo from her vacation, she didn’t expect her daughter-in-law Janice to mock her “wrinkled body.” Heartbroken, Patsy decided it was time to teach Janice a lasting lesson about respect and self-worth that would leave everyone talking.
Alright, y’all, tell me honestly, is there an age limit to wearing a swimsuit? Most of you sweet folks out there would probably say “Heck no, Patsy!”, bless your hearts. Well, let me tell you, there’s one person in this family who seems to think differently — and that critic happens to be my own daughter-in-law!
Now, before you get all riled up, let me rewind a tad. A week ago, my hubby Donald and I, both in our late sixties, just arrived back from our long-awaited Miami Beach vacation.
It had been our first trip alone, just the two of us lovebirds, since those rambunctious grandkids took over our living room. Let me tell you, that Florida sunshine did wonders for our rekindled romance!
We felt young again, y’all.
Every morning we dared ourselves to wake up at 7 a.m. instead of our usual 5, treated ourselves to enough fresh seafood to make our arteries sing the blues, and took long walks along that pearly white beach, hand in hand.
One afternoon, I was wearing this gorgeous black two-piece swimsuit, and Donald showered me with compliments. We stopped for a quick smooch — the kind that makes butterflies erupt in your stomach even after all these years.
Well, wouldn’t you know it, a sweet little girl skipped up to us, all smiles and sunshine. Before we knew it, she’d whipped out her phone and captured that very moment — Donald in his outrageous floral swimming trunks (bless his adventurous heart!), and me in my trusty black two-piece.
Looking at that picture, honey, a tear welled up in my eye.
We weren’t teenagers anymore, sure, but the love in that picture? Pure, golden, and young at heart. I even mustered the courage to ask the little darling to send it over — a memento of sorts, you see.
Back home, with the sunshine still clinging to my skin like a happy memory, I couldn’t resist sharing that picture on Facebook.
The comments section started filling up faster than a pie dish at Thanksgiving.
“You two look adorable, Patsy!”, “Couple goals!”, all that heartwarming stuff.
Then, wham! Like a bucket of ice water dumped right on my happy parade, I saw my daughter-in-law Janice’s comment:
“How does she even DARE to show her WRINKLED body in a swimsuit?! 
Moreover, kissing her husband at her age is grosssss. How UGLY she looks TBH lol! 
”
My jaw about hit the floor. “Wrinkled”? “Grosssss”? I reread the message, each word like a rusty nail being hammered into my heart.
Tears welled up again, hot and angry this time. Donald would be livid, I knew for sure. I immediately took a screenshot of the comment, and bam! It just vanished.
That’s when I knew something was fishy about the deleted comment. Janice must have meant to send it privately, which made the whole thing even worse. Sneaky and hurtful, that’s what it was.
Now, I ain’t one to back down from a fight, especially when it comes to my dignity, wrinkles and all. No siree. Janice needed a wake-up call, a reality check so loud it’d rattle her perfectly manicured nails. But how?
That’s when a mischievous grin stretched across my face. I had a plan so good it’d leave a lasting impact on my critic of a daughter-in-law.
“Donald,” I called out to my hubby. “We need to talk about that upcoming family barbecue.”
Donald lumbered into the living room, a half-eaten bag of peanut butter cookies clutched in his hand. I took a deep breath, trying to stamp down the simmering anger in my chest.
I hesitated, unsure if I should show him the screenshot I’d taken of the mean comment. Seeing Janice’s cruel words in black and white might send him into a rampage. No, this revelation needed a bigger audience.
“I was thinking,” I turned to Donald, “what if we invited all our family members and friends for the barbecue, honey?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Of course, darling, why not?! Let me pop a message on our family chat group right away!” he chirped and left, still smiling.
A mischievous grin spread across my face. “Time for a little payback!” I whispered to myself. The upcoming family barbecue seemed like the perfect opportunity.
“Oh, Janice, honey,” I smiled, my eyes twinkling with amusement, “you’re in for a surprise!”