For Will, Career Day was a chance to spend more time with his son Kevin and strengthen their bond. However, when he arrived at the school, he realized his son was ashamed of him. Will’s honest work as a garbage truck driver wasn’t enough for Kevin, so he decided to play along with his son’s lie.
Late in the evening, the sound of the front door creaking open echoed through the quiet house. Will stepped inside, his shoulders slumped and his boots dragging slightly on the floor. His face was smudged with dirt, and the faint scent of oil and metal lingered on his clothes.
Leslie, sitting on the couch with a folded laundry basket beside her, looked up as he entered. She set the basket aside and walked over, her expression calm but tired.
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“You’re late again…” she said softly, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.
Will sighed and dropped his work bag near the door.
“I know… sorry. One of the garbage trucks broke down, so I had to cover their route. Couldn’t leave it undone, and—well, you know—we could use the extra money.”
Leslie nodded, folding her arms.
“I understand. But I’m worried about Kevin…”
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Will straightened slightly. “What’s wrong? Did something happen at school?”
“No, school’s fine,” she replied, shaking her head. “But he barely sees you anymore. You’re working so much, and I’m not sure he understands why.”
Will’s expression softened. “I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry, Les. Everything I do, I do for his future.”
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Leslie smiled gently, placing a hand on his arm. “I know, dear. I know.”
Will knocked gently on Kevin’s door, letting his knuckles barely tap against the wood.
The house was quiet, except for the faint hum of the heater. He pushed the door open slowly, peeking in with a playful grin despite the heavy bags under his eyes.
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“Hey, kiddo! How are you?” he asked, his voice soft but warm.
Kevin sat cross-legged on his bed, a book in his hands, though it didn’t look like he was reading it.
“Hi, Dad. I’m fine,” he said without looking up.
“Not asleep yet? Got a few minutes to chat?” Will stepped inside, his voice teasing but gentle.
“Sure…” Kevin set the book down reluctantly and glanced at his father.
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Will sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“How’s school? Everything going okay? No fights with your classmates or anything?”
Kevin shrugged. “Yeah, it’s fine.”
Will raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? Fine? Come on, you can give me more than that.”
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Kevin smirked a little but stayed quiet.
“Oh!” Will said, sitting up straighter. “I almost forgot—tomorrow’s Career Day at your school! I’ll take the day off to come. Don’t worry, I won’t miss it.”
Kevin’s face fell slightly, and he looked away.
“You don’t have to, Dad…” he said softly.
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Will tilted his head, watching his son carefully.
“I want to,” he said firmly. “Don’t worry about it. For you, I’ll always make time. Now get some rest, buddy. Tomorrow’s a big day.”
Kevin hesitated, then mumbled, “Goodnight.” He turned onto his side, facing the wall.
Will reached out, lightly ruffling Kevin’s hair before standing.
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He paused at the door, glancing back at his son with a faint smile, then quietly closed the door behind him.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windshield as Will drove Kevin to school. Will had traded his usual work uniform for a navy suit and tie, a combination that felt unfamiliar and stiff.
Kevin sat silently in the passenger seat, his face turned toward the window. His fingers fidgeted with the strap of his backpack, and his usual chatter was replaced by a heavy quietness.
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Will glanced at him, the silence too loud to ignore. “What’s wrong, kiddo?” he asked, keeping his tone light.
Kevin shrugged but didn’t turn away from the window.
“I don’t feel well. I don’t want to go to school today,” he muttered.
Will frowned, his eyes darting between the road and his son.
“Come on, you’re fine. Are you nervous about something?”
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“No…” Kevin replied softly, his voice trailing off.
Will didn’t push.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be okay,” he said, though he couldn’t help but wonder if Kevin was hiding something.
When they arrived at the school, Kevin hesitated before opening the door.
Will waited, his hand resting on the gear shift, watching his son wrestle with some unspoken emotion.
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Finally, Kevin sighed, pushed open the door, and got out. Will followed, his concern lingering like a shadow.
Inside the classroom, rows of parents sat in folding chairs at the back while the children clustered together at their desks.
Will found a seat, adjusting his tie as he scanned the room. The atmosphere buzzed with chatter and excitement.
A tall man in an expensive suit approached Will, offering a polished smile. “You must be Kevin’s dad, right?”
Will nodded. “Yes. How’d you know?”
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“Our boys are friends. Your son talks a lot about you and your work,” the man said, crossing his arms.
“Really?” Will said, eyebrows rising. “I didn’t think he was that interested in what I do.”
The man chuckled. “Well, he’s proud of you. Told everyone you own a waste recycling business.”
Will froze. “A recycling business?” he repeated, the words sticking in his throat.
“Yeah! Or did I get that wrong?” The man tilted his head. “Kids exaggerate sometimes. You know how it is.”
Will’s stomach tightened. He wasn’t a business owner—he drove a garbage truck. Admitting that now would mean exposing Kevin’s lie.
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The image of his son’s anxious face flashed through his mind, and the thought of Kevin being humiliated in front of his peers was too much to bear.
“Yeah,” Will said finally, forcing a smile. “I’m not used to people knowing about it. I usually keep work stuff private.”
The man nodded, seemingly satisfied, and walked away.
Will’s chest felt heavy, but he tried to shake it off as the teacher stepped to the front of the room.
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“Next, let’s hear from Kevin’s dad,” she announced, motioning for him to come forward.
Will stood, smoothing his suit nervously as he walked to the front. He glanced at Kevin, who sat stiffly, staring at his desk.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Will, Kevin’s dad. As some of you already know, I own a waste recycling business,” he said, his voice steady despite the knot in his stomach.
Kevin’s head shot up, his eyes wide with relief. A small smile crept across his face as he looked at his father.
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The children leaned forward, listening intently, and the parents nodded approvingly—all except the man in the expensive suit, whose expression soured.
Will smiled through it, feeling a mixture of pride and sadness. For now, he had protected Kevin, and that was what mattered most.
After the presentations, the classroom was abuzz with chatter. Kevin stood near his desk, surrounded by a group of classmates. They grinned and chattered excitedly.
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“Your dad’s job is so cool!” one kid said.
“Yeah, owning a recycling business? That’s awesome,” another added.
Kevin smiled faintly, but his eyes kept darting toward the back of the room.
Will sat alone on a bench, his hands resting on his knees, staring at the floor. Something about his posture—a mix of exhaustion and quiet sadness—made Kevin’s chest feel tight.
Excusing himself from the group, Kevin walked over to his dad. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
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“Dad… about your job…” Kevin’s voice was soft, almost unsure.
Will looked up, his tired eyes meeting his son’s.
“It’s okay, son,” he said gently. “I hope everything went better than you expected. I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of your friends. I’m sorry my job isn’t… prestigious. I really try my best.”
Kevin shook his head quickly. “Dad… your job is awesome. You’re awesome.”
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Will raised an eyebrow, his lips curving into a faint, skeptical smile. “Then why did you tell everyone I’m a business owner?”
Kevin looked down, fidgeting with the strap of his backpack.
“It was Rob,” he admitted quietly.
“He’s always bragging about his dad selling cars and how much money he makes. I… I lied. I said you owned a recycling business. Then everyone started talking about it, and I didn’t know how to take it back. I didn’t want to look stupid.”
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Will nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful.
“It’s okay, son. I understand,” he said after a moment. “And who knows? Maybe I’ll make that lie true someday. Maybe I can start my own business.”
Kevin stared at his dad, his guilt giving way to a sudden determination. Without another word, he turned and strode back toward the front of the classroom.
“Listen, everyone!” Kevin’s voice rang out, loud and clear. The chatter stopped, and all eyes turned to him. Will’s heart skipped a beat as he watched his son.
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“My dad drives a garbage truck!” Kevin announced, his voice steady.
The room went silent. Kids stared at Kevin, some whispering to each other, others wide-eyed. Even the parents stopped their conversations.
Kevin straightened his back and continued, his voice unwavering.
“He’s not a business owner, and he’s not the richest, but I don’t care! I love my dad. He loves me and my mom, and I’m proud of him!”
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For a moment, the room stayed quiet, and Kevin held his breath.
Then, one of the parents applauded. Slowly, others joined in.
Soon, most of the parents were smiling and applauding as well—except Rob’s father, who sat stiffly, his face sour.
Kevin turned back to his dad, beaming.
“I love you, Dad. And I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”
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Will’s throat tightened as tears pricked at his eyes. He stood, pulling Kevin into a hug.
“Thank you, son. I love you too,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
In that moment, Will didn’t care about titles or appearances.
His son’s love and pride were more than enough.
Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
If you enjoyed this story, read this one: Margaret loved her husband and did everything he asked of her, which was a lot. But for years, she hadn’t been on the receiving end of that love. She had resigned herself to the idea that her life would always be this way—until she opened a strange box beneath the Christmas tree. Read the full story here.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
My Neighbor Was Complaining That I Went Out Bra-Less, I Responded With a Petty Revenge
Sometimes, our relationship with our neighbors may be just epic. There’re people who dislike literally everything, and they may add a grain of salt to our lives by their permanent claims. Such thing happened to our today’s heroine, who wrote a letter to our editorial to tell us about an absurd claim from her neighbor. The woman, however, never lost her temper and provided her neighbor with an epic feedback that she will probably not be able to forget.
A woman wrote to us to tell her, nearly dramatic, story.
A young woman, 20, has written a letter to our editorial. She told us about an incident that happened to her recently, and she revealed how she handled it, in a very unusual way. The woman began her story, saying, that she lives in a college dorm and their accommodation is arranged in a way that they have all-female floors.
The woman revealed that, by some reason, she has always been quarreling with her neighbors, who are her fellow groupmates. They live next door to her, and they have always been complaining about everything and anything.
She wrote, «Sometimes, it really looked like these 4 ladies hated me, for nothing. I barely talked to them, and we hadn’t had anything in common with them. I can’t remember doing anything wrong to them, but they would still always tease me and complain about me to our principals. I tried to remain calm, always ignoring their remarks and complaints, until one day.»
The woman faced the most absurd claim in her life from her dorm neighbors.
The young lady goes on with her story, saying, that in that group of people, who were permanently dissatisfied with her only existence, there was an «informal leader», a girl named Donna. She has been very nasty since their first meeting in the dorm, and she had always been the source of never-ending complaints about our heroine.
The woman wrote, «Donna has a boyfriend, who doesn’t attend our college, and, despite the strict rules for visitors, they breach all of them, and he comes to her room regularly. I knew about that, and I was never complaining about this, because I didn’t want to be like these people. But Donna was purposefully provoking me for some reactions.»
«She was spreading the rumors that I was a light-minded person and that I was trying to seduce her boyfriend, which wasn’t true at all, I just didn’t care about him and I even didn’t pay attention on what he actually looked like. If someone asked me to point at him in a crowd, I’d never do that, because I wouldn’t even recognize him. All these rumors were just rumors, and Donna was trying to make a stir, obviously, and to grab some of other people’s attention.»
Donna paid an immense attention even to our heroine’s outfits.
The woman wrote, «One day, I left my room and went down the hall to the water fountain. I refilled my water bottle, and returned back to my room. At that moment, I was wearing a red tank top and no bra. My top was fitted, but it wasn’t see through. There was a group of people hanging out in the hall, but I didn’t pay a lot of attention. An hour later, I got a violent knock on the door and there was Donna, and she was shouting at me from the beginning.»
The woman goes on, saying, «Donna was totally furious, and she shouted that if I go out into the hall again I must put a bra on. She said that her boyfriend was out there, and he was staring at me.»
The woman admitted that she has always been super non-confrontational, but this time she was fuming. She didn’t show her emotions at that moment, but she already knew what to do next.
The woman’s petty revenge came instantly.
The fed up woman wanted to compromise at first. She wrote, «I saw no problem in wearing a bra, but then I just thought that this unfair attitude would go on and on, until I react to it somehow. Next time they would complain about anything else, not less absurd than this time. I wasn’t just ready for this, I wanted to live a normal life from then on. So, I did what Donna wanted me to do, but in my own way.»
The woman revealed, «As soon as Donna asked me to wear a bra, I did this next time I left my room. But I was wearing jeans and my sports bra, and nothing else. So, technically, I did what she wanted me to do, I wore a bra.»
«Her eyes were very wide when she saw me going to the bathroom like this. But she didn’t say anything anymore. She was obviously shocked and couldn’t provide any arguments against my actions. The floor was all-female, no men were ever allowed there, and if she was the person who breached the rules, she was the one who would handle the consequences then.»
And here’re the stories of 15 people, whose revenge to their offenders was so smart, that it deserved to be called an art.
Preview photo credit bruce mars / Unsplash
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