While I got her certificates for multiple spa sessions near her hospital, Jack presented her an ostentatious watch. My mother gave us both heartfelt thanks at our celebration, as usual.Jack suddenly found it impossible to contain his boasts over the watch’s price. He gave Mark a sidelong glance before teasingly remarking that an electrician could never afford something so extravagant. Actually, Mom, this watch is a limited edition. The salesperson offered it to me right away, knowing that I would accept it because she knew that I was a well-known lawyer.

If an electrician had entered, things might have turned out differently, Jack scoffed. “No offence,” he continued, turning to face Mark.Although Mark dismissed it with a smile, I could see the anxiety in his eyes. Jack persisted in his disparaging remarks regarding Mark’s work. “By fixing outlets and wiring, I mean? How challenging can it possibly be?” Jack laughed.I eventually had enough of him disparaging my partner, who had put in more effort than my brother to get his current position. To be honest, Jack probably had no idea that my husband could buy his legal practice and makes five times as much as he does. My spouse and I said nothing. Jack’s haughtiness had long been a source of irritation for me, and his most recent act was the tipping point. I immediately concluded that he needed to learn humility, but little did I know that karma had already prepared the groundwork.

A few weeks later, my parents’ house hosted a cookout for our family. As usual, Jack was late but made a spectacular entry in his Porsche. He parked it in the front, where it would be clearly seen to all.He entered the room carrying Emily, his fiancée, and showed her off like a new trophy. As he went around bragging about his most recent court triumph and the extravagant honeymoon he was arranging for his third marriage, he made his rounds. I inhaled deeply as the afternoon went on, prepared to carry out my plan to discipline Jack. I found out that the purse he had purchased for Emily was a fake. I had the exact same bag—a real one that Mark had given me.

I intended to compare the two in front of everyone to reveal this. We heard a disturbance coming from the front of the house just as I was ready to call everyone together for the unveiling.We hurried outside to discover Jack’s cherished Porsche being hooked up by a tow truck. Jack was fighting with the tow truck driver, clearly in a panic. “This is a mistake,” he stumbled to himself. “I’ll sort this out.”The driver gave a headshake. “It’s under new ownership. You have multiple payment arrears.”Jack got quite pale. His confidence eroding, he turned to face the gathered family members. Emily slipped into the home, obviously ashamed. Jack found himself standing by himself, rather unlike the haughty man who had entered before.At last, he admitted, saying, “I lost my job. Since I was unemployed, I was unable to make the payments on the car that was leased in my company’s name.” Everybody gasped. “What? My dad asked, obviously astonished, “How come none of us knew?”Jack sighed, appearing to give up. “I’ve been attempting to conceal it. I oversaw a well-publicized case that horribly misfired. The client sued the firm after they suffered a sizable financial loss as a result of my wrongdoing. Right now, nobody wants to hire me.”I felt a mixture of sympathy and satisfaction as I observed him. I had meant for reality to be kinder, but he had really needed to be humbled. Now, the phoney bag also made sense. He ultimately failed in his attempt to maintain that image. Silently, I walked up to him. “Hey,” I murmured quietly. “Maybe this is a sign to rethink things.” He turned to face me, a vulnerability in his eyes that I had never seen before. “I guess I had this coming, huh?”“Maybe a little,” I said. Nevertheless, you remain my brother. We are capable of overcoming this.” At that moment, Mark moved forward and touched Jack’s shoulder. “An additional set of hands would be helpful for my company. Although it’s not glamorous, the work is honest and well-paid.”Jack seems taken aback. Would you actually hire me? following everything I mentioned?” Mark smiled and said, “Everyone deserves a second chance.” “I’ll teach you everything you need to know.” On that memorable day, as the sun was setting, Jack said yes to Mark’s proposition. He had to start over, which was difficult, but he put in a lot of effort and learned the craft from the bottom up. He eventually gained a fresh appreciation for the need of sincere, diligent labour. His haughtiness gave way to appreciation and humility.Life has a way of teaching us things sometimes better than we could. Jack had been sent down a peg, but our family was there for him even if the road ahead was difficult. And maybe, just maybe, he was a better man after going through this. Though it has been fictionalised for artistic purposes, this work draws inspiration from actual individuals and events. For reasons of privacy protection and story improvement, names, characters, and details have been changed. Any likeness to real people, alive or dead, or real events is entirely accidental and not the author’s intention. The publisher and author disclaim all liability for any misinterpretation and make no claims on the veracity of the events or character portrayals. The thoughts represented in this story are those of the characters and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the author or publisher. The story is offered “as is.”