Nasty Words
The couple smirked as she walked past them, the mom shooting her a glare before uttering something unpleasant.
The girl didn't retaliate. She didn't want to cause a scene at such an event. But when the mom said something else, she knew she needed to teach her a lesson.
Gabby Eliott
Gabby Eliott was your average literature student living in a small town in Omaha. At twenty-four, she'd done everything to ensure she could live an adult life she was proud of.
She'd gotten straight A's in high school despite many family issues daring to deter her from her academic path, and in college, she hoped that life would get better. She was wrong.
Just Trying To Help
Gabby was the firstborn in a six-family, raised by a single mom. Her folks were constantly wading from one problem to the next, most dealing with medical issues that had racked up thousands in medical fees.
As such, Gabby was always looking for ways to be independent. She wanted to alleviate some of the financial burdens her mom was always facing. She had no clue what such a noble cause would lead to.
Highly Motivated
Throughout her college career, Gabby had been supporting herself financially through student loans and odd jobs. She'd worked as a waiter, bartender, and garbage collector for months before deciding on something more fun and flexible.
Her quest to find the perfect job would lead her to a party planning company. Although reluctant to employ her because of her age and lack of experience, the company would take her on as its recruit. Her life would never be the same again.
A Day In The Life
Gabby's company dealt with almost every kind of party in the neighborhood, from birthdays, bar mitzvahs, and graduations to bridal parties, baby showers, and gender reveal parties.
Among these, the last was Gabby's favorite, given the power vested in her team by the party's premise. As a planner, she was among the few who truly knew the result of the big reveal.
A Bad Week
The week that the incident took place was a difficult one for Gabby. Her mom had been ill throughout the month, her condition worsening as that week drew by.
As such, Gabby had been balancing her classes, work, caring for her mom, and watching over her siblings. She'd also requested extra hours at work for some extra cash, a decision that would feed directly into the issue.
Overworking Herself
The party she was planning was nothing out of her ballpark. But given how swamped she'd been throughout the week, with no rest, everything seemed too challenging for her.
She was worried about her mom and still had to pick up her little brothers from school in the evening. Additionally, she felt that the party hosts didn't like her very much.
Two Categories Of Neighbors
In Gabby's small town, everyone knew each other. Things rarely happened without people getting wind of them. In Gabby's case, her family was known for its medical and financial issues.
Some neighbors were usually empathetic towards them, while others were not so much. You can already guess which group the party hosts fell into.
It Begins
The couple started talking in hushed tones as soon as Gabby set to readying their house for the gender reveal party. The mom, who looked to be in her early thirties, welcomed everyone else with a tight hug, choosing to shake Gabby's hand instead.
Of course, Gabby didn't take it personally. She introduced her team and got to work. But things would only go downhill from there.
Guests Are Coming
The party was a few hours from starting when Gabby heard the first comment that turned her attention to the couple. A few guests had arrived, and the pregnant mom was busy welcoming them.
But instead of focusing the guests' attention on other things in the house, she constantly gestured toward Gabby while giggling, snorting, and smirking.
Their History
The woman and her husband were talking about Gabby's mom, ridiculing her in front of poor Gabby. It turns out the mom had gone to the same high school as Gabby's mother, and she wasn't afraid to speak about her experiences there.
Gabby had grown up with this kind of talk. She'd learned to ignore it, choosing to be the bigger person each time. She was doing that when the mom said one thing that ticked her off.
Wrong Move
The woman mentioned Gabby's mom being a deadbeat, saying she was lazy and always sick. Something in Gabby snapped. She stood upright, stamping down the urge to ball her fingers into fists.
She walked out of the room as calmly as she could, knowing she needed to teach the couple a lesson they would never forget.
Pink Or Blue
Among the party preparations that Gabby's team was dealing with were black balloons rigged to burst and fill the room with specific colored confetti. The color, pink or blue, would reveal the baby's gender.
With a sizeable inflated balloon in her hands, Gabby hurried back to the living room, pretending she didn't hear a thing the hosts were saying about her mom. She was about to give them the biggest shock of their lives.
Setting It Up To Blow
Gabby added the balloon to the ones she'd already set in the living room. But instead of setting it up correctly, she bent the pin meant to pop the balloon against its stretched surface.
The slightest breeze from outside would do the rest of the work for her. She wasn't even out of the living room when she heard a loud burst followed by a cry.
The Aftermath
Gabby didn't look back at the chaos after the balloon popped. The mom cried out, alarmed by the reveal fail. But her anger quickly subsided as she realized she would have a baby girl. Gabby's fury also died off immediately. She looked up to her mom and aspired to be like her growing up. She hoped this woman would heal from whatever past traumas she was struggling with. She was a mom now, a job that didn't work well with negativity.
Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.