While Cleaning the Car, My Son Asked, ‘Why Don’t We Just Take the Secret Car Daddy Drives?’

When my son innocently revealed that my husband was secretly driving a shinier car with a woman I knew nothing about, I thought his secret would break us apart. But then I did my investigation and discovered a truth I never anticipated.

I’ll admit it: our car was a disaster zone. Sharing it with my husband, Ben, who works in construction, meant it constantly smelled of sawdust and sweat.

The floors were a graveyard of mud from his boots, crumpled fast-food wrappers, dust-covered tools, and the occasional rogue nail or screw! But when I tried to clean it, our son, Liam, told me something that changed our lives forever.

A dirty car | Source: Midjourney

A dirty car | Source: Midjourney

While my husband trashed the front of our old car, the backseat was Liam’s domain. It was a scattered mess of broken crayons, half-eaten snacks, and sticky juice boxes!

Between driving our five-year-old to preschool, running errands, and visiting my mother — who had been struggling with her health — keeping the car clean felt impossible. It was a battle I was constantly losing, but giving up wasn’t an option because I also used it.

A woman looking at a dirty car | Source: Midjourney

A woman looking at a dirty car | Source: Midjourney

But this Saturday morning was different. Ben’s coworker, Mike, offered to pick him up for an early shift, giving me a rare slice of free time and access to the car. I glanced at the wreck that was our car and decided it was time to wage war against the mess.

“Liam, want to help me clean the car?” I asked, half-hoping he’d say no.

His eyes lit up. “Can I use the sponge?”

“You bet.”

An excited child | Source: Midjourney

An excited child | Source: Midjourney

Liam looked so cute as he marched outside, clutching a tiny sponge like a sword. For the first 30 minutes, we made a good team. He scrubbed the rims with the focus of a tiny soldier, and I tackled the front seats, pulling out old receipts and sticky candy wrappers.

But it wasn’t long before my son plopped down on the curb, puffing out his cheeks.

“Mom, why don’t we just take the secret car Daddy drives?”

I froze. My hands, gripping a dust rag and a sponge, went still.

“Secret car?” I repeated slowly, keeping my voice light.

A confused woman | Source: Midjourney

A confused woman | Source: Midjourney

We were only halfway through cleaning, and I really didn’t need this distraction, but I just had to know what Liam was talking about.

He nodded, casually picking at a dried leaf.

“Yeah, the shiny black one. The lady always lets Daddy drive.”

My pulse quickened.

“What lady, sweetheart?”

My son shrugged, completely unbothered.

“The pretty one with curly hair. They were laughing, and then she gave Daddy the keys. I saw them when Jenna was watching me. You were at Grandma’s house.”

The sponge slipped from my hand.

A woman washing a car | Source: Midjourney

A woman washing a car | Source: Midjourney

I forced a chuckle and pretended to brush it off, though my stomach twisted into knots and my hands were shaking.

“Oh, that’s funny. I’ll ask Daddy about it later.”

But my mind was racing. Ben never mentioned anything about a fancy car or another woman. Why would Liam say that? And why had this happened when I wasn’t home?

Later that afternoon, when my son was down for his nap, I sat in the kitchen after showering, staring at the counter but seeing nothing. The more I thought about it, the more the pieces didn’t fit. Ben had been distant lately, brushing off conversations and spending more time away from home. But a secret car? A woman?

A woman deep in thought | Source: Midjourney

A woman deep in thought | Source: Midjourney

I quickly made up my mind, deciding not to ask my husband anything yet. I needed to find answers on my own. So, I pulled out my phone and texted my friend Sarah.

Me: “Hey. Can I borrow your car tonight? It’s complicated. I’ll explain later.”

Her response was instant.

Sarah: “Uh, YES. Spill!”

I sighed. This wasn’t how I imagined spending my Saturday night.

A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

That evening, I enacted my plan by casually telling Ben I was dropping off groceries at my mom’s, but Sarah was picking me up because we wanted to go out for drinks afterward. I told my husband not to wait up, but he barely looked up from the game he was watching.

“Drive safe,” he mumbled.

Jenna, our regular babysitter and Liam’s older best friend who watched and kept him busy in the evenings while I cooked was lounging on the couch, scrolling through her phone. She glanced up.

“Can I leave, or do you need me to stay late?”

“Maybe. Ask Ben,” I said, forcing a smile.

A woman on her way out | Source: Midjourney

A woman on her way out | Source: Midjourney

When I got out, Sarah’s car was parked in our driveway. She was sitting in the driver’s seat, sipping an iced coffee. “Alright, what’s going on?” she asked when I got in and shut the door.

“I think Ben’s hiding something.”

Sarah’s eyebrows shot up.

“Like… hiding what? Illegal substances? Another woman?”

I winced.

“I don’t know. Liam saw him with some woman in a black car. He said she let Ben drive it.”

“Oh.” Sarah leaned back. “Wow, that sucks… so, what’s the plan?”

“We follow him.”

Two women sitting in a car | Source: Midjourney

Two women sitting in a car | Source: Midjourney

Sarah gave me a long look before grinning.

“I’m so in! Ben’s going down!”

We parked away from the house but close enough to see if there was any movement in the front yard. Not ten minutes later, as anticipated, my husband left the house, carrying a small box under his arm. It looked like a jewelry box, the kind meant for something expensive. My heart squeezed as I wondered if it was a gift for her.

“What’s in the box?” Sarah whispered for some reason.

“I don’t know. But I need to find out.”

A determined woman | Source: Midjourney

A determined woman | Source: Midjourney

A sleek black car rolled up. A woman with dark curly hair stepped out, smiling as she handed Ben the keys. Then, she slid into the passenger seat while my husband took the wheel. Ben didn’t leave with Jenna, so I assumed she was staying to look after Liam while he was out.

“That’s her,” I said, my voice low. “Follow them. But stay back.”

Sarah nodded, her expression serious for once.

We followed them through the winding streets, staying two cars behind. They weaved through downtown before pulling into the parking lot of a sleek, modern office building.

A car driving around | Source: Midjourney

A car driving around | Source: Midjourney

Ben and the woman got out. She adjusted her blazer, and my husband carefully cradled the box.

“I’m going in,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt.

Sarah grabbed my arm. “Wait, wait. Are you crazy?”

“Probably. But I have to see what’s going on. I have to know.”

Sarah nodded and said, “I’ll be right here waiting no matter what happens. If you need me, just call, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, Sar,” I said, grasping her hand affectionately before leaving her car.

An emotional woman | Source: Midjourney

An emotional woman | Source: Midjourney

Inside, I followed them quietly, my heart hammering in my chest. They disappeared behind a door labeled Private Meeting Room. Peeking through the narrow glass panel, I saw the woman open a laptop.

Ben carefully lifted the box’s lid, revealing a delicate necklace with intricate gold filigree and a small ruby at its center. It looked old. Expensive.

He looked somber as he handed the box over to her. She looked at the necklace, nodded, and began typing furiously. I backed away, my mind spinning. Was he giving her jewelry? Was he cheating?!

A confused woman | Source: Midjourney

A confused woman | Source: Midjourney

Confused and shaken by what I was seeing, I stepped away from the door. I needed answers, and I couldn’t wait any longer. But Ben suddenly opened the door, and I stepped in front of him.

“Care to explain?” I asked, my voice trembling.

He froze. His eyes went wide.

“What are you doing here?!” he asked in shock.

“I could ask you the same thing. Who is she? Why do you have that necklace?”

He looked over his shoulder nervously.

“Let’s talk outside.”

A sad man | Source: Midjourney

A sad man | Source: Midjourney

Back in Sarah’s car, Ben let out a long, tired sigh, rubbing his temples. We’d asked my friend for privacy, and she went inside the building, saying, “I’ll just browse around a bit and keep an eye on that other woman.”

“It’s not what you think,” he started.

“Oh, it never is. So explain.”

“That necklace was my mom’s. One of the last things I have of hers.”

“Then why are you giving it to her?”

“I’m not. I was going to sell it.”

I blinked. “Sell it? Why?”

My husband’s shoulders slumped.

A defeated man | Source: Midjourney

A defeated man | Source: Midjourney

“It’s your mom. When her medical bills started piling up a few years ago, I took out a personal loan to help. I didn’t want you to stress over it, so I kept it quiet. I thought I could handle it, but with interest, it spiraled out of control. The woman you saw — Marissa — is a financial consultant. She’s helping me figure out how to pay it off.”

My anger dissolved instantly, replaced by guilt, as I finally realized why she was so formal-looking. The typing also finally made sense.

“Ben… why didn’t you tell me?”

He stared at the steering wheel.

A man sitting in a car | Source: Midjourney

A man sitting in a car | Source: Midjourney

“Because it’s my job to protect this family. You’ve been under so much stress with Liam and your mom. I thought I could handle it.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. “Ben, we’re a team. You don’t have to do this alone.”

His voice cracked. “I thought selling the necklace was the only way.”

I shook my head. “No. We’ll figure this out together.”

A sad woman | Source: Midjourney

A sad woman | Source: Midjourney

Over the next few weeks, we worked together to find a viable solution and made changes. I insisted on picking up extra shifts at my part-time job. We cut back on unnecessary expenses.

And to my surprise, Marissa was kind and understanding, helping us restructure the loan so we could make realistic payments.

Oh, and the driving thing — Marissa explained it to me too. She frequently used the travel time to review documents or prepare notes for their meetings.

Letting Ben drive allowed her to focus on her work uninterrupted, maximizing their time and ensuring they were prepared for discussions.

A businesswoman | Source: Midjourney

A businesswoman | Source: Midjourney

And Ben got to keep the necklace. I told him to save it for Liam — a piece of our family’s history that he could pass down as a reminder of the love and sacrifices that shaped our family.

Looking back, it’s funny how a child’s innocent question about a “secret car” could have torn us apart. But it brought us closer instead. Our life isn’t perfect, but we have each other. And that’s more than enough.

A happy family | Source: Midjourney

A happy family | Source: Midjourney

Sadly, Ben’s wife isn’t the only woman who thought her husband was cheating. After meeting their son’s fiancée, Lily’s husband met up with the young woman in secret. Livid, I confronted them, but the truth was far from what I’d imagined.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

Entitled Mom Blocked Our Delivery Spot & Told Us to ‘Work Around Her’—Minutes Later, She Regretted It a Lot

As a foreman, I’ve seen a lot in 20 years of construction, but never anyone quite like the mom who rolled into our no-parking zone like rules were for other people. When I politely asked her to move, she asked me to “deal with it.” I just smiled and karma handled the rest minutes later.

Have you ever had one of those days when someone else’s entitled attitude becomes your unexpected entertainment? Let me tell you about my morning. I’ve never seen karma work so fast… or hit so hard.

I’m Bob and I’m 40 years old. I’m a foreman for a construction crew bustin’ our backs building a house halfway up Mount Hellscape. Okay, not a real mountain, but 250 feet up a narrow footpath sure feels like one when you’re hauling plywood on your shoulder in the July heat.

A construction foreman at work | Source: Midjourney
A construction foreman at work | Source: Midjourney

We’ve been working this gig for weeks now. There’s no road to the build site. Just a footpath. That means every damn board, beam, pipe, and nail has to be lugged uphill by hand.

The only break we get? Two sacred parking spots at the bottom of the hill, marked clear as day: No Parking. Tow Away Zone.

Those two spots are our only shot at keeping deliveries running halfway smooth.

A ‘No Parking’ sign | Source: Pexels
A ‘No Parking’ sign | Source: Pexels

“Bob!” my buddy Mike called from the scaffolding. “Jerry’s on the phone. Says the lumber delivery’s coming early.”

I wiped the sweat from my brow and grabbed my cell. “Jerry? How far out are you, pal?”

“Three minutes tops, man. Got your roof trusses and everything else on the manifest.”

“I’ll clear the loading zone. See you in three.”

A construction foreman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
A construction foreman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

I pocketed my phone and started down the narrow dirt path that connected our hilltop site to civilization.

As the path curved, I caught sight of a gleaming white SUV parked squarely in one of our spots. Through the windshield, I could make out a woman texting on her phone, engine idling.

I felt the familiar twitch in my jaw. The elementary school half a block away meant we dealt with this at least twice daily. Usually, a polite request was enough. Usually. But not always.

Kids in an elementary school | Source: Pexels
Kids in an elementary school | Source: Pexels

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I called, approaching her driver’s side window with what I hoped was a friendly expression. “You’re parked in our construction loading zone. We’ve got a lumber delivery arriving any minute.”

She glanced up from her phone, window descending halfway.

“I’ll just be a few minutes,” she said, barely looking at me. “Your truck isn’t even here. Take a chill pill, dude.”

The window hummed back up and the conversation was over.

A furious woman sitting in her car | Source: Midjourney
A furious woman sitting in her car | Source: Midjourney

“Ma’am, please—” I started, but the rumble of a heavy engine cut me off.

Jerry’s massive delivery truck appeared around the corner, loaded with enough lumber to frame our entire roof. I waved him forward, pointing to our predicament seated in the car.

I knocked on the lady’s window again. After several taps, it lowered halfway.

“WHAT?” she snapped.

“The delivery truck is here,” I explained, keeping my voice calm, “You’re parked in a clearly marked no-parking zone. We really need you to move now.”

A lumber truck on the street | Source: Midjourney
A lumber truck on the street | Source: Midjourney

She looked past me at Jerry’s idling truck, then back to me with narrowed eyes.

“Can’t you guys just unload around me? Like, what’s the big deal? It’s not that hard.”

The window went up again and my customer service smile froze on my face.

“Fine,” I muttered, walking away. “We’ll work around you.”

“What’s the plan, Bob?” Jerry asked, leaning out his window, watching me approach.

A slow smile spread across my face. “She wants us to work around her. Let’s do exactly that.”

Jerry’s eyes lit up with understanding. “Say no more!”

A smiling truck driver | Source: Midjourney
A smiling truck driver | Source: Midjourney

“Pull in as close to her driver’s side as you legally can,” I instructed. “Let’s see how she likes being boxed in between you and the porta-potty.”

Jerry nodded, expertly maneuvering his truck to block the SUV’s driver’s side door with barely an inch to spare. With the porta-potty on one end and a legally parked car on the other, our entitled mom was now completely boxed in.

“Perfect,” I said, unable to suppress my grin.

“She looks mad,” Jerry chuckled, glancing in his side mirror.

A white car trapped between a truck and a porta-potty | Source: Midjourney
A white car trapped between a truck and a porta-potty | Source: Midjourney

“Let’s start unloading. I’ll make a call.”

“Who ya calling?” Jerry asked, already lowering the truck gate.

“Parking enforcement. Just to cover our bases.”

“Bob!” someone shouted from up the hill. I turned to see my crew arriving to help with the unloading.

“Let’s move, guys! We’ve got a roof to build!”

As my crew began the backbreaking process of hauling the lumber up the hill, I noticed movement in the SUV. Our entitled mom just realized her predicament. I could see her gesturing wildly on her phone, occasionally shooting daggers at me with her eyes.

An annoyed woman talking on the phone while seated in her car | Source: Midjourney
An annoyed woman talking on the phone while seated in her car | Source: Midjourney

“The parking officer said she’ll be here in about 30 minutes,” I told Jerry as we supervised the unloading.

“That long?” Jerry sighed, then brightened. “Well, we’ll still be here. This is at least an hour’s job.”


Twenty minutes into our unloading, a small boy in a blue backpack approached the SUV, tapping on the passenger window.

Entitled mom had finally realized she couldn’t exit through her driver’s side door. We watched as she awkwardly climbed across the center console, tumbling out the passenger side in a less-than-graceful heap.

A boy with a backpack | Source: Pexels
A boy with a backpack | Source: Pexels

“Mommy, why are you coming out that way?” the boy asked loudly enough for us to hear.

“Because these IDIOTS blocked me in,” she hissed, straightening her designer blouse while glaring in our direction. She ushered her son into the back seat, then stormed over to where Jerry and I stood checking off inventory items.

“I need to leave NOW!” she demanded, arms crossed tightly. “Move. Your. Truck.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Jerry beat me to it.

“Ma’am, in order to unload the lumber, we had to unstrap it,” he explained with exaggerated patience. “Company policy strictly prohibits moving the truck with an unsecured load. Safety regulations. I’m sure you understand.”

Her face flushed crimson. “Trash your policy! I have somewhere to be!”

A furious woman yelling | Source: Midjourney
A furious woman yelling | Source: Midjourney

“We asked you nicely to move earlier,” I reminded her. “You told us to work around you. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

“This is ridiculous! I’m going to report both of you!”

At that moment, a parking enforcement vehicle pulled up behind Jerry’s truck. Officer Martinez stepped out, clipboard in hand.

The entitled mom hadn’t noticed the new arrival yet. She was too busy jabbing her finger in my direction.

A female police officer | Source: Pexels
A female police officer | Source: Pexels

“I swear to God, if you don’t move this truck right now—”

I couldn’t resist. “Can’t you just pull out around it? It’s not that hard.”

Her eyes widened as she recognized her own words thrown back at her. The look on her face was worth every second of this confrontation.

“Screw you!” she spat, spinning on her heel and marching back to her SUV.

Officer Martinez approached us, eyebrows raised. “Morning, Bob. Got your call about the parking situation.”

Before I could explain further, the roar of an engine drew our attention. The entitled mom had climbed back into her SUV through the passenger door and thrown it into reverse.

“Oh no!” Jerry murmured.

An angry woman sitting in her car | Source: Midjourney
An angry woman sitting in her car | Source: Midjourney

The SUV jumped backward like a spooked goat on roller skates and plowed straight into our poor porta-potty.The thing tumbled, farted out a splash of blue goo, and lay there like it needed a minute.

“Holy cow!” I breathed.

The entitled mom shifted to drive and accelerated toward the curb, apparently attempting to mount the sidewalk to escape. The SUV made it halfway up before getting stuck, wheels spinning uselessly and the engine screaming.

Officer Martinez was already running toward the vehicle. “TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE! NOW!”

The woman froze, finally noticing the uniformed officer. The color drained from her face as she realized what she’d done… and who had witnessed it.

A lady cop talking to someone | Source: Pexels
A lady cop talking to someone | Source: Pexels

“Step out of the vehicle, ma’am,” Officer Martinez ordered, hand on her radio.

“I… these men trapped me,” she stammered, reluctantly emerging from the passenger side.

“Hands where I can see them.”

“My son is in the car.”

“I’m aware. That’s going to be an additional concern.” Officer Martinez spoke into her radio, requesting backup.

A startled woman in her car | Source: Midjourney
A startled woman in her car | Source: Midjourney

Within minutes, our entitled mom was sitting on the curb in handcuffs, her indignation replaced by panic. Her son watched wide-eyed from the back seat as a second police car arrived.

“She told us to work around her,” Jerry explained to the second officer, a tall man named Rodriguez. “So we did.”

“Then she decided to take matters into her own hands,” I added, gesturing to the destroyed porta-potty and the SUV still perched awkwardly on the curb.

“I never refused to move!” she shouted from her curb seat. “They never asked me!”

Officer Martinez shook her head. “Ma’am, they called parking enforcement when you first refused to move. That’s why I’m here.”

A police officer handing a violation ticket | Source: Pexels
A police officer handing a violation ticket | Source: Pexels

“This is all a misunderstanding. I was just picking up my son.”

“In a clearly marked no-parking zone,” Officer Rodriguez noted, writing in his notepad. “And then she operated that vehicle recklessly with a child inside.”

The woman’s shoulders slumped.

“Home telephone number?” Officer Rodriguez asked the boy. “We need to call someone to pick you up.”

As Jerry signed off on his delivery and prepared to leave, the tow truck arrived to remove the SUV from the curb. The entitled mom was being helped into the back of Officer Rodriguez’s patrol car, all fight gone from her posture.

An officer watching a person being escorted toward a cruiser | Source: Pexels
An officer watching a person being escorted toward a cruiser | Source: Pexels

“Driving on a suspended license too,” Officer Martinez informed me as she finished her report. “Plus child endangerment, destruction of property, and reckless driving. She’ll be spending more than a few minutes dealing with this.”

I watched as an older woman, presumably the boy’s Grandma, arrived to collect him, her face tight with worry and resignation, as if this wasn’t the first time she’d been called to clean up her daughter’s mess.

That evening, as the sun set over our hilltop construction site, I sat on a stack of newly delivered lumber, nursing a cold coke with my crew.

“You should’ve seen her face when you threw her own words back at her,” Jerry laughed, cracking open another can.

A man laughing while holding a can of beverage | Source: Midjourney
A man laughing while holding a can of beverage | Source: Midjourney

“I almost felt bad,” I admitted. “Almost.”

“Don’t, buddy. Some people need to learn the hard way.”

“What was the damage on the porta-potty?” someone asked.

“Company’s sending a replacement tomorrow,” I replied. “Thankfully it was due for service anyway.”

The crew laughed, and we raised our cans in a toast.

“To entitled parents everywhere,” Jerry proclaimed. “May the parking spots they steal always come with a side of instant karma.”

“And may they learn that in construction, as in life,” I added, “sometimes the harder you push, the more you get stuck.”

A chuckling foreman holding a beverage can | Source: Midjourney
A chuckling foreman holding a beverage can | Source: Midjourney

As twilight settled over our half-built house, I couldn’t help but smile. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, more materials to haul, and more problems to solve. But at least our parking spots would be clear.

And somewhere across the town, one mom learned a very expensive lesson about patience, respect, and the high cost of entitlement. Maybe next time she’d take the chill pill instead!

A no parking zone | Source: Pexels
A no parking zone | Source: Pexels

Here’s another story: In a crowded airport, a teenager mocked a janitor, thinking it was funny. What he didn’t realize was that his father was watching silently… from behind.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

Related Posts

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*