Karma is a thing that probably many people around the world believe in, regardless of the religion they profess (or don't believe at all). After all, it's so convenient and pleasant to believe that even if we did not give a worthy rebuff to the offender, then they will later be rewarded by some almighty higher power.
And, of course, because there are actually a lot of similar stories. Although, in some situations, this is rather a violation of the “treat others the way you would like others to treat you” principle. Okay, let's do it this way - you read this story from the user u/EnvironmentalPea5652, and then decide for yourself whether this is karma or just entitlement. Or maybe both...
More info: Reddit
The author of the post has been married to a woman with a teen daughter for the last 4 years
Image credits: Nicole Michalou (not the actual photo)
Alas, the teen has always treated the stepdad badly - for no fault of his
Image credits: u/EnvironmentalPea5652
She always tried to emphasize that he's not her dad, and even played evil pranks on him
Image credits: Joshua Santos (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/EnvironmentalPea5652
The girl flip-flopped her attitude towards the stepdad later, as she wanted him to cover her college fees
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/EnvironmentalPea5652
However, the man stayed strong, claiming that he owes nothing to her now
So here we have the Original Poster (OP), a 48-year-old man who has been married to a woman with a teen daughter for the last 4 years. And, despite all the stepfather's attempts to get on good terms with the stepdaughter, she never took him seriously at all. Although the author, in his own words, really tried to make friends with her.
It is likely that the girl missed her biological dad very much (he and her mother were divorced), so she was hostile to literally everything said or done by her stepfather. She tormented him with malicious and caustic comments and remarks, and every time she tried to emphasize that he was not her father.
Mom also tried to talk to her daughter, to improve relations between her and her new husband - but to no avail. It got to the point of outright rudeness - for example, when one day the OP came to pick up his stepdaughter from school, when asked by her friends who he was, the teen replied that he was just a servant, nothing more.
In general, it all ended with the man simply stopping reacting to attacks from his stepdaughter, trying to minimize communication with her. Moreover, the time was approaching when she would leave for college...
That's it! I think you already get what the main plot twist of this narrative is! Yes, that’s right - one fine day the teen approached her stepdad and, as if nothing had happened between them, asked for help with paying her college fees, because her beloved bio dad had already refused to do this.
Well, the original poster refused as well, saying that it's not his business now. Neither the girl's numerous pleas, as she claimed that 'he's affecting her education,' nor the admonitions of his wife helped. Yes, the OP's spouse also said that she thinks her husband is doing something wrong. However, the author still remained relentless, although he decided to ask for advice online anyway.
Image credits: MART PRODUCTION (not the actual photo)
Well, paying for college fees is really a lot of money nowadays. So, according to this research by CollegeBoard, in the previous school year, the average annual cost of tuition and fees at a public four-year university was $10,940 for in-state undergraduates and $28,240 for out-of-state undergraduates. Adding in room and board, supplies and other expenses brought that total to $27,940 and $45,240 for in-state and out-of-state students, respectively, BankRate adds.
At the same time, the tuition at a private nonprofit four-year university was $39,400. With room and board, supplies and other expenses, that total rose to $57,570. In other words, the stepdaughter expected the original poster to really fork out a hefty amount - and given the way she had treated him in the last four years, he had to be the standard of philanthropy and humility to pay.
Our hero is obviously a mere mortal, with all the shortcomings inherent in us. Or the advantages - it actually depends from what angle you look at it. At least, we recently told another similar tale, and there the stepmom also refused to help a hostile teen with her college tuition. But there the woman had an inheritance from her late husband, and the stepdaughter didn't play such harsh pranks on her, as this girl used to.
So people in the comments also unanimously supported the original poster, arguing that after such humiliation and insults that he had to endure in recent years, it would be damn ridiculous to expect him to pay for his offender's education. "She chose how to treat you and this is a consequence," one of the people wrote in the comments.
And indeed, according to some commenters, it's one thing to make evil jokes about a stepdad, and quite another - to expect financial help from him. "Tell her you can't afford it on your servant's wages," another commenter wrote wittily. Well, to paraphrase Morpheus from the Matrix movie, "Welcome to adult life!" So what do you, our dear readers, think here - how right or wrong was the stepdad in this particular situation?
People in the comments massively sided with the author, claiming that the teen should learn to deal with the consequences
