When my cousin crashed our rental car, leaving me with a $5,000 bill, I spent months trying to get her to pay me back. Just as I gave up, I saw her flaunting her ‘success’ on social media and discovered I wasn’t the only one she owed. Karma caught up to her, and I got a front-row seat!
It’s been a year since that disastrous West Coast holiday, and I still feel the sting of that $5,000 debt. My cousin Debra, who’s supposed to be an accountant, racked up a huge damage charge on our rental car and then had the audacity to act like it wasn’t her problem.
It was under my name, so guess who got stuck with the bill? That’s right, me. Lisa, the ever-reliable project manager from Boston. I swear, some days I think my middle name should be “Doormat.”
I remember that holiday like it was yesterday. Seven of us cousins decided to get together for some “family bonding” out on the West Coast.
Debra was there, of course, with her charismatic charm and reckless attitude. One evening, she decided it would be a fantastic idea to drive the rental car down a narrow, winding coastal road at night.
The air was crisp, the moonlight casting eerie shadows as she sped along the road, ignoring my pleas to slow down.
“Come on, Lisa, live a little!” Debra laughed, her voice filled with reckless glee.
She cranked up the music and took another swig from her bottle. I clutched the seat, my knuckles white.
“Debra, please, you’re going too fast!” I yelled, my heart pounding.
She just laughed harder, taking a sharp turn way too quickly. My heart stopped as the car skidded toward the edge, tires screeching.
I thought we were all going to die that night, but the guardrail saved us. The impact when we slammed into it was jarring, leaving us all stunned and the car a complete wreck.
The holiday mood? Completely ruined.
When the rental company slapped a $5,000 damage charge on the car, Debra just shrugged.
“We’re family,” she said with a flippant wave of her hand. “We should all pitch in.”
The other cousins mumbled vague agreements.
“Maybe we can split it evenly,” suggested Jimmy, the peacemaker of the group.
“Split it? Are you kidding? I wasn’t even in the car,” retorted Martha, crossing her arms.
“I can’t afford that right now,” mumbled Jake, avoiding eye contact.
Serena Williams and family reportedly denied entry to French restaurant, hotel forced to issue apology
After it was claimed that former American tennis player Serena Williams was refused access to the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, a posh Parisian hotel was compelled to issue an apology to Williams and her family.
“Hell no, @peninsulaparis I’ve been turned away from better establishments’ rooftops where I would have liked to eat, but never with my children. X Monday, Williams wrote, “Always a first.”
Since the beginning of the 2024 Olympics, Williams, 42, has been in Paris with her spouse Alexis Ohanian and their two daughters, Olympia, 6, and Adira, 10 months.
The four-time gold medallist at the Olympics participated in the torch relay this year, which carried the torch from the Seine to the Olympic Cauldron. Nadia Comăneci, Carl Lewis, and Rafael Nadal joined her throughout her section.
Williams tried to eat at the rooftop restaurant of the Peninsula Paris, a five-star hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower, after more than a week of games.
Williams, however, stated that despite what she described as a “empty restaurant,” she and her family were refused admittance when they arrived.
The Peninsula Paris extended their support to as many fans as possible.
Greetings, Mrs. WilliamsWe sincerely apologize for the disappointment you had this evening. The hotel’s answer was, “Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was in fact fully booked and the only empty tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.”
They said, “It has always been an honor to welcome you, and it will always be to welcome you again.”
Many are unclear of how to interpret the hotel’s reaction, even if Williams has not yet responded. “You set up a table for her,” exclaimed some, while “She ought to apologize to your team,” held the opinion of others.
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