When the Spoiled Son Broke Five Luxury Cars

Back home for Thanksgiving break, my son Lucas, fooling around, tossed firecrackers into the neighborhood biogas tank.

Boom! Five luxury cars flipped over like toys.

When I told him he needed to apologize, he just rolled his eyes impatiently.

If only Uncle Elon was my dad! He's awesome, he'd never make me say sorry!

This "Uncle Elon" he's talking about? Yeah, that's Gwen's precious exboyfriend, Elonary Hunt. Her college sweetheart, the one who got away.

I called Gwen. She was at some cozy family gathering with Elonary.

Upon hearing about her son's "achievement," she snorted dismissively.

"Charles Finch, honestly? A few scratched cars? Don't make it a big deal! It's pocket change, maybe ten grand? It's just because you're broke and useless! Elon could handle this in his sleep!"

I looked at the five luxury cars, each worth millions, now completely unrecognizable, and let out a cold laugh.

"Well then, hurry up and have him deal with it!"

The second I hung up, Lucas puffed out his chest, smug as he could be.

"See? I told you Uncle Elon would fix it! If you were as capable as my mom says, none of this would have happened.!"

Looking at my son acting like an asshole, I swear, I wished I'd never had him.

But then I caught a glimpse of his face, the one that still mirrored mine, and sadness just washed over me.

Lucas used to be sweet and nice. Back then, our family it wasn't like this.

Ever since Elonary Hunt waltzed back into town three years ago, Gwen changed.

She started coming home late, leaving early.

Elonary's name was in her every other sentence. And me? I became inconvenient.

"You've been working for all these years, Charles, and you are still a middle manager? Look at Elonary! He built his own empire from scratch!"

"I heard he has connections in the bureau and knows all the influential people in the citysomeone who can actually get things done. Not like you, completely useless with no skills or connections!."

I stayed quiet.

I didn't tell Gwen that choosing her, refusing the arranged marriage my family wanted, was why I was "just" a manager.

Nor did I tell her that the perfect ex she admired so much was, above all else, a champion at empty boasting..

But it doesn't matter. She'd just think I was jealous.

Disgusted with me, she pulled Lucas closer to Elonary.

Before long, he called Elonary "Uncle Elon" with more warmth than he ever used saying "Dad" to me.

Seeing him eyeing the biogas tank like he wanted to toss more fireworks in, I grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

Lucas squirmed and yelled, "Let me go! This is my new jacket Uncle Elon bought me! You think you can afford to replace it if you ruin it?"

Even the poor car owners, standing there looking at their wrecked rides, shot me pitying glances.

I almost told them Lucas hadn't always been like this.

Back in second grade, when I was busy at work

I'd drag myself home late, and there he'd be, perched on his little stool, clutching some school snack, waiting up for me.

He was worried I'd be hungry.

But that little boy, that bond Elonary Hunt blew it all apart.

Kids learn from their parents and absorb everything.

With Gwen constantly looking down upon me and admiring Elonary, Lucas did it too.

Gradually, he didn't listen to me anymore.

He loved sweets. But I worried about cavities, so I didn't allow him eat too much.

Next thing I knew, he'd be waving some giant ice cream lollipop Elonary bought him in my face.

"It's fine that you won't buy it for me. Plenty of other people will!"

Sure enough, he got cavities, and ended up sobbing in the dentist's chair.

I saw a chance to teach him a lesson. But Gwen beat me to it, dumping the blame squarely on me.

"How do you even watch him when you're home? If you made him brush properly, this wouldn't have happened!"

Seeing this, he seized the opportunity and started crying and fussing, complaining that I, as his father, was usually too harsh on him..

He didn't know that spoiling a child is like sharpening a knife for him. My rules were for his own good.

Elonary's blind indulgence and doting were only because Lucas wasn't his own sonof course he was willing to trade small favors for affection..

And the fallout from that spoiling? Not Uncle Elon's problem to deal with.

Under Elonary's deliberate indulgence, my son's temper grew increasingly willful.

Whenever I tried to teach him a lesson, he treated me like an enemy.

Before long, the kid was a full-blown terror. Neighbors complained about him and teachers always called.

Like today.

Gwen took him over to Elonary's place, then found the boy annoying during their date, so she bought him some firecrackers and just let him play on his own..

Lucas, never one for rules, ignored the big "DANGER" sign and chucked a lit firecracker right into the biogas tank.

Ka-boom! Five luxury cars parked nearby flipped like pancakes.

I scanned the damage: Mercedes GLE AMG, Volvo XC90 Recharge, Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Autobiography, BMW i7.

Millions of dollars.

But Lucas and Gwen acted like it was no big deal. Like it was just inconvenient.

Did they really think Elonary Hunt could handle it?

Even if Elonary sold that small company of his, he still wouldn't be able to scrape together enough money!

I was mentally scrambling for solutions when my phone buzzed. Gwen.

"We're here. Where are you? Honestly, Charles, making Elon drive all the way over for some ten-thousand-dollar cars? Get a grip!"

Dragging Lucas along, I found them at the restaurant Gwen mentioned.

She was adjusting Elonary's tie.

Laughing. Close. Intimate.

See the ring on her finger it stabbed right through me.

She thought I was clueless. But I knew better than anyone she'd never let go of Elonary Hunt.