In this dramatic tale, family traditions are threatened when stubborn old values make new family members feel unwelcome.

When this military man was brought to his wife’s family get together, she said something so insulting to him, he immediately walked out the door.

But not before he planned a petty revenge plot to use her own dirty tactics against her.

Read on for all the details.

Wife’s Grandmother Feels I’m “Beneath” Their Family, Takes a Dig At My Mother In Front Of Thanksgiving Guests.

My ex-wife’s family came from “old money.” They didn’t have much of it left, but they were still high up in social circles.

Due to all the complications of her family, she and I decided to elope (her idea), and, because of that, she avoided telling her grandmother for about two months.

I tried, but no amount of charm on my part could win her grandmother over.

They would soon find themselves face-to-face with this grandmother.

At Thanksgiving, she asked my wife to come over and help her get the house in order for Thanksgiving dinner.

My wife and I were still newlyweds, so naturally, I wanted to come with.

Her grandmother came downstairs all smiles, with a pleasant disposition and a song in her voice… and then she saw me.

She didn’t take kindly to his presence.

“What’s HE doing here?”

I tried to intervene and soften the blow, “But, Ms. Thomas, I just wanted to come as well so I could pitch in, that way I can help you get done faster.”

She accepted my reasoning, but she definitely wasn’t happy.

So, she kept taking little digs at me the whole time, something she always did whenever my wife took me along with her.

Their secrecy couldn’t last forever.

The next day, just seconds before dinner started, my new MIL, who had known the truth for weeks but had kept silent at my wife’s request, took it upon herself to finally tell the grandmother that my ex and I were actually married.

She did us a favor really; I was personally tired of all the deception. I can’t stand lying or liars.

The grandmother was clearly shocked, but she had to put on a good face because there was company present. My MIL wasn’t so dumb after all.

But he knew it was all an act, and soon it was confirmed.

So, while she was pretending to be gracious, I could still tell it was killing her, and old habits die hard.

Eventually, I overheard her half of a conversation with one of the guests at the other end of the table.

She made sure to say it just loud enough so that I could hear it.

She didn’t mince her words.

“I just can’t believe his mother hasn’t reached out to welcome my granddaughter into their family, but of course, I had always hoped my granddaughter would one day marry someone… ‘of a better class’… so I suppose that’s to be expected.”

I can tolerate someone taking a dig at me; it’s nothing off my back. But taking a shot at my mother with some complete stranger?

Plus, you haven’t exactly welcomed me into your family yet either, and you’ve had over two hours to do so, I silently thought to myself.

He decided he wasn’t going to stand for this kind of treatment.

So, upon overhearing that, I stood up and walked right past her and out the backdoor.

As the door was closing behind me, I heard the mock-shock in her voice, “Well, what did I say? What did I say?”

About 10 minutes later, my wife caught up to me in her car as I was walking back to our apartment. It was five miles, so yeah…

I was being a bit stupid at that point, letting her get to me, but I was mad.

Despite her acting innocent, he knew his wife’s grandmother was no good.

That old woman totally knew exactly what she said, and it was no slip of the tongue either. It was obvious to everyone that she had intended to hurt me.

Plus, I saw that little smirk on her face as I walked past her; it was intentional.

She was trying to make me leave, and I did, so she totally thought she had won.

He refused to let her have the last word.

But… I already knew how I was going to get her back, and I was going to use her own words to get my revenge.

Part of the reason she didn’t like me was the fact that I was military. Even worse, I was enlisted.

Military officers were fine, of course, but “An enlisted man? Why, I never!”

But his military status was exactly what gave him the upper hand in this situation.

But there was one thing about being in the military that I could use to get back at her.

You see, she REALLY loved (and actually demanded) that her granddaughter come over at Christmas.

It was a big to-do every single year, especially among all her social friends.

That’s what gave me the idea of how I could not only ruin that for her, but also use her own Thanksgiving dig at me to do it.

He explains further.

You see, military personnel can oftentimes take vacation at the drop of a hat. I had over 50 days worth of leave available to me.

So I requested and was approved to take three weeks’ worth of it.

That way, I made sure that my wife would be with me, out of state, for Christmas and New Year’s… you know, so my mother could properly (and, more importantly) PERSONALLY… welcome my wife into our family.

He was right: It crushed her.

It practically killed the old bat; it was sweet, delicious revenge.

She was so mad and so loud on the phone (practically screaming) that I didn’t even have to listen in on another line when my wife called her.

I could overhear everything she said on the phone my wife was using.

She was incredulous.

“You’re WHERE? But what about Christmas? I have guests and family coming, and I’ve already promised everyone that you will be here! I need you here! You’re supposed to be here with me!”

Yeah, well… perhaps you should have thought of that before trash-talking my momma right in front of me.

But, what do I know? I’m from such a “low class” of people.

Their unexpected holiday ended up being a blast.

We had a great time. It was one of the best family Christmases ever.

An epic one, for the books… for my family, at least.

Too bad granny couldn’t attend.

What did Reddit think?

Sometimes an official ceremony can help ease any family members’ misgivings.

Moral of the story: Never underestimate a military man!

There are many potential reasons a parent could dislike their child’s chosen spouse.

This curious commenter prods deeper about the timeline of events.

The sting of his wife’s grandmother’s words was nothing compared to the sweet satisfaction of seeing her plans unravel.

The only guest she’ll be inviting to her party is karma.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.