When I caught my sister-in-law secretly tossing out my brother Donny’s beloved Hawaiian shirts instead of packing them like she promised, I knew I had to act fast. Rather than call her out, I snatched the shirts back and plotted the perfect revenge.

Donny and Iris were moving to Oklahoma, and I stopped by their nearly empty house to help finish packing. I found Iris stuffing his loud, floral shirts into a trash bag—shirts Donny adored and wore constantly. She had promised to pack them, but clearly had other plans.I acted cool, offered her coffee, and said I’d take the trash out. Really, I tossed the bag in my car trunk. Payback time.That weekend, we threw Donny and Iris a surprise housewarming party. Donny greeted us in a plain T-shirt, bummed that the airline had “lost” his favorite shirts. Iris squirmed in silence.

When it was my turn to give gifts, I handed Donny a framed childhood photo—with him in one of his favorite Hawaiian shirts. Then, with a grin, I revealed the “lost” shirts, one by one.His face lit up. Iris’s? Total shock.Later, she pulled me aside and asked if I had seen her throw them out. I played coy, then reminded her how happy he looked. She eventually admitted what she’d done in front of everyone, apologized, and Donny laughed it off: “I love my shirts—but I love you more.”In the end, the shirts stayed, Iris mellowed, and the story became family legend. Hawaiian shirts: 1, sabotage: 0.