The cheeky sister-in-law’s family

"Every year, my sister-in-law's family of three would expect a free ride back home for Christmas in my car. This year, when I asked her to chip in for gas, she turned around and posted about me online. "Help! My sister-in-law is demanding gas money, what should I do?" "Hey everyone, do you have to pay when riding in your brother's car?" When some commenters called her a "freeloader", she retaliated by reporting my car as "stolen property". She nearly got me fired from my job. My in-laws said I was being petty and told me to apologize to my sister-in-law. I exploded and flipped over the Christmas dinner table. Did they really think I was such a pushover? 1 Just after Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law Sophia sent a message asking for another free ride. "Hey Lily, we'll be riding with you guys again this year. When are you leaving?" "Eric said you're departing on the 23rd, I wanted to check if that works for you." Seeing this message, I felt a wave of irritation. The thought of giving them another free ride this year made me wish the car would break down. I replied curtly: "Why don't you just buy plane tickets? It only takes two hours." Sophia sensed my reluctance and quickly tried to smooth things over: "It's so hard to get tickets during the holidays. I'm really sorry to trouble you, sis." I scoffed internally. Before Sophia got married, it wasn't a big deal to bring her along. But after she got married, her family of three plus several large suitcases crowded the car so much that I barely had room for my own luggage. To make matters worse, her husband had no sense of social graces. He'd be glued to his phone the whole ride, only looking up to complain or ask for bathroom breaks. They treated us like free chauffeurs and their kid was a nightmare, leaving dirty footprints all over the back of the front seats. During rest stops, they'd shamelessly ask me to buy snacks and drinks for their child. And of course, they conveniently ignored all the gas and toll costs for the trip. I'm not totally against giving them rides, but once or twice is enough. Doing it every single year, and acting so entitled about it? My money doesn't grow on trees, you know? 2 When my husband Eric got home from work, he cautiously asked: "Honey, did you have a fight with Sophia?" I glared at him, feeling even more annoyed. Although we didn't live with his parents, having a tattletale sister-in-law was still frustrating. These siblings may each have their own families now, but they still couldn't get their priorities straight. I sat on the couch with my arms crossed: "Every year we drive back for Christmas, and your sister's family always expects a free ride. Can't they just buy their own plane tickets?" Eric scratched his head and tried to placate me: "Honey, you know how hard it is to get tickets around the holidays!" "Be the bigger person, it's not a big deal to bring them along." Just then, my coworkers were sharing...