I used to live peacefully on Maple Street, where neighbors smiled, waved, and made handshake deals over fences and flower beds. When I built a wooden fence for a bit of privacy, Jim and Susan—our kind next-door neighbors—agreed to its position, even though it leaned nine inches into their yard. It wasn’t about exact measurements; it was about mutual understanding.
For years, we lived side by side without a single issue.
That peace ended the day Kayla moved in. A sharply dressed realtor from the city, she looked at our quiet street as if it didn’t quite meet her standards. Six months after settling in, she knocked on my door with documents in hand, firmly insisting that I either remove the fence or compensate her for what she called “trespassing.”
When I brought up the original agreement with Jim and Susan, she simply gave a cold smile and replied, “In my world, agreements are written.”
I had no desire to deal with legal trouble, so I removed the fence.
But just a week later, she was at my door again—only this time, things were different. She looked stressed, almost desperate. Her dog, Duke, had destroyed her living room without the fence to keep him outside. She asked me—actually, she pleaded with me—to reinstall the fence and even offered to pay for it.
I smiled politely and declined. I had done my part.
Her troubles didn’t stop there. The bamboo fence she tried to replace mine with lasted only two days before Duke chewed through it. Her patio furniture didn’t survive either. Guests stopped visiting her home. At one point, during a garage sale that turned chaotic, Duke got loose—and someone stole her purse.
She came to me once more, hoping I’d reconsider. This time, all I offered her was some friendly advice.
Months later, I sold the house. I made sure to share the history of the fence with the new owners, then moved on with my life. I took the old wooden panels with me to my new home.
There, I finally found peace again—and even love.
Sometimes, things have a way of resolving themselves. Karma, it turns out, has better timing than any realtor.