After a week of sun and sand, Catherine was shocked to discover her new neighbor Jeffrey had built an imposing fence on her property. As a single mom, she couldn’t let this slide. What did she do to teach him a lesson he’d never forget?
Life as a single mom isn’t easy, but I’ve been making it work. I’m Catherine, 40 years old, and I’ve been raising my two boys, Liam (10) and Chris (8), all by myself for the past year.
Their father and I parted ways when I caught him cheating with another woman. Well, that’s a story for another time.
About two months ago, I bought a new house and moved in with my kids. It’s in a peaceful neighborhood with a beautiful forest nearby.
Everything about our new neighborhood seemed perfect until I met my next-door neighbor, Jeffrey. We had been at odds since the beginning.
I’ll never forget our first interaction.
It had been a day since we moved in when I heard a knock at my door. I opened it and saw him standing at my doorstep with a folder in his hand.
“Hello there, neighbor!” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Jeffrey. Welcome to the neighborhood!”
I shook his hand.
How nice! I thought. If only I knew what was coming in the days ahead.
“I wanted to discuss something important with you,” he continued, opening his folder.
“The previous owners signed this contract allowing me to build a fence on the property line.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Okay…?”
“So, I’ll be starting construction next week,” he said matter-of-factly.
I was stunned. “Excuse me? You’re not even asking for my permission?”
“Well, I have the contract right here—”
“That contract was with the previous owners,” I interrupted. “I’m the owner now, and I don’t want a fence blocking my view and sunlight.”
That’s when his face turned red.
“But I need this fence for privacy!” he yelled. “I’ve been planning this for months!”
“Why should I care about what the FORMER owner said?” I asked, but I never got a straight answer.
I just saw Jeffrey stomp out of my house.
Since that day, he’s been arguing with me almost every week about this fence. Apparently, he wants to host fancy garden parties without his guests seeing into my yard.
Well, excuse me for existing!
I couldn’t let him build that fence. I didn’t buy this house to stare at wooden planks instead of the beautiful sky and trees.
Little did I know, things were about to get much worse.
A few weeks ago, I decided to take my boys on a much-needed vacation. Liam and Chris were bouncing off the walls with excitement.
“Mom, can we go to the beach?” Liam asked.
Chris chimed in, “Yeah! And can we build a huge sandcastle?”
“Of course, boys!” I said as I hugged them. “We’ll do all that and more!”
We left for a week, looking forward to sun, sand, and relaxation. If only I’d known what was waiting for us when we got back.
As we pulled into our driveway, I noticed something odd. My heart sank as I realized what had happened.
“Boys, stay in the car for a minute,” I said as I got out.
My blood boiled with each step I took toward our house.
As I peeked to the right, I realized what had happened. There, right in front of our windows, stood a tall wooden fence. On our property. One foot from my windows!
“What the hell?!” I shouted, not caring who heard me.
Liam and Chris came running up behind me.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Chris asked in a worried voice.
I took a deep breath. I had to stay calm for their sake. “Nothing, sweetie. Just a little… surprise from our neighbor.”
“But Mom,” Liam said, frowning, “we can’t see the trees anymore.”
My heart broke.
Jeffrey’s stupid fence had replaced the beautiful view from our windows that my boys loved so much. Now, we couldn’t even see the sky!
I couldn’t let this slide. I had to teach Jeffrey a lesson.
I had two options. Either take the legal route and wait for the authorities to take action or take matters into my own hands.
I chose the second one because my boys and I didn’t have enough time to take the legal route.
Later that night, I went to the pet store. I had a plan that I knew would work.
“Can I help you find anything?” the clerk asked.
I smiled sweetly. “Yes, I’m looking for an animal attractant spray. The strongest you have.”
After returning home, I waited until the neighborhood was asleep. Then, I went up to his precious fence and poured an entire bottle of the attractant liquid.
The pheromone scent was strong. It was designed to attract dogs for training purposes. But I had a feeling it might attract more than just dogs.
I did this for several nights in a row, ensuring the solution covered every inch of the fence.
Then, I waited.
It didn’t take long for results to show.
One night, as I was taking out the trash, I saw a stray dog lift its leg against the fence. I had to stifle a laugh.
“Good boy,” I whispered.
Over the next few days, more and more animals started visiting the fence. Foxes, raccoons, even a moose once! They all seemed to think Jeffrey’s fence was the perfect place to do their business.
I watched from my window as Jeffrey discovered the mess one morning. His face turned an impressive shade of purple as he realized what was happening.
But to my surprise, he didn’t take down the fence.
He started cleaning it.
Every morning, Jeffrey would come out with a bucket and scrub brush, muttering under his breath as he cleaned off the nightly deposits.
But no matter how much he cleaned, he couldn’t get rid of the pheromone scent. The animals kept coming back, night after night.
Soon, the smell became unbearable. Even my boys started to notice.
“Mom,” Chris said one day, holding his nose, “it stinks outside!”
Liam nodded in agreement. “Yeah, can we play inside today?”
“I know it smells bad, boys,” I said. “Just give it a few more days, okay?”
They nodded, but I could see they were disappointed. I hoped my plan would work soon.
The next day, I was coming back from a grocery run when I saw one of our other neighbors, Mrs. Thompson, knocking on Jeffrey’s door.
I slowed down, pretending to check my mail as I eavesdropped.
“Jeffrey,” Mrs. Thompson began, “what on earth is that smell coming from your yard? It’s awful!”
Jeffrey seemed so embarrassed.
“I… I’m working on it, Mrs. Thompson. There’s been a bit of an animal problem.”
“Well, work faster!” she snapped. “It’s affecting the whole neighborhood!”
As Mrs. Thompson stormed off, Jeffrey caught my eye. He had this apologetic look on his face that I had never seen before. I smiled at him and quickly walked into my house.
That evening, I watched from my other window as Jeffrey attacked the fence with every cleaning product known to man.
He scrubbed and sprayed for hours, but the smell lingered. Finally, he threw down his brush in defeat and trudged back to his house.
The next morning, I was awakened by a loud noise outside. I peeked through my curtains and had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
I could see Jeffrey overseeing a team of workers as they took down the fence.
I couldn’t believe my plan had actually worked!
I woke up the boys with the good news. “Liam! Chris! Come look outside!”
They raced to the window, their eyes widening as they saw the fence coming down.
“Mom, we can see the trees again!” Chris exclaimed.
Liam hugged me tight. “You’re the best, Mom!”
And with that, our view was restored, and Jeffrey had learned his lesson. However, the story doesn’t end there.
Later that day, Jeffrey approached me while I was gardening in the front yard.
“Catherine,” he started, clearing his throat, “I, uh… I want to apologize.”
“Oh?” I pretended to act surprised.
He nodded. “I shouldn’t have put up that fence without your permission. It was wrong of me.”
“Yes, it was,” I agreed, crossing my arms.
“I’ve learned my lesson,” he continued. “From now on, I’ll respect your property and your rights as a neighbor.”
“Apology accepted, Jeffrey,” I smiled. “Let’s start over, shall we?”
“I’d like that.”
As Jeffrey walked away, I couldn’t help but feel proud. I had stood up for myself and my boys, and in the end, everything worked out.
That incident taught me that life sometimes puts you in situations where you have to get creative to find a solution, just like I had to come up with a plan to teach Jeffrey a lesson he’ll never forget.
Do you think I did the right thing?
Woman Insists Her Son Leaves His Pregnant Wife at Home for Her Birthday, but He Responds, ‘My Wife Comes First’
Woman Insists Her Son Leaves His Pregnant Wife at Home for Her Birthday, but He Responds, ‘My Wife Comes First’
A man felt he had to take his wife’s side regarding a family dispute. However, his mother became angry at him for doing so, so he turned to the internet to find out if he was right.
Pregnant woman holding her lower back | Source: Shutterstock
A man took to Reddit for advice regarding his pregnant wife and his mother’s birthday. He explained that it was his mother’s birthday at the same time that his seven-month-pregnant wife was feeling uncomfortable and particularly sensitive.
The man offered to take his mother to dinner for her birthday, and she picked a place that was a 40-minute drive away. The man told his mother he didn’t want to travel that far as his wife was uncomfortable traveling long distances in a car.
Pregnant woman holding her stomach in a car | Source: Shutterstock
He also explained to his mother that his wife could eat little on the menu because it was a seafood restaurant, and his wife couldn’t eat shellfish. He then asked his mother if she would choose a nearby restaurant.
The man’s mother refused, saying the only good seafood restaurants were farther away. The man then suggested that his mother choose a different cuisine, noting that they had Mexican and Hibachi near them, which he knew his mother loved.
A seafood platter | Source: Shutterstock
The man’s mother became angry and told him his wife could stay home while they went to dinner. She found it startling that a grown woman couldn’t stay home alone for a few hours while her husband went to dinner.
After telling his mother that his wife wouldn’t be pregnant forever and asking her to work with them, his mother told him to forget about it and yelled that her birthday was not about his wife. The man responded, “My wife comes first.”
Frustrated man on the phone | Source: Shutterstock
The man also accused his mother of being selfish and childish, so she hung up the phone. This led to the man’s family telling him he was wrong and his wife crying because the whole family was upset with her for ruining her mother-in-law’s birthday.
The man asked netizens whether or not he was justified in standing up for his wife and asking his mom to change her birthday plans. He received many mixed responses from fellow Reddit users.
Angry older woman on the phone | Source: Shutterstock
One user told the man he was justified in his reaction, and they were glad he was standing up for his wife. They then asked if his mother often acted this way toward his wife, to which he responded in the affirmative. The man also said that his mother’s fiancée had taken her to the restaurant, which he found was enabling her bad behavior.
Another netizen told the man he was wrong for making it seem like the situation was his wife’s fault and said they would not have stopped their husband from going somewhere they didn’t want to go when they were pregnant. The person also noted that their husband wouldn’t have blamed it on them if he didn’t want to go somewhere.
A pregnant woman crying | Source: Shutterstock
One opinion was that the man should have told his mother he was sorry he would miss the event and let his mother feel however she felt. The person suggested offering coffee and cake at home instead of going out for dinner.
Some netizens were confused by the post, wondering why the man’s wife factored into his mother’s birthday as he didn’t say they were both treating his mother to a birthday dinner. They asked whether or not his wife didn’t want him to go anywhere while she was pregnant.
A couple eating dinner at a seafood restaurant | Source: Shutterstock
One more person said the man was wrong for inadvertently making his wife take the blame for the situation. The person clarified that they didn’t think the mother’s fiancée taking her to the restaurant was enabling but supportive.
The person also said that the man and his wife had the option of going to the restaurant and not ordering seafood, as they had often gone to seafood restaurants despite not eating seafood and had never struggled to find something on the menu that they wanted to eat.
A cup of coffee next to a slice of chocolate cake | Source: Shutterstock
The person ended their comment by saying that their judgment of the entire situation would be different if the man’s wife had a deadly allergy to seafood. The man received many other supportive comments, telling him he was right for standing up for his wife and his unborn child despite his mother’s adverse reaction.
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