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.
“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. 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. “Boys, stay in the car for a minute,” I said. My blood boiled with each step. 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. Liam and Chris came running up behind me. “Mom, what’s wrong?” Chris asked. I took a deep breath. I had to stay calm. “Nothing, sweetie. Just a surprise from our neighbor.” “But Mom,” Liam said, “we can’t see the trees anymore.” My heart broke. Jeffrey’s stupid fence replaced the view my boys loved. Now, we couldn’t even see the sky. I had to teach Jeffrey a lesson.
I had two options: the legal route or taking matters into my own hands. I chose the second because we didn’t have enough time for the legal route. Later that night, I went to the pet store. I had a plan. I smiled sweetly at the clerk. “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 liquid. The pheromone scent was designed to attract dogs, but I had a feeling it might attract more. I did this for several nights in a row, ensuring the solution covered every inch.
Then, I waited. It didn’t take long. One night, 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 animals visited: foxes, raccoons, even a moose once! They all thought Jeffrey’s fence was the perfect place to do their business. I watched Jeffrey discover the mess one morning. His face turned purple. But to my surprise, he didn’t take it down. He started cleaning it. Every morning, he’d come out with a scrub brush, muttering as he cleaned off the nightly deposits.
No matter how much he scrubbed, he couldn’t get rid of the scent. The animals kept coming back. Soon, the smell became unbearable. Even my boys noticed. “Mom, it stinks outside!” Chris said. “I know, boys,” I said. “Just give it a few more days.” The next day, I saw our neighbor, Mrs. Thompson, knocking on Jeffrey’s door. I eavesdropped. “Jeffrey, what on earth is that smell? It’s awful!” Jeffrey seemed embarrassed. “I’m working on it. There’s an animal problem.” “Well, work faster! It’s affecting the whole neighborhood!” As she stormed off, Jeffrey caught my eye. He had an apologetic look. I smiled and walked inside.
That evening, I watched him attack the fence with every cleaning product known to man. He scrubbed for hours, but the smell lingered. Finally, he threw down his brush in defeat. The next morning, I was awakened by a loud noise. I peeked through my curtains and blinked. I saw Jeffrey overseeing a team of workers as they took down the fence. My plan worked! I woke the boys. “Liam! Chris! Come look!” They raced to the window. “Mom, we can see the trees again!” Chris exclaimed. Liam hugged me tight. “You’re the best, Mom!”
Our view was restored, and Jeffrey had learned his lesson. Later that day, he approached me while I was gardening. “Catherine,” he started, clearing his throat, “I want to apologize. I shouldn’t have put up that fence without your permission. It was wrong.” “Yes, it was,” I agreed. “I’ve learned my lesson,” he continued. “From now on, I’ll respect your rights.” “Apology accepted, Jeffrey,” I smiled. “Let’s start over.” “I’d like that.” As he walked away, I felt proud. I stood up for myself and my boys. Life sometimes requires you to get creative to find a solution, and I taught Jeffrey a lesson he’ll never forget.
