My Neighbor Charged Her Electric Car From My House Every Night Without My Permission – I Didn’t Call the Authorities, but I Did Something Better to Teach Her a Lesson
“Because of the video?”
****
Two weeks later, Mr. Alvarez, Monica’s landlord, knocked on my door. I’d known him for years — he’d been a good friend of my late husband before moving out of state.
“I thought you deserved to hear this from me,” he said. “I saw the video.”
“And?”
I raised my eyebrows.
“Her lease is up next month,” he continued. “I won’t be renewing it.”
Paint hadn’t been her only dose of karma.
I blinked. “Because of the video?”
“No. I decided to take a closer look at everything.”
“Something else was wrong?”
“She’s behind on several utility payments. I inspected the house, too. There’s damage she never reported — and a few repairs she made without permission.”
I glanced toward Monica’s house.
She never looked my way.
Apparently, the pink paint hadn’t been her only dose of karma.
****
A month later, I sat on my porch with a glass of iced tea and watched Monica load the last of her boxes into a moving truck.
She never looked my way.
My gnome sat proudly by the mailbox, back where he belonged.
“Kindness isn’t the same as silence, El.”
I could almost hear my late husband’s voice saying it.
This time, I didn’t mistake keeping quiet for keeping the peace.
