They say that neighbors can either become friends or enemies, but I never thought mine would turn into both overnight. What started as a simple favor quickly turned into a bitter feud, and the twist that followed left us both in shock.
My name is Prudence, and I’m 48 years old. I’m a mother of two, doing my best to make ends meet while working remotely for a call center. Life has been far from what I imagined it would be, especially after my husband, Silas, walked out of our lives six years ago.
I never thought I’d be standing in my kitchen, scrubbing the same counter for the third time that morning, wondering how I ended up as this version of myself.
Silas and I used to talk about all the dreams we had for our future—how we’d build a life together. But somewhere along the way, those dreams shattered. He walked out one evening, telling me he needed “space to find himself.” That was the last time I saw him. He left me with our eight-year-old son, Damien, and our baby daughter, Connie, who was just a few months old.
“Mom, can I have some cereal?” Connie’s small voice broke through my thoughts, her wide brown eyes looking up at me with innocent curiosity from the kitchen table.
I smiled as best as I could and said, “Sure, honey. Just a second.”
Damien, now 14, wandered into the kitchen, earbuds in, barely looking up from his phone. “I’m heading out to meet Jake, okay?” he mumbled.
“Don’t stay out too late. Remember, homework first when you get back,” I called after him, but he was already heading out the door, not waiting for me to finish my sentence.
Just another day in the life I had been piecing together since Silas left. Raising two kids alone, keeping up with bills, and juggling everything on my own wasn’t easy.
My job at the call center paid the bills, but it wasn’t exactly what I had dreamed of. Still, I couldn’t afford to complain. It was a job, and in times like these, that was all that mattered.
Then, one day, Emery, the new neighbor, knocked on my door. She was in her early 30s, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked desperate.
“Hey, Prudence, can I ask you for a huge favor?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly.
I stepped aside to let her in. “Sure, Emery. What’s going on?”
She sighed deeply, collapsing onto the couch like she was about to pass out. “I had this crazy party last night, and then I got called out of town for work. The place is a disaster, and I just don’t have time to clean it up. Could you help me? I’ll pay you, of course.”
I hesitated, glancing at the clock. My shift was starting soon, but the idea of earning some extra cash was tempting. We could really use the money right now.
“How much are we talking about?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.
“Two hundred and fifty dollars,” she said quickly. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency, Prudence.”
I thought for a moment, weighing my options. “Alright. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver!” Emery hugged me quickly, rushing out the door as if she couldn’t wait to leave. I stood there, feeling a mix of uncertainty and curiosity about what I had just agreed to.
When I walked into Emery’s house, I understood why she had asked for help. The place looked like a bomb had gone off. Empty bottles, half-eaten plates of food, and trash everywhere. It was a mess beyond belief.
I stood in the middle of her living room, hands on my hips, trying to figure out where to start.
It took me two solid days of scrubbing, sweeping, and hauling trash out of that house. By the end of it, my back was aching, my hands were raw, but I kept reminding myself of the $250 Emery had promised. That money would go a long way.
Finally, when I was done, I marched over to her place to collect the payment.
“Emery, it’s done. Your house is spotless,” I said, trying to hide how tired I felt. “So, about that payment…”
She blinked at me like I had just spoken a foreign language. “Payment? What payment?”
I felt my heart sink. “The $250 you promised for cleaning up your house. You remember?”
Her face shifted from confusion to annoyance. “Prudence, I never agreed to pay you anything. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I just stood there, dumbfounded. “What? We had an agreement! You said you’d pay me.”
“No, we didn’t,” she snapped. “Look, I’m late for work. I really don’t have time for this.” She pushed past me, heading toward her car.
“Emery, this isn’t right!” I called after her, but she was already backing out of her driveway, ignoring me completely.
I stood there, fuming. How could she just walk away like that? After all the hard work I’d put in, she acted like nothing had ever been promised. My anger started to bubble up, but I knew I needed to be smart about this.
I went back inside my house, slammed the door behind me, and paced the living room. Connie was on the floor, playing with her dolls, and Damien was still out with his friends. I didn’t want to drag my kids into this mess, but I wasn’t about to let Emery get away with it.
“Alright, Prudence. Be smart,” I muttered to myself. As I glanced out the window at Emery’s house, a risky idea began to form in my mind. If she wanted to play dirty, then maybe I could too.
Twenty minutes later, I was at the local garbage dump, pulling on a pair of old gloves. I wasn’t proud of what I was about to do, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
I filled my trunk with garbage bags, the smell nearly making me gag, but I didn’t stop. I just kept going.
As I drove back, I replayed our conversation in my head, her dismissive attitude, the way she acted like I was crazy for expecting her to honor her word. The more I thought about it, the more justified I felt. She had no respect for the work I’d done. Well, now she’d see how dirty things could get.
When I pulled up in front of Emery’s house, the street was quiet. No one was around to see me open the trunk and start hauling the garbage bags up to her front door. My heart was racing, my adrenaline pumping.
Then, I realized something—Emery had forgotten to take her house key back from me. She was in such a rush when she left, she didn’t even think about it.
For a moment, I hesitated. But then, I thought of her face when she told me there was no agreement, how she dismissed me like I was nothing. I wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The house was still spotless, just as I had left it. But that was about to change. One by one, I ripped open the garbage bags and dumped the contents all over her floors, her counters, and even her bed. Rotten food, dirty diapers, old newspapers—all mixed into a disgusting heap.
“This is what you get, Emery,” I muttered under my breath. “You wanted to play games? Well, game on.”
I locked the door behind me, slipped the key under her welcome mat, and walked back to my car. A strange mix of satisfaction and guilt washed over me, but I shook it off. Emery had brought this on herself.
That evening, as I was putting Connie to bed, I heard furious banging on my front door. I knew who it was before I even opened it.
“Prudence! What the hell did you do to my house?!” Emery screamed, her face red with fury.
I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and tried to stay calm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Emery. How could I have gotten into your house? We never had any agreement, remember? So, I never had the key.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief, and for a moment, she was speechless. Then her face twisted into pure rage. “You—you’re lying! I’m calling the police! You’re going to pay for this!”
I shrugged, not breaking eye contact. “Go ahead. But how are you going to explain how I got in? According to you, I never had the key.”
Emery’s mouth opened, but no words came out. She was seething, but all she could do was turn and storm off, muttering under her breath.
I watched her go, my heart still pounding, but this time it wasn’t just from anger. There was a feeling of justice, of balance restored.
I didn’t know if she would call the police, but I wasn’t worried. Emery had learned a valuable lesson that day: don’t mess with Prudence.
As I closed the door, I let out a long breath, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. I knew I’d crossed a line, but in that moment, it felt like the only way to make things right.
Sometimes, you have to stand up for yourself—even if it means getting your hands dirty. And as for Emery? Well, I had a feeling she wouldn’t be asking me for any more favors anytime soon.
