The second time had nothing to do with me.<\/p>\n
Autos & Vehicles<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Most mornings, the biggest question in my life was whether the tomatoes needed watering before breakfast.<\/p>\n
At sixty-four, I liked things peaceful.<\/p>\n
After thirty-two years in the same suburban house, I knew every creak in the floorboards, every stubborn window, and every corner of the \u00a0garden my late husband had helped me build.<\/p>\n
Home & Garden<\/p>\n
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Then one morning, I opened my \u00a0electric bill.<\/p>\n
I stared at the total.<\/p>\n
Two hundred and twenty-seven dollars.<\/p>\n
Education<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Almost double what I normally paid.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat can\u2019t be right.\u201d<\/p>\n
I checked the account number, the meter reading, and eventually the meter itself.<\/p>\n
Gardening<\/p>\n
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Nothing looked wrong.<\/p>\n
So I called my daughter, Diane.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it\u2019s your refrigerator,\u201d she suggested. \u201cOld refrigerators use a lot of \u00a0electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Electricity<\/p>\n
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Discover more<\/span><\/p>\n Used Vehicles<\/span><\/p>\n Electric<\/span><\/p>\n Luxury Goods<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/ins><\/div>\n \u201cThe refrigerator is younger than you.\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Discover more<\/span><\/p>\n Hybrid & Alternative Vehicles<\/span><\/p>\n Dictionaries & Encyclopedias<\/span><\/p>\n Real Estate<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/ins><\/div>\n After we hung up, I found myself staring through the kitchen window toward the house next door.<\/p>\n Home & Garden<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Monica lived there with her three children. She was in her thirties, her husband traveled frequently, and her white Tesla was usually parked crookedly near our shared property line.<\/p>\n Monica had never shown much respect for boundaries.<\/p>\n Six months earlier, my garden gnome disappeared.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t valuable.<\/p>\n Autos & Vehicles<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Discover more<\/span><\/p>\n Physics<\/span><\/p>\n electrical<\/span><\/p>\n Bathroom<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/ins><\/div>\n But my husband had bought it for me at a flea market the summer before he died.<\/p>\n Gardening<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He\u2019d handed it to me and said, \u201cEvery garden needs a little nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n Two days after it vanished, I spotted it beside Monica\u2019s front steps.<\/p>\n She had painted it blue.<\/p>\n I said nothing.<\/p>\n Discover more<\/span><\/p>\n Plumbing Fixtures & Equipment<\/span><\/p>\n Pregnancy<\/span><\/p>\n TV Reality Shows<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/ins><\/div>\n Then my lawn mower disappeared from the garage.<\/p>\n A week later, it mysteriously returned with an empty tank and a dull blade.<\/p>\n Again, I said nothing.<\/p>\n Frank, our neighbor across the street, once complained that Monica had borrowed his ladder and kept it for months.<\/p>\n I laughed with him about it.<\/p>\n Discover more<\/span><\/p>\n Counseling Services<\/span><\/p>\n kitchen<\/span><\/p>\n toilet<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/ins><\/div>\n \u201cThat\u2019s Monica.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking back, that was the problem.<\/p>\n Everyone had become so accustomed to Monica taking things that we\u2019d practically turned her behavior into a personality trait.<\/p>\n I kept telling myself the same thing.<\/p>\n Keep the peace, Eleanor.<\/p>\n Then one night, I couldn\u2019t sleep.<\/p>\n Discover more<\/span><\/p>\n Toilets<\/span><\/p>\n Music & Audio<\/span><\/p>\n Pregnancy & Maternity<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/ins><\/div>\n Sometime after midnight, I heard a faint electrical hum outside my bedroom window.<\/p>\n Electricity<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I pulled back the curtain.<\/p>\n Monica\u2019s Tesla was parked unusually close to my garage.<\/p>\n Then I saw the cable.<\/p>\n It ran from her car directly to the outdoor outlet on the side of my house.<\/p>\n I stared at it for several seconds, almost impressed by the audacity.<\/p>\n Then I put on my robe and slippers and went outside.<\/p>\n Monica was leaning against the car, scrolling through her phone.<\/p>\n Autos & Vehicles<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMonica.\u201d<\/p>\n She looked up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat exactly are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCharging my car.\u201d<\/p>\n She said it like I\u2019d asked why the moon was in the sky.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re charging it using my electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n She rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n Home & Garden<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cEleanor, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy electric bill nearly doubled.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou live alone. How much electricity do you even use?\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t believe what I was hearing.<\/p>\n \u201cThat isn\u2019t the point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt kind of is. I\u2019ve got three kids. I\u2019m driving everywhere all day. You\u2019re retired.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n She shrugged.<\/p>\n Electricity<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou mostly sit inside.\u201d<\/p>\n For years, I had been the woman who avoided scenes.<\/p>\n That night, something shifted.<\/p>\n \u201cUnplug your car.\u201d<\/p>\n Monica sighed dramatically.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m almost done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n Autos & Vehicles<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll give you ten dollars if it\u2019s such a huge deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Then she smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be greedy.\u201d<\/p>\n Greedy.<\/p>\n I stared at the woman who had taken my garden decoration, used my lawn mower, and quietly helped herself to my electricity.<\/p>\n \u201cUnplug it.\u201d<\/p>\n Gardening<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Something in my voice finally reached her.<\/p>\n She yanked the cable out.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is why I didn\u2019t ask,\u201d she muttered. \u201cI knew you\u2019d make a whole thing out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n I went inside without answering.<\/p>\n The electric bill was still sitting beneath the fruit bowl.<\/p>\n I looked at the number again.<\/p>\n Then I texted Diane.<\/p>\n Language Resources<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMystery solved. I know why the bill doubled.\u201d<\/p>\n She immediately called.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n Instead, I added:<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I have a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n The following morning, I walked directly into Monica\u2019s yard.<\/p>\n Nobody stopped me.<\/p>\n Electricity<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I picked up my garden gnome and carried him home.<\/p>\n The blue paint Monica had slapped over him couldn\u2019t hide the chipped nose or traces of the old red hat underneath.<\/p>\n I placed him beside the outdoor outlet.<\/p>\n Then I made a few preparations.<\/p>\n Nothing dangerous.<\/p>\n Nothing that could hurt anyone.<\/p>\n Just enough to make it very difficult for Monica to pretend she wasn\u2019t trespassing again.<\/p>\n Around lunchtime, Diane called.<\/p>\n \u201cMom, you sound suspiciously cheerful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gardening.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re plotting something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly if Monica gives me a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMom\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I laughed and changed the subject.<\/p>\n For a moment afterward, though, I wondered whether I was being ridiculous.<\/p>\n I was sixty-four years old.<\/p>\n Was I really sitting there thinking about teaching my neighbor a lesson with a \u00a0garden gnome?<\/p>\n Education<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then I remembered something my husband \u00a0used to say.<\/p>\n I\u2019d stand up to rude mechanics for Diane.<\/p>\n I\u2019d defend coworkers.<\/p>\n I\u2019d complain when somebody overcharged a stranger.<\/p>\n But when people mistreated me, I almost always tried to \u201ckeep the peace.\u201d<\/p>\n That wasn\u2019t peace.<\/p>\n It was permission.<\/p>\n Gardening<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That night, I turned off my porch light and waited.<\/p>\n All Monica had to do was stay away from my property.<\/p>\n Just after midnight, her Tesla rolled quietly into the driveway.<\/p>\n Monica climbed out wearing yoga pants and slippers, charging cable in hand.<\/p>\n She walked toward my garage as naturally as if she were heading toward her own front door.<\/p>\n Then she saw the gnome.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Language Resources<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She stared down at it.<\/p>\n \u201cMy gnome.\u201d<\/p>\n I nearly laughed from behind the porch plants.<\/p>\n Then Monica nudged it with her foot.<\/p>\n \u201cUgly little thing. Move.\u201d<\/p>\n She pushed harder.<\/p>\n A thin line tightened behind it.<\/p>\n Autos & Vehicles<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A small container positioned above tipped.<\/p>\n And a waterfall of washable pink paint came straight down over Monica.<\/p>\n For one second, she didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n Pink paint covered her hair, shoulders, clothes, and slippers.<\/p>\n Then she screamed.<\/p>\n Lights came on throughout the neighborhood.<\/p>\n Doors opened.<\/p>\n Dogs started barking.<\/p>\n I stepped out with my phone recording.<\/p>\n Monica spun toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cYOU DID THIS!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re standing on my property at midnight holding a charging cable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYOU SET A TRAP!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t have bothered you if you hadn\u2019t come onto my property.\u201d<\/p>\n Frank appeared across the street in plaid pajama pants.<\/p>\n Another neighbor came outside holding her phone.<\/p>\n Within minutes, half the street seemed to be watching.<\/p>\n Monica pointed toward the gnome.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you stole my gnome!\u201d<\/p>\n I blinked.<\/p>\n \u201cYour gnome?\u201d<\/p>\n She immediately realized her mistake.<\/p>\n \u201cThe one you took from my yard and painted blue?\u201d<\/p>\n A few people laughed.<\/p>\n Monica\u2019s face reddened beneath the pink paint.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is ridiculous! Turn those phones off!\u201d<\/p>\n Frank folded his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cLike when you borrowed my ladder?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI returned it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree months later.\u201d<\/p>\n Someone else mentioned a planter.<\/p>\n Another neighbor brought up a garden hose.<\/p>\n Gardening<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Apparently, I hadn\u2019t been the only person Monica had been \u201cborrowing\u201d from.<\/p>\n Monica looked around.<\/p>\n Suddenly, she wasn\u2019t dealing with one quiet widow anymore.<\/p>\n She was facing an entire street full of people who had finally realized they\u2019d all been letting the same behavior slide.<\/p>\n She glared at me.<\/p>\n \u201cTell them this was an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhich part?\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe paint.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr you coming back after midnight to steal \u00a0electricity after I specifically told you not to?\u201d<\/p>\n Electricity<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She went silent.<\/p>\n I smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually, everyone went home.<\/p>\n Monica stormed inside.<\/p>\n I stood alone in the driveway staring at the pink streaks on the pavement.<\/p>\n My hands were shaking.<\/p>\n Not because I was frightened.<\/p>\n Because for the first time in years, I had defended myself without immediately apologizing for it.<\/p>\n I thought that was the end of the story.<\/p>\n I was wrong.<\/p>\n Two weeks later, someone knocked on my door.<\/p>\n It was Mr. Alvarez, Monica\u2019s landlord.<\/p>\n He had known my late husband for years before moving out of state.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw the video,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n I felt slightly embarrassed.<\/p>\n \u201cAbout the paint?\u201d<\/p>\n He smiled faintly.<\/p>\n \u201cThat certainly got my attention.\u201d<\/p>\n Then his expression became serious.<\/p>\n \u201cHer lease expires next month. I\u2019m not renewing it.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause she used my electricity?\u201d<\/p>\n Language Resources<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Apparently, after seeing the neighborhood video, Mr. Alvarez had decided to take a closer look at the property.<\/p>\n What he discovered had nothing to do with me.<\/p>\n Monica had fallen behind on several utility payments.<\/p>\n There was significant damage inside the rental house that she had never reported.<\/p>\n She had also completed unauthorized alterations despite explicit restrictions in the lease.<\/p>\n Electricity<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The more he inspected, the more problems he found.<\/p>\n \u201cI should\u2019ve checked sooner,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n I looked toward Monica\u2019s house.<\/p>\n \u201cSo she\u2019s moving?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n That was karma\u2019s second visit.<\/p>\n And this time, I hadn\u2019t arranged anything.<\/p>\n Home & Garden<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A month later, I sat on my porch drinking iced tea while a moving truck idled in Monica\u2019s driveway.<\/p>\n Boxes disappeared into the back one after another.<\/p>\n Monica never looked toward me.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t wave.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t gloat.<\/p>\n There was no need.<\/p>\n