A few people laughed.
Monica’s face reddened beneath the pink paint.
“This is ridiculous! Turn those phones off!”
Frank folded his arms.
“Like when you borrowed my ladder?”
“I returned it.”
“Three months later.”
Someone else mentioned a planter.
Another neighbor brought up a garden hose.
Gardening
Apparently, I hadn’t been the only person Monica had been “borrowing” from.
Monica looked around.
Suddenly, she wasn’t dealing with one quiet widow anymore.
She was facing an entire street full of people who had finally realized they’d all been letting the same behavior slide.
She glared at me.
“Tell them this was an accident.”
“Which part?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“The paint.”
“Or you coming back after midnight to steal electricity after I specifically told you not to?”
Electricity
She went silent.
I smiled.
“That’s what I thought.”
Eventually, everyone went home.
Monica stormed inside.
I stood alone in the driveway staring at the pink streaks on the pavement.
