Neighbors can either become friends or foes, but I never thought mine would turn into both overnight. It started with a simple favor, but it quickly spiraled into a bitter fight, leaving us both shaken.
My name is Prudence. I’m 48 years old, a mother of two, just trying to make it through each day. Six years ago, my husband, Silas, walked out on us, and I never thought that one decision would change my life forever. I never imagined I’d be here, scrubbing the same kitchen counter for the third time, wondering how I became this version of myself.
Silas and I had big dreams once. We’d talk about them for hours—how we’d build our life together, how everything would turn out perfect. But somewhere along the way, those dreams shattered, and I had to pick up the pieces alone. One evening, Silas came home and told me he needed “space to find himself.” And just like that, he was gone. He left me with our 8-year-old son, Damien, and our baby daughter, Connie. And just so you know, he never came back.
“Mom, can I have some cereal?” Connie’s innocent voice pulled me back to reality. Her big brown eyes gazed up at me from the kitchen table.
“Sure, honey, give me a second,” I said with a forced smile as I grabbed the cereal box from the top shelf.
Damien, now 14, shuffled in, his earbuds plugged in and eyes glued to his phone. He barely glanced up at me. “I’m heading out to meet up with Jake, okay?”
“Don’t stay out too late, and remember to do your homework when you get back,” I called after him, but he was already out the door, barely waiting for me to finish.
It was just another day in the life I’d been trying to patch together since Silas left. Juggling raising two kids alone while working remotely for a call center wasn’t easy. It wasn’t exactly a dream job, but it kept the bills paid. And at the end of the day, that’s all that really mattered.
Then, one day, Emery, the new neighbor in her early 30s, knocked on my door. I opened it, and there she was, her eyes red and puffy like she hadn’t slept in days.
“Hey, Prudence, can I ask you for a huge favor?” she asked, her voice cracking just a little.
I stepped aside, letting her in. “Of course, Emery. What’s going on?”
She sighed and sank into the couch like she was about to collapse. “I had this crazy party last night, and then I got called out of town for work. My house is a disaster, and I don’t have time to clean it up. Could you, um, help me? I’ll pay you, of course.”
I hesitated for a second, glancing at the clock. My shift was about to start in a couple of hours, but the thought of earning some extra money was too tempting to pass up. We needed it.
“How much are we talking about?” I asked, folding my arms.
“Two hundred and fifty dollars,” she said quickly. “I really need the help, Prudence. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency.”
I thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver!” Emery hugged me quickly and rushed out the door, leaving me wondering what I had just agreed to.
I had no idea just how bad things would get.
When I stepped inside Emery’s house, I was hit with a smell of stale beer and leftover food. It looked like a warzone, with empty bottles, half-eaten plates of food, and trash scattered everywhere.
I stood in the middle of the living room, hands on my hips, unsure where to even start. The mess was overwhelming.
Two days. That’s how long it took to clean her entire house. Two full days of scrubbing, sweeping, and hauling garbage out. By the time I was finished, my back ached, and my hands were raw, but I kept reminding myself of that $250 Emery promised. That money would go a long way for us.
When Emery finally returned, I walked over to her house, ready to collect.
“Emery, it’s done. Your house is spotless,” I said, trying to hide the exhaustion in my voice. “So, about the payment…”
She blinked at me like I was speaking another language. “Payment? What payment?”
My heart sank. “The $250 you promised for cleaning your house. Remember?”
Her face twisted into confusion and then annoyance. “Prudence, I never agreed to pay you anything. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
For a moment, I just stood there, speechless. “You… what? We had an agreement! You promised!”
“No, we didn’t,” she snapped. “Look, I’m late for work, and I 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 didn’t even look back. She was already driving off, leaving me standing there in disbelief.
How could she just walk away like that? Two days of hard work, and she pretended like it never happened. The anger inside me began to build, but I knew better than to act impulsively.
I went back inside, slamming the door behind me, and started pacing the living room. Connie was playing with her dolls, and Damien was still out with his friends. I didn’t want to drag my kids into this, but I wasn’t about to let Emery get away with this.
“Alright, Prudence, you’ve got to be smart about this,” I muttered to myself. Looking out the window at Emery’s house, a risky idea began to form. I wasn’t afraid to get my hands dirty if she wanted to play dirty too.
Twenty minutes later, I found myself at the local 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 loaded up my trunk with as many garbage bags as I could fit, the stench almost making me gag. But I didn’t care. My blood was boiling, and all I could think about was how she’d dismissed me, how she acted like I didn’t matter.
When I pulled up in front of Emery’s house, the street was quiet. No one was around to see me start unloading the garbage bags, one by one, onto her front porch. My heart pounded in my chest as I worked quickly.
And then I realized something. Emery had forgotten to take her house key back from me. In her rush, she hadn’t even thought about it.
I hesitated for a moment, but then, all I could think about was how she treated me. She hadn’t even respected the hard work I put into cleaning her filthy house. She was about to learn just how dirty things could get.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The house was just as I left it, clean and spotless. That wasn’t going to last long. One by one, I tore open the garbage bags and dumped everything onto her floors, counters, and even her bed—rotting food, dirty diapers, newspapers, everything.
“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, leaving the key under the welcome mat. I walked back to my car, my mind racing. Was it right? No. But I had to do something.
That evening, just as I was putting Connie to bed, I heard furious banging on my front door. I already knew who it was before I opened it.
“Prudence! What the hell did you do to my house?!” Emery screamed, her face red with anger.
I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorframe. “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 keys.”
Her jaw dropped. For a moment, she just stared at me, speechless, before her face twisted in rage. “You—you’re lying! I’m calling the police! You’re going to pay for this!”
I shrugged, meeting her eyes. “Go ahead. But how are you going to explain how I got in? You can’t because according to you, I never had the key.”
Emery opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. She looked like she was about to explode but all she did was turn on her heel and storm off, muttering something under her breath.
I watched her go, my heart still pounding, but this time it wasn’t just from anger. There was a sense of justice in me, a feeling of balance being restored.
I didn’t know if she’d call the police, but I wasn’t worried. Emery had learned a lesson that day: don’t mess with Prudence.
As I closed the door, I let out a long breath. 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.
