I’m Ready For a Fight
Every time I tell this story, I feel so dramatic, but how else do you describe this situation?
In the fall, our elderly neighbor either got confused or lost control of her car, plowed forward, destroyed our trellis, bushes, and hit our house. We have a big dent in the front, awaiting cooperation from contractors to repair and likely replace all the siding.
Oh, AND, she snapped our gas line when it happened so it was a very scary 20-30 minutes until that was repaired. Thank God we both work from home because I hate thinking what would have happened to our dogs. Somehow though, it was the aftermath that hurt the worst.
During those moments, she didn’t come check on us. When she hit the house, my husband immediately ran over to her, asking if she was all right, showing genuine concern. This neighbor?
She has never apologized and has almost completely avoided us since then. The only time she has spoken to either my husband or me was a couple of weeks later when my husband was attempting to replace the trellis. She came outside to argue with him, claiming he was digging on her property.
And then she said things like “No one is more sorry than me that this happened to you…” He reminded her this is the second time she had lost control of her car. The first time, she plowed over her bushes, but she had paid to replace them.
Hilariously enough, she plowed over those new bushes, too, in this incident. This trellis? So, the property line essentially runs through a flower bed. I am super into gardening and she is in her 80s.
I gradually took over the entire flower bed, always with communication with her. I weeded her side, I mulched it…”Hey, I like these flowers so how about I have them all through our shared bed?” “What do you think about me removing the lilac bush”.
“Hey, I want to put a trellis up. That way, all these morning glories we have can climb it. Will that bother you?” “No? Ok, where exactly is the line? I would hate to put it on the wrong spot and have future people in your home getting angry. It will be this high—will that bother you?”
She said it was nice to have me care for all of it, since she was too old. She told my husband she and I never talked about that trellis—not helping with her denial is the fact that she has dementia.
Every time she sees one of us outside? She scurries inside. Totally avoids us. Could you imagine being in your 80s but being afraid of your neighbors who are only in their 30s?
We have a land surveyor coming shortly to tell us exactly where that line is because I want that trellis for some protection to stop her car. But there’s a secret I’m keeping.
I will not lie—I hope she gives them heck when they come over. I am ready for a fight. The authorities were useless. The transportation department in my state were useless. Her children are insane AND useless. So, fine. I’ll fight an old lady.
Story credit: Reddit / LoggerheadedDoctor