Living peacefully on Maple Street, I had a verbal agreement with my neighbors, Jim and Susan, to build a fence for privacy. We shook hands, and I built the fence close to the property line. Jim and Susan appreciated it—they got the benefit of the fence without any cost to them.
A year ago, they sold their house, and Kayla, a city realtor, moved in. Shortly after, she had a land surveyor mark the boundaries and informed me that my fence encroached nine inches onto her property. “Move the fence or pay for the land,” she demanded. Without written proof of my agreement with Jim and Susan, I had no choice but to dismantle the fence.
A week later, Kayla returned, visibly upset. She begged me to rebuild the fence, explaining that her dog, Duke, needed it to stay safe. Despite her earlier hostility, I refused. Kayla tried to manage without the fence by putting up a flimsy bamboo barrier, but it couldn’t contain Duke. During a garage sale, Duke broke free, causing chaos and leading to the theft of her purse. While the neighborhood found the situation amusing, Kayla was clearly struggling.
Desperate, Kayla tried various solutions to contain Duke, but nothing worked. One evening, she came to me again, pleading to rebuild the fence and even offering to pay for it. Although I felt sorry for her, I remained firm in my decision. Eventually, I sold my house and moved on, finding peace in a new home.
Looking back, I realize that Kayla moving next door pushed me to seek tranquility elsewhere. Sharing the story with friends always brings laughter, serving as a reminder that karma often finds its way in unexpected ways.
