For more than ten years, Elton’s neighborhood had been quiet and serene. Then Gideon moved in next door and was a constant annoyance. After their first fight, Gideon got revenge at Elton by spray-painting an insult on his property. But Elton didn’t want to give up, so he intended to teach Gideon a lesson.
I’ve lived in this tranquil area for almost ten years. It’s the kind of place where lawns are well-kept, people wave as they pass by, kids laugh and play, and everything stays calm—until Gideon moved in next door.
He looked OK at first. Not too rude. Gideon told me his name, and we talked for a time. I believed we would get along well.
He said, “My name is Gideon.” “My wife and I just moved in.” We loved living in the city for a while, but Lila wanted to live somewhere quieter.
I said, “I’m Elton,” since I wanted to know more about him. “I’ve been here with my family for a long time.” If you want peace and quiet, you’ve come to the right location.
Gideon chuckled and continued, “I’ve always wanted a place where people can relax with a drink and a barbecue.”
“Sounds good!” I mentioned this as we walked down the porch together. I was ready to go acquire groceries.
Everything looked great, and I saw Gideon a lot over the next two weeks as he moved in and transported stuff.
One afternoon, he came to my house and asked if he could use my driveway while his was being fixed.
“The crew said it would take two days, three at the most.” I can’t park the car on the street because it’s too big.
I said, “Sorry, dude.” “Maris and I both have cars, and the kids do too.” You know how teens are: they come and go all the time.
“I hear you, Elton, but it will only be for a few days.” That’s it.
I told them, “I’m sorry.” “It’s not about you, Gideon.” “It’s just helpful.”
He stomped and huffed his way down the driveway.
I thought I was being fair because I gave Gideon the truth, so there shouldn’t have been any bad blood, right?
I was wrong.
I was set to go to work the next morning when I began the dishwasher. I went outside to enjoy the morning sun for a minute, and that’s when I saw Gideon’s truck parked halfway across my driveway, blocking me in.
“Is this guy real?” I murmured.
The kids had to go to school, Maris was leaving soon, and I was already late. I was really angry about what this guy did. We had already talked about this. I had made my point clear. And he still parked here?
I marched over to his house and knocked on the door rather hard.
Gideon answered, still wearing his pajamas and robe.
I told Gideon not to use my driveway.
He just shrugged and kept going.
He said, “It’s only for a few hours, man.” “Not a big deal.”
“Get it going,” I replied. “Now everyone has places to go.”
I stared him in the eye.
He made a big deal out of it and moved the vehicle and honked as I drove away.
I assumed that was the end, but it wasn’t. He kept going for a week. It didn’t matter if it was his truck, his friends’ cars, crates, or yard tools. Gideon used whatever space he could find.
I was finished.
While we were eating dinner, my wife Maris told me not to fight with Gideon.
As I cut into the roast chicken, I said, “But if nothing changes, he’ll keep doing this.”
“Elton, then call the homeowners’ association.” File a complaint. You know they won’t let it go. They’ll tell him to be careful, and that should be plenty.
I nodded. That was the best option.
But that’s when things became worse.
The next morning, I went outside and saw that my grass was covered in brilliant orange spray paint. In huge, bold characters, it said “SELFISH JERK.”
I almost smacked the wall. My lawn, which I had worked hard to maintain clean, was damaged. The destroyed grass was visible to everyone in the area, which made things even worse.
I took pictures of the damage, then raced to Gideon’s house and knocked on the door. He smiled like a youngster who had just done a great trick when he opened it.
“Do you think this is funny?” I lost it and put my phone in his face.
“What are you going to do about it?” He laughed. “Call the police over some paint?”
I clenched my hands and struggled hard to keep from doing it. I hated it when people used me.
I said, “You’ll regret this,” and then I turned to go before I did something I would later regret.
I went right to the police station.
I told them what happened, but they couldn’t do much. Gideon hadn’t really hurt anything, and the paint would come off. They could only write down what happened. I needed my own plan, and I quickly came up with the finest one.
Gideon didn’t know that my brother runs a firm that does gardening.
I told him everything and then asked him, “Thane, I need a favor.”
For a whole minute, my brother laughed.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered,” he said. “We’ve got a new dye that will make sprinklers fun!”
I didn’t get what he meant, but I knew he was the greatest in the business and that he would fix my lawn and teach Gideon a lesson.
That weekend, Thane and his team brought everything they needed. We spent the day fixing my broken lawn by tearing out the damaged grass and putting down new, lovely sod.
But that wasn’t the best part. Finally, Thane told us what the dye was.
He said, “It’s a safe dye made from chalk.” “We used it for a school project that had lights, sprinklers, and patterns.” I won’t go into too much detail, but this will show this person what’s going on.
I made fun of my brother while I pondered about how Gideon would react to the new sprinkler setup.
I knew that Gideon would be out walking his dog near my place on Sunday morning. I stood on the porch with a cup of coffee, ready for the show.
The bright blue water reached Gideon and his dog at just the right time, soaking them all the way through.
His face was worth a lot of cash. He raced away, yelling and dropping blue paint. I may have felt terrible, but the dye was safe and would come off. What is the best thing? Everyone in the area saw him get ashamed.
Later that day, Gideon came around, and his clothes were all stained with blue.
“What’s wrong with you, man?” He yelled.
I stood with my arms crossed against the door.
“What are you going to do, Gideon?” “Call the police for some water?”
He looked at her without saying a word, then turned around and departed.
He hasn’t parked in my driveway or done anything else since then. But really, I’m just waiting for him to do something. I’ll keep teaching him if I have to.
