My neighborhood has always been peaceful, and I had verbal agreements with my neighbors anytime I wanted to erect a fence. Things took a drastic turn when they moved, leaving me with a problematic neighbor that was eventually resolved by karma.
I felt safe and comfortable in my Maple Street house, especially in the backyard where I could relax after a long day. Not long after moving home, I decided to build a fence for privacy. Jim and Susan, my neighbors, and I decided to save money instead of hiring a surveyor. I shook hands, chose a spot close to the property line, and then I got to work building the fence. Jim and Susan were relieved that there would be no expenses.
A year ago, Jim and Susan sold their house and moved in with Kayla, a big-city realtor. She was always well-groomed and pleased of her new home, which made her stand out from the other residents. A land surveyor drew boundaries in the region six months later. The next day, Kayla showed up at my house with a bunch of paperwork, telling me that my fence had intruded nine inches onto her property. She urged that I move the fence or pay for the land.
Even after I explained the arrangement I made with the previous owners, she remained unimpressed and insisted on following the rules. She threatened to take me to court if I disobeyed her. I had no record of the previous configuration, so I was compelled to remove the fence, which was a challenging and discouraging task.
A week later, Kayla returned in a troubled state. Duke, her dog, needed the fence to be safe, so she pleaded with me to fix it. I refused to rebuild it because I didn’t want to hurt her any more. The next few weeks saw Kayla’s attempts to contain Duke within her flimsy bamboo fence failing, and as a result of Duke’s antics, her social and professional lives began to suffer. One day, Duke broke through the fence during a yard sale, causing chaos and stealing Kayla’s wallet. Kayla was left to handle the aftermath while everyone else in the neighborhood chuckled at the situation.
Kayla was desperate to control Duke, but she made numerous unsuccessful attempts. One evening, she begged me again to repair the fence, even offering to pay for it. Although I was aware of her circumstances, I remained firm in my assessment. Rebuilding the fence was out of the question, even though we explored other possibilities.
I became weary of Kayla’s incessant complaining as her illness worsened over the course of the months. In the end, I decided to sell my house and move on. The young couple who bought my house had no pets, so they were unaffected by Kayla’s problem. I relocated the old fence panels to my new home, where I was able to find peace and meet a special someone.
Looking back, I realize that Kayla’s move next door provided the impetus I needed to leave the old neighborhood. When I moved into my new house, it was peaceful, and I smile every time I remember those fence panels. When you tell friends this story, they usually laugh it off and it serves as a gentle reminder of the unexpected ways karma may work.
