Tell Me About the Most Ridiculous Thing Your Entitled Neighbor Did

I confronted Todd the next day, of course. I walked right up to him while he was watering his lawn and demanded to know if he had taken my stuff.

He just looked at me with that same smug smile and denied everything. I told him that I knew it was him because he was the only one who knew about there being valuables in the house.

Think about it: if a burglar came in the middle of the night, why would he break into the garage and leave the rest of the house untouched? He denied the accusation with a smile.

His smile, paired with his denying the truth, made me hot. I knew I wouldn’t get far this way, so I told him I’d pay him to at least get the photos of my grandmother back.

I told him he could keep anything else in there that was of value, but I needed the photos of my grandma; those were the last ones I had of her. His eyes showed me he was remorseful, but his mouth told me, “That he was sorry for my loss but it wasn’t him who stole the boxes.”

He blamed one of my friends who helped me move in. My blood boiled, and I knew if I had stayed there a moment longer bad things would have happened.

Todd wasn’t going to admit to anything and without proof there wasn’t much I could do, so I did the next best thing. I installed cameras.

It took me a few days to get everything set up, but once the cameras were in place, I felt a little bit of relief. If Todd or his brats tried anything again, I’d have proof.

It was early evening when I heard a knock on my door. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but when I opened it, there stood Todd’s kids.

His son, all wide-eyed and hopeful, and his daughter standing behind him looking bored. The boy bounced a little on his toes and said, “That their dad had told him I should come over for dinner that night.”

I stared at him. The last thing I wanted was to sit down for a meal with the man who had been trying to steal from me for weeks.

I told the boy I was busy that night, and before I could close the door he yelled, “But we’re family!”

He was really laying it on thick; the kid was practically bouncing in excitement like this was some grand invitation. He said that, “Grandma would want us to eat together.”

I could feel my heart tighten at the word family. My grandmother had never considered these kids family.

Still, Jason wasn’t going to let it go; he grabbed Sarah’s hand and yanked her forward. He begged and begged.

Sarah rolled her eyes, clearly uninterested in playing along. “Yeah whatever,” she muttered, not even bothering to make eye contact with me.

I had an overwhelming feeling that Todd was up to something again. The thought of sitting at a table with him made me want to slam the door in their faces, but the kids were only doing what their father was telling them to.

I guess I couldn’t fault them. Jason leaned in closer to me and batted his eyes and said to me, “Please it’ll make dad so happy.”

I should have said no; I really wanted to say no, but for some reason the words didn’t come out. I agreed and said, “I’d stay just for dinner but I’m not staying long.”

Jason cheered, grabbed Sarah’s hand, and pulled her back toward their house.

When I got to Todd’s, the smell of something roasting in the oven filled the house. Todd greeted me like nothing had ever happened between us.

He still had the plastered smile that he’d always had. He was far too cheerful for my liking, but I sat down at the table anyway.

Sarah slouched in her chair, barely paying attention, while Jason ran around to help set the table as if it were his life’s mission. As we sat down, Todd excused himself to go to the kitchen to finish up the last meal.

I was about to dig into my plate when I noticed Sarah glancing at me then at her plate. She fidgeted a little and bit her lip before switching her plate with mine.

It was quick, but I caught it. I asked her what she was doing and she shrugged, looking at me.

She said, “It was nothing,” before I could say anything else.

Todd called from the kitchen asking if we were all ready to eat. Jason was already halfway through his food and Sarah sat back, staring at the plate she had just switched.

Then just as Todd walked back into the room, Sarah’s plate slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor, food scattering everywhere. Todd rushed over to her, frowning.

Sarah said, “She’d go get another plate,” and walked to the kitchen while Todd cleaned up the mess.

Todd and his kids had climbed over the fence the night before, broke into my shed, and rummaged through my things. They had even tried to start a bonfire with the old photo albums.

I was done playing nice. I called the police again and this time I had proof.

When the officers arrived, I showed them the footage and they finally took me seriously. Todd of course tried to play it off as another misunderstanding, claiming his kids were just cleaning up after some teenagers had trashed the yard.

But the police weren’t buying it this time. They warned him to stay off my property or face legal consequences.

I thought that would be the end of it. Todd had been caught red-handed and the police had finally stepped in.

A few days later, I came home to find a for sale sign planted in my front yard. At first I thought it was some kind of prank, but then I saw Todd standing there talking to a couple as if he were showing them the house.

I marched right up to him and asked him what he thought he was doing. He grinned, not even the least bit ashamed, and said, “He was just helping me out.”

He figured I could use some new owners for this place since I seemed so overwhelmed with work for the house and the paperwork. He used the excuse I’d given him a few nights before against me, but I wasn’t about to argue with him.

I was done. I yanked the sign out of the ground and called the police again.

This time they issued a formal warning, telling Todd to stay off my property or face serious charges. But of course Todd didn’t listen.

A few days later, I woke up to find my car vandalized. The tires were slashed and the windows were smashed; it was a nightmare.

I didn’t even need to check the cameras to know who was responsible. I called the police.

They took my report, and when they reviewed the security footage there was no doubt about it. Todd and his kids had been caught red-handed again sneaking onto my property in the dead of night to vandalize my car.

This time Todd was arrested. As they hauled him away he shouted about how, “The house should have been his and how I had no right to hog it all for myself.”

With Todd finally behind bars, his kids were left without a guardian. Their mother had been out of the picture for years, and they were placed into foster care.

I felt bad about the kids and almost considered taking them in myself. It wasn’t their fault that their dad was raising them wrong and now that they were in the system their life would be 12 times worse.

But the neighborhood was quiet for the first time in what felt like forever. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders as I watched them drive Todd away.

It was over. The nightmare was finally over.