Prudence never expected her new neighbor, Emery, to turn into both a friend and a foe within a matter of days. At 48, Prudence was juggling the responsibilities of raising two kids, working from home for a call center, and trying to keep everything together after her husband Silas walked out on her family six years ago. Silas had left when their son, Damien, was eight and their daughter, Connie, was just a baby. He had claimed he needed “space to find himself,” but never returned. Since then, Prudence had been doing the best she could to make ends meet, working tirelessly to support her children while trying to keep her dreams alive.
Her life, once full of plans and promises, had turned into a routine of endless work. She spent her days cleaning up after everyone, and her evenings were consumed with remote work at the call center. The job didn’t fulfill her, but it paid the bills and kept her family afloat. Despite everything, Prudence never lost sight of her goals—she had always dreamed of more for herself and her children.
One day, the monotony of her life was broken by the arrival of a new neighbor, Emery. In her early 30s, Emery had recently moved in next door. She came knocking on Prudence’s door with red-rimmed eyes and a troubled expression, clearly overwhelmed. Her voice cracked as she asked Prudence for a huge favor—helping her clean her house after a wild party. Emery was being called out of town for work and didn’t have the time to clean up the mess. In return, she promised to pay Prudence $250. The offer was tempting, especially since money was tight, and Prudence agreed.
But what started as a simple favor soon spiraled into a nightmare.
Emery’s house was a disaster. Empty bottles, dirty plates, and trash were scattered everywhere, resembling the aftermath of a tornado. It took Prudence two full days of grueling cleaning to restore some semblance of order to the house. Her hands were raw, her back ached, but she kept reminding herself that the $250 would be a big help. When she finally finished, she was exhausted, but proud of the work she had done.
However, when she went over to Emery’s house to collect the promised payment, everything took an unexpected turn. Emery, seemingly confused, denied that they had made any agreement about payment. She claimed she never promised anything and quickly dismissed Prudence, rushing out the door to go to work without even acknowledging the work Prudence had put in.
Prudence stood there, stunned and heartbroken. Two days of back-breaking labor had been dismissed like it meant nothing. How could Emery treat her like this? The anger started to simmer, but Prudence knew she had to stay calm. She couldn’t let herself be taken advantage of like this.
When she got back home, she stewed over the situation. The idea that someone could be so callous about a deal they had made angered her. She couldn’t just let this slide. Her pride, and the principle of the situation, wouldn’t let her. After a moment of thought, an idea began to form in her mind—an idea that would push her to take matters into her own hands, in the most extreme way.
Prudence went to the local garbage dump, wearing old gloves and preparing for what she knew would be a messy task. She loaded her trunk with as many garbage bags as it could fit, the stench nearly overwhelming her. But she pushed through, her mind fixated on the injustice she had experienced. She was determined to teach Emery a lesson about respect, about the value of hard work.
When she arrived at Emery’s house, the street was quiet. It was the perfect time to execute her plan. She unloaded the garbage bags and made her way to the front door. Emery had forgotten to take her house key back when she left in such a hurry, and Prudence realized this was her opportunity. She unlocked the door, stepped inside, and began dumping the contents of the garbage bags onto the floors, counters, and even the bed. The mess that she had spent so much time cleaning was now being replaced with rotten food, dirty diapers, and other trash. As the garbage piled up, Prudence muttered to herself, “This is what you get, Emery. You wanted to play games, well, game on.”
Once the bags were emptied, Prudence closed the door behind her and slipped the key under the welcome mat. There was no turning back now. She felt a strange mix of satisfaction and guilt as she walked back to her car, but the satisfaction won out. Emery had gotten what she deserved.
That evening, as Prudence was putting Connie to bed, she heard furious banging on her front door. It was Emery, livid and demanding to know what Prudence had done to her house. Prudence remained calm and collected, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Emery. How could I have gotten into your house? We never had any agreement, remember?” she said, not breaking eye contact.
Emery was at a loss for words at first, but her face quickly turned red with rage. She threatened to call the police, but Prudence remained unfazed. “Go ahead and call them,” Prudence said, “but how are you going to explain how I got in? You can’t, because according to you, I never had the key.”
Emery opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. Her anger was palpable, but she had no defense. She stormed off, muttering insults under her breath, leaving Prudence standing there, feeling a sense of justice settle over her. She had taken matters into her own hands, and now Emery knew exactly how it felt to be disrespected.
Prudence knew she had crossed a line, but in that moment, it felt like the only way to make things right. Sometimes, when people refuse to respect you or honor their word, you have to stand up for yourself, even if it means getting your hands dirty. Emery, in her arrogance and entitlement, had underestimated Prudence, and now, she had learned a valuable lesson.
The next day, Prudence felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She knew it wasn’t the most dignified way to handle the situation, but she had been pushed too far. Emery wouldn’t be asking for any more favors anytime soon, that was for sure. As for Prudence, she realized that sometimes, standing up for yourself meant going to great lengths to make people understand the consequences of their actions. In the end, it wasn’t just about the payment—it was about respect. And that, Prudence decided, was something worth fighting for.
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