Brian, Margaret\u2019s spoiled neighbor, filled in her beloved pond while she was away. He had no idea that he would get such a fierce and determined reaction. Margaret, an older woman who seemed to be lonely, came up with a plan that messed up Brian\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
If you ask me, at 74 years old, I\u2019ve seen my fair share of crap. Not even the chaos that happened in my own backyard could have prepared me for what happened.<\/p>\n
My name is Margaret, and I\u2019ve lived in this cute little house for twenty years. It\u2019s my little piece of heaven. I\u2019ve watched my three kids grow up there, and now I\u2019m looking forward to summer swims and weekend parties with my seven grandchildren. Someone always stops by, which makes the space full of love and fun.<\/p>\n
The most valuable thing on my property? A lovely pond that my sweet grandfather dug himself. For years, it\u2019s been where our family gets together.<\/p>\n
The grandchildren love playing around in it. I swear, I believe they love it more than I love them!<\/p>\n
Before Brian moved in next door about five years ago, everything was great. That man was always worried about my pond.<\/p>\n
He would yell over the fence, \u201cMargaret!\u201d \u201cI can\u2019t sleep because of those frogs!\u201d \u201cWhy don\u2019t you do something about them?\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019d show Brian a smile and say, \u201cOh, Brian, they\u2019re just singing you a nap.\u201d No cost at all!\u201d<\/p>\n
He wouldn\u2019t have any of it, though. \u201cAnd those bugs!\u201d They are having a lot of babies in your pond!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, Brian,\u201d I\u2019d say, \u201cthat pond is cleaner than a whistle.\u201d Mosquitoes are likely coming from that pile of trash in your yard.<\/p>\n
He would puff and huff, but I would just keep going about my business. I thought he\u2019d get used to it over time, but I was wrong.<\/p>\n
I chose to go see my sister in the next state over one day. I was excited for a few days of gin rummy and talking about other people. I had no idea that when I came back, I would see something that would chill my blood.<\/p>\n
I knew something was wrong as I pulled into my driveway. I didn\u2019t see the normal shimmer of water when I walked in. It was replaced by dirt. As I jumped out of the car, my heart sank to my toes.<\/p>\n
The nice old Mrs. Johnson, who lives across the street, rushed over to say hello. \u201cOh, Margaret! I\u2019m so glad you came back. They said they had to do what they were told when I tried to stop them!<\/p>\n
\u201cWho stopped?\u201d \u201cWhat gives you?\u201d I was lost as I looked at the dirty area where my favorite pond used to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday a group came by.\u201d She said that a business paid them to empty and fill the pond. \u201cThey had papers and everything, but I told them I wasn\u2019t home!\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought someone had pulled a fast one on me. It only took one day to erase twenty years of memories. I knew for sure who was behind it.<\/p>\n
I whispered, \u201cBrian,\u201d and clenched my hands together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d A look of fear crossed Mrs. Johnson\u2019s face as she asked.<\/p>\n
I stood up straight. \u201cOh, I\u2019m going to do that.\u201d That guy thinks he can get the best of a nice old lady? He\u2019s about to find out why you shouldn\u2019t cross Margaret!\u201d<\/p>\n
First, I called my family. My daughter Lisa was very angry. \u201cMom, this is wrong!\u201d We need to call the police!\u201d<\/p>\n
I told her, \u201cHold your horses, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst we need proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when my granddaughter Jessie spoke up. \u201cGrandma!\u201d Do you remember the bird camera we put in the oak tree? It could have caught something!\u201d<\/p>\n
The little camera turned out to be our secret tool, which was a surprise.<\/p>\n
We watched the video again, and there was Brian, as clear as day, leading a group of people to fill in my pond. He looked like a kid who had just stolen cookies and gotten away with it.<\/p>\n
I replied, \u201cGotcha,\u201d with a smile on my face.<\/p>\n
Brian seemed to think that since I am old and live alone, I would just ignore it. He had no idea that I was planning something sneaky.<\/p>\n
The first thing I did was call the environmental group in my area.<\/p>\n
I said a sweet \u201chello.\u201d \u201cPlease tell me about the damage done to a protected habitat.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man on the other line sounded lost. \u201cConserved area, ma\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n
I said, \u201cOh yes.\u201d \u201cYou see, there was a rare kind of fish in my pond.\u201d I registered it with your company many years ago. Someone filled it out without my permission.<\/p>\n
When it comes to protected species, those people at the office don\u2019t mess around.<\/p>\n
They came to Brian\u2019s door within days with a fine that would make your eyes water.<\/p>\n
One of the people said, \u201cSir, we\u2019re from the Environmental Protection Agency.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re here to talk about the illegal destruction of a protected habitat on your neighbor\u2019s land.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brian\u2019s face turned pale. \u201cWhat?\u201d Safe places to live? \u201cIt was only a pond!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Thompson, a pond where a very rare species of fish lived.\u201d It\u2019s been proven that you destroyed it without the right permission.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis makes no sense!\u201d Brian cursed and his voice got louder. \u201cThat old lady\u2019s pond was a pain!\u201d I was being nice to the neighborhood!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, sir, that \u201cfavor\u201d comes with a $50,000 fine for breaking laws meant to protect the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brian\u2019s mouth dropped open. \u201cFifty thou\u2014You can\u2019t be kidding!\u201d We all have the wrong idea about this. That pond was\u2014<\/p>\n
When I heard them talking behind their backs, I couldn\u2019t help but smile. I wasn\u2019t done yet, though.<\/p>\n
God bless my grandson Ethan, he\u2019s a great lawyer in the city. I called him.<\/p>\n
I told Ethan, \u201cDear.\u201d \u201cWould you like to help your grandmother get back at a mean kid in the neighborhood?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan was glad to help out. As soon as Brian said the words \u201cfrivolous lawsuit,\u201d he was served with papers for damage to property and mental distress.<\/p>\n
I could have stopped there, but I still had one more card to play.<\/p>\n
Karen, Brian\u2019s wife, had always seemed like a good person. I saw her coming home from work one night and thought it would be a good time to talk.<\/p>\n
I called out, \u201cEvening, Karen.\u201d \u201cHave a minute?\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled even though she looked tired. \u201cOf course,\u201d Margaret said. \u201cWhat\u2019s on your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
Over a cup of tea, I told her everything I knew about the pond. That my grandfather dug it, that the kids learned to swim in it, that there were fish and frogs in it, and that we spent summer nights by it.<\/p>\n
Karen\u2019s face changed as I talked from being confused to very scared. She gasped, \u201cMargaret, I had no idea.\u201d \u201cBrian told me that the city filled the pond to make it safer!\u201d<\/p>\n
I slapped her hand and said, \u201cWell.\u201d \u201cYou now know the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The days after that were calm. Once Brian\u2019s car was gone, the neighborhood rumor mill went into overdrive. It was said that Karen had told Brian to leave after she found out what he had done.<\/p>\n
Then, one morning, I heard machines running.<\/p>\n
When I looked out my window, I was so shocked that I almost fell over. Someone was digging in my yard!<\/p>\n
I quickly went outside and saw Karen in charge of everything. She smiled when she saw me. \u201cGood morning, Margaret. I hope it\u2019s okay with you, but I felt it was time to make things right.<\/p>\n
It turned out that Karen had hired a group to fix up my pond. She told me something while we watched them work.<\/p>\n
She spoke in a low voice, \u201cBrian\u2019s been involved in some shady business deals.\u201d \u201cHe was just lashing out because he was having trouble with his own stuff,\u201d<\/p>\n
The environmental office dropped its charges after the pond was fixed up. At the same time, Ethan also talked me out of going through with the case. That boy can always say something nice.<\/p>\n
Bryan, on the other hand, skulked off to another state with his tail between his legs. With Karen, on the other hand, she came over often. She even helped me take care of the pond because she thought it was the least she could do.<\/p>\n
One night, Karen looked at me with a smile in her eye as we sat by the newly fixed-up pond and watched the sun go down.<\/p>\n
She told Margaret, \u201cI never thought I\u2019d say this, but I\u2019m glad Brian messed with your pond.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gave them a raised look. \u201cOh?\u201d \u201cAnd why is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed. \u201cBecause if he hadn\u2019t, I wouldn\u2019t have known what a great neighbor I had next door.\u201d<\/p>\n
We laughed and clinked our iced tea cups together. Who knew that a small pond could make so many problems and also fix so many?<\/p>\n
Now I\u2019m 74 years old, the pond is fixed up, I have a new friend, and I have a story that my family will tell for years to come. Life sure can catch you off guard, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
Also, if there\u2019s one thing you should learn from this, it\u2019s that you should never, ever go against a grandma with a grudge and a good lawyer in the family!<\/p>\n
This work is based on real people and events, but it has been made up for artistic reasons. To protect privacy and make the story better, names, characters, and circumstances have been changed. Any similarity to real people, living or dead, or real events is completely accidental and not on purpose by the author.<\/p>\n
The author and publisher don\u2019t promise that the events or people are true to life, and they\u2019re not responsible for any wrong ideas that come up. This story is given \u201cas is,\u201d and any ideas shown are the characters\u2019 alone and do not represent those of the author or publisher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Brian, Margaret\u2019s spoiled neighbor, filled in her beloved pond while she was away. He had no idea that he would get such a fierce and determined reaction. Margaret, an older woman who seemed to be lonely, came up with a plan that messed up Brian\u2019s life. If you ask me, at 74 years old, I\u2019ve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28449"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28451,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28449\/revisions\/28451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}