She smiled as our cars were hauled away, convinced she had won some neighborhood battle. But by the next morning, she was standing on her porch in shock, facing a $25,000 mistake she’d never forget.
Jack and I had only spent one night in the house. It was a small, single-story rental tucked into a quiet suburb. Tan bricks. Green shutters. A patchy lawn that looked like it hadn’t been watered since spring.
We only had a short-term job assignment here. Nothing permanent. Nothing noteworthy.
The doorbell rang just as we were unpacking the coffee machine.
Jack moaned. “The curtains aren’t even up yet.”
I looked through the peephole. “Well, it appears that the Welcome Committee has arrived.”
Looking out the window, a woman | Source: Pexels
He took a quick look. “Oh no. She has cookies in her hand.
I pulled the door open.
A woman wearing white capri trousers, a pastel pink cardigan, and a matching headpiece was standing there. She had a lovely smile, but what about her eyes? Too busy to be distributing baked goods.
“Hello there!” she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. “My name is Lindsey. My residence is directly across the street. I just wanted to say hello and stop by!
Standing beside his vehicle is a young man | Source: Midjourney
I also didn’t respond to her. I just offered her the smallest of smiles, met her gaze, and turned to return to the house. Jack silently followed me.
Lindsey yelled again, louder than before, behind us. “Hey, hold on! I had a question for you!
We didn’t bother to turn around. We also didn’t slam the door. Simply shut it. Final and soft.
If you liked this story, you should read this one as well: Sometimes family secrets come to light when you least expect them to, and they might reveal everything you believed to be true. My granddaughter Lindsey asked a straightforward question about her curly blond hair, and it resulted in a revelation that changed our lives and nobody could have predicted.
Although this work has been fictionalized for artistic reasons, it is based on actual people and events. To preserve privacy and improve the story, names, characters, and specifics have been altered. Any likeness to real people—living or dead—or real events is entirely accidental and not the author’s intention.