I used to live peacefully on Maple Street, where neighbors smiled, waved, and made handshake deals over fences and flowers. When I built a wooden fence for privacy, Jim and Susan—our sweet next-door neighbors—agreed to its spot, even if it leaned nine inches into their yard. It wasn’t about inches, it was about understanding. For years, we lived side by side with no issues.

But peace ended the day Kayla moved in. A sharp-dressed realtor from the city, she viewed our quiet street like it was beneath her. Six months after settling in, she knocked on my door holding papers, demanding I remove the fence or pay her for “trespassing.” When I mentioned my old agreement, she smiled coldly and said, “In my world, agreements are written.”

I didn’t want a lawsuit, so I took it down. But just a week later, she was back—this time desperate. Her dog, Duke, had destroyed her living room without the fence keeping him outside. She asked me—no, begged me—to put it back and even offered money. I smiled kindly and said no. I’d had enough.