They say neighbours can become either friends or enemies, but I never thought mine would become both overnight. What started as a simple favour turned into a fierce argument and a twist that made us both think twice.
When my husband, Silas, walked out of our lives six years ago, I couldn’t imagine standing in the kitchen, scrubbing the same countertop for the third time, and pondering how I became this way.
My name is Prudence, I’m 48 years old, a mother of two, trying to make ends meet by working remotely in a call centre. Life has definitely not turned out the way I had hoped.
Silas and I used to talk a lot about our dreams, you know, the kind of life we wanted to build together. But somewhere along the way, those dreams shattered, leaving me to pick up the pieces alone.
He left one night, saying he needed ‘space to find himself,’ leaving me with our eight-year-old son Damien and only a few months old daughter Connie. I guess he found more than just space, because he never came back.
‘Mum, can I have some porridge?’ – Connie’s little voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Her big brown eyes, full of innocence, looked up at me from the kitchen table.
“Of course, darling. Just a minute.” I forced myself to smile, pulling a box of cereal from the top shelf.
Damien, now 14 years old, walked into the kitchen with headphones in his ears as always. He barely looked at me and muttered: ‘I’m going to go meet Jake, okay?’
“Don’t take too long. And remember, homework first when you get back,” I shouted after him as he stormed out of the house without even waiting for my response.
It was just another day in the life I’d been trying to piece together since Silas left. Balancing the responsibilities of raising two children and trying to keep a roof over my head wasn’t easy.
My job at the call centre helped, but it wasn’t my dream job. But it was a job, and at times like this, that was what mattered.
And that’s when Emiri, a new neighbour in her 30s, knocked. I opened the door and saw her with red eyes, like she hadn’t slept in days.
‘Hi Prudence, can I ask you a big favour?’ – She said, her voice trembling slightly.
I nodded, stepping back to let her in. “Of course, Emiri. What’s wrong?”
She sighed, collapsing onto the couch like she was ready to fall. “There was a wild party last night, and then I got called away for work. The house is a mess and I don’t have time to clean. Can you, er, help me? I’ll pay, sure.”
I hesitated a little, glancing at my watch. My shift was starting in a couple of hours, but the thought of extra income was tempting. God, we sure needed it.
‘How much?’ – I asked, folding my arms across my chest.
‘Two hundred and fifty dollars,’ she said quickly. “I really need help, Prudence. I wouldn’t ask for it if it wasn’t an emergency.”
‘Okay,’ I agreed after a pause. ‘Will do.’
“Thank you so much! You’re a lifesaver!” – Emiri gave me a quick hug before running out, leaving me wondering what I had just signed up for.
Emiri’s house was a mess, and that was putting it mildly. It looked like a tornado had swept through it: empty bottles, plates of unfinished food, trash everywhere.
I stood in the middle of her living room with my hands on my hips, trying to figure out where to start.
Two days. It had taken me two full days to wash, sweep, and trash this house. When I was done, my back hurt and my arms were strained. But I kept reminding myself of the $250 I had promised Emiri. We could really use that money.
When Emiri finally returned, I went to her house, ready to collect my money.
“Emiri, it’s done. Your house is as good as new,” I said, trying to hide the tiredness in my voice. ‘So, about the payment…’
She stared at me like I was speaking a foreign language. “Payment? What payment?”
I frowned, my heart dropping. “That $250 you promised for cleaning. Remember?”
Emiri’s face changed, first showing confusion and then irritation. “Prudence, I never promised to pay you. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
For a moment I just stood there, dumbfounded. “You… what? You said you’d pay! We had a deal.”
‘No, we didn’t,’ she replied sharply. ‘Look, I’m late for work, I don’t have time for this.’ She walked past me, heading for her car.
‘Emiri, that’s not fair!’ – I shouted after her, but she was already driving out of the courtyard, not even looking in my direction.
Standing there, watching Emiri’s car drive away, I was seething with anger. How could she just leave like that?
Two days of hard work and she hadn’t even acknowledged that we had a deal. I could feel the rage boiling over, but I knew not to act on my emotions.
I got home, slammed the door shut and started pacing around the room, trying to think. Connie was playing with her dolls and Damien was still with his friends. I didn’t want to drag the kids into this story, but I wasn’t going to let Emiri get away with it either.