I let out a sharp, humourless laugh. ‘Oh, it’s separate? You mean my house and my generosity are separate from your rights?’ I stepped back and pointed to the street. ‘Get out.’
Her smug expression vanished instantly.
Jessica’s face contorted with disappointment. ‘You’re acting like a b…’ She caught herself and glanced at Eva beside her before changing her tone. ‘This is for my daughter! You’re punishing her for a harmless prank!’
I shrugged. ‘No, you punished her. You wanted me to be the villain? Fine. I’ll play that role.’
And with that, I slammed the door in her face.
I stood at my door with my arms crossed, watching Jessica unravel on my driveway. She was still ranting, her voice high with indignation, pacing back and forth, waving her arms like a madwoman.
‘She’s so selfish! She ruined everything!’ she shouted, well aware that the neighbours were watching.
Mark, always a silent bystander, shifted awkwardly near the car, pretending not to hear his wife’s hysterics. Poor Eva looked simply confused, probably wondering why her birthday party wasn’t happening. The decorations for her party were still lying in the boot.
Then I noticed movement on the opposite side of the street.
Mrs. Thompson, my elderly neighbour, was walking with a confident stride. She wasn’t empty-handed. In her hand was a phone, held up so that Jessica could see the screen.
Jessica froze mid-sentence. Her face turned completely pale. Mrs. Thompson immediately fell silent. She simply let Jessica look. And whatever was on that screen, Jessica’s whole world collapsed. Her hands clenched into fists. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Mrs Thompson finally turned and knocked on my door.
‘Hello, Mrs. Thompson,’ I greeted her, raising an eyebrow.
She smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling with amusement. ‘She won’t bother you about the phones anymore.’
I glanced at Jessica, who now looked as if she wanted to sink into the pavement.
‘Oh?’ I said, grinning. ‘And why is that?’
Mrs Thompson chuckled, lowering her voice so much that it sounded like an inside joke. ‘I just let her know that I also have a lovely little video of her children trying to push me into the pool. And if she continues with this nonsense about the phone, well… I’ll be happy to take it to the police.’
I laughed, and Mrs Thompson giggled along with me. ‘Of course, we wouldn’t actually do that,’ she added innocently. ‘But you should have seen her face.’
Jessica didn’t argue. She didn’t yell. She didn’t even look at me. She just turned around, grabbed Eva by the hand, and walked away.
Mark muttered, ‘Let’s go,’ and hurried after her. They threw the jewellery back into the boot, slammed the doors, and a few seconds later, their car pulled out of my driveway.
For the first time ever, Jessica had nothing to say.
I turned to Mrs. Thompson and shook my head with delight. ‘You may be my favourite neighbour.’
She winked. ‘I know, dear.’
By the next morning, the family group chat was overflowing with messages. My mother, ever the peacemaker, was trying to smooth things over. My father didn’t get involved, probably enjoying his coffee in peace. Mark sent a half-serious ‘Sorry about that’ message, which meant absolutely nothing.
Jessica? Not a word.
But then, just as I was finishing my morning coffee, a new message appeared.
Jessica: Ava’s party was ruined because of you. I hope you’re happy.
I looked at him for a second, then smiled.
Me: Oh, yes. Thank you for checking.