I was admiring the new shade when Glenn stormed across the yard, his face red as a stoplight. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
I turned, smiling behind my sunglasses. “Just replacing the tree you destroyed.
I figured three was better than one.”
Faye rushed outside, holding her phone like she was calling the police. “YOU CAN’T DO THIS! OUR HOT TUB WILL HAVE NO SUN!
THIS IS HARASSMENT!”
I shrugged. “Nope. It’s called landscaping.
Perfectly legal. Unlike cutting down someone else’s tree.”
A few days later, they came stomping onto my porch, wild-eyed, clutching the legal letter like it might burn them. Faye shrieked, “WHAT IS THIS?!
EIGHTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS?! FOR A TREE?!”
Glenn shouted, “YOU’RE CRAZY! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!”
I sipped my coffee, calm as ever.
“Actually, I can. And I am. The appraisal proves it.”
Faye’s voice cracked.
“WE DON’T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY! YOU’RE RUINING US!”
Glenn snapped, “WE’LL SUE YOU BACK! YOU LET THAT TREE SHADE OUR YARD!”
“Good luck,” I said.
“Everything’s documented. The tree was healthy and on my land. Your move was illegal.”
Faye screamed, “YOU’RE AWFUL!
ALL OVER A TREE!”
I stood up, looked her in the eye, and said: “No, Faye. You destroyed my tree, and I’m just making sure you pay for it.”
Within a week, they were in full meltdown mode. The once-smug couple with their shiny new hot tub now sat under a blanket of permanent shade.
Morning, noon, and evening. No warm sunlight. No perfect glow.
Just dim light and bitter silence. Every time I stepped onto my back porch with my coffee, I’d catch Faye peeking through the kitchen blinds, jaw tight, lips thin. Sometimes she didn’t bother hiding and just stood there, arms crossed, glaring like she could burn the trees down with her anger.
And then she came for round two across the fence. I was watering the new trees when I heard the sliding glass door slam open. “YOU’RE RUINING OUR LIVES OVER A TREE!” Faye shrieked from their yard, her voice breaking.
I looked up slowly, wiped my hands on a towel, and called back, “Funny. That’s exactly what you did.”
Glenn appeared behind her, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. “This is crazy!
You’re turning the whole neighborhood against us!”
I raised an eyebrow. “No. You did that when you cut down a family tree while I was on vacation.”
Faye threw her hands up.
“We said we were sorry! What more do you want?”
I crossed my arms. “I want you to learn that actions have consequences.
That’s it. If you’d respected my property, we wouldn’t be here.”
The silence that followed was heavy. Tense.
Faye looked ready to cry. Glenn looked like he wanted to punch something. But neither said another word.
Meanwhile, the legal case was moving fast. My lawyer was tough. With the tree expert’s report, the security footage, the trespassing claim, and the historical value, they were facing damages close to twenty grand, plus legal fees.
There was no way out. The law was clear about trees on private property. The best part?
Those three privacy trees I planted? They’re thriving. Each week, they grow taller, thicker, and greener.
By next spring, their yard will be in full shadow from dawn to dusk. Permanent, living payback. And there’s nothing they can do, unless they want another round in court.
Now, when I sit under my new little grove with my coffee, I hear the soft rustle of the leaves, not the same as the old apple tree, but soothing in its own way. Sometimes I close my eyes and smile, imagining my grandparents sitting with me. I think they’d be proud.
They always said: “Plant something worth keeping, and guard it with all you’ve got.”
Turns out… I did both. And as I took another sip of coffee, I heard Faye’s voice behind the fence, bitter and low:
“God, I wish we’d never moved here.”
I didn’t even turn around. I just smiled and whispered:
“Me too, Faye.”
