But my blood boiled when I saw the footage of the Jacobs celebrating the Fourth of July in my pool. They knew I was away for the week and took full advantage, having a grand time without my permission.
“That’s it!” I muttered, slamming my laptop shut. Furious, I grabbed my keys and marched to their door, determined to confront them.
Their nerve astounded me. They constantly argued with me, yet felt entitled to use my property when I was gone.
“Well, at least they stayed outside,” I thought.
When Mrs. Jacobs answered the door, she acted as if I was the one inconveniencing her.
“Oh, it’s you,” she rolled her eyes.
“Yes, it’s me!” I shouted. “Care to explain why you and your family were in my pool while I was gone?”
Mrs. Jacobs winced slightly before composing herself.
“Stop being such a drama queen,” she scoffed. “You barely use the pool anyway.”
My jaw dropped.
“That’s not the point! You trespassed! Do you realize how illegal that is?”
“Calm down, Stella,” she dismissed me. “We were just having some fun. Nothing bad happened.”
“Nothing bad happened?” I was livid. “I put those cameras up for a reason. You complained about the construction, but now you think you can use it without asking?”
Mrs. Jacobs smirked.
“Well, maybe if you weren’t such a nuisance, we wouldn’t have had to call the cops.”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my anger.
“Fine, you want to play this game? Let’s play.”
Back home, I spent hours printing security camera images of the Jacobs in my pool.
Nathan walked in, concerned. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I’m tired of being taken advantage of.”
My business trip had been a disaster, filled with difficult people and technical issues. I needed to regain control over something, and dealing with the Jacobs was it.
“This is a bit much, Stella,” Nathan said, trying to soothe me.
“I have to show them this behavior is unacceptable,” I insisted.
I continued printing the images of the Jacobs having fun in my pool, adding bold letters at the bottom: Caution! Intruders in the area! Check your backyards!
