I’ve lived in my neighbourhood for a while now, and I’m used to the weird things my neighbours do. But there is one neighbour who has always been a bit of a problem. Tom, a rich businessman, has always looked down on my old car, calling it a “eyesore” that makes the air his kids breathe dirty. Even made threats against me, saying he’d make sure I got rid of the car if I didn’t.
I’ve always tried to ignore Tom’s comments, but one day he went too far. When I woke up after a week of threats, my car was covered in a thick layer of ice. For sure, Tom had taken things into his own hands when he used a hose to freeze my car overnight. Even though I was mad, I knew I had to keep calm.
I never gave up on getting the ice off my car, even though it took me five hours. Tom, meanwhile, was sitting on his porch with his coffee and watching the show. But he had no idea that karma was already making plans to get back at him.
That night, a fire spigot close to Tom’s house burst, letting a huge stream of water land on his land. The water turned to ice in the cold night air, making his yard and expensive SUV look like a strange winter scene. Everyone in the neighbourhood talked about the show the next morning, and Tom was left to deal with the fallout.
As I watched Tom work hard to break up the ice on his house and car, I couldn’t help but feel proud. My dad once told me, “Kindness costs nothing but means everything.” That’s why I chose a different route.
I went to Tom’s house and offered to help him get the ice off his SUV. He was shocked and a little suspicious at first, but he finally agreed to let me help him. We worked together for hours to clear paths and get his car out of its ice jail.
The next morning, Tom knocked on my door with a note that had $5,000 in cash inside. He said he was sorry for what he did and offered the money to make peace. The apology was fine with me, but I didn’t need the money. I instead used it to bring back the glory of my old car.
After a week, my car was brand new again, with new paint, tires, and an engine that had been repaired. I could tell Tom liked it because he looked at it a lot. He would even nod his head sometimes to show that he agreed.
I learnt that karma and being kind can be very useful in the end. An attack from Tom didn’t stop me from helping him when he needed it. I turned a bad scenario into a good one. Tom, on the other hand, learnt a very important lesson about how to treat other people with kindness and care.
