He walked out one evening, saying he needed “space to find himself,” leaving me with our eight-year-old son Damien and our baby daughter Connie. I guess he found more than space because he never came back. “Mom, can I have some cereal?” Connie’s small voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Her wide brown eyes, so full of innocence, stared up at me from the kitchen table. I forced a smile and handed her the cereal box from the top shelf. Just then, Damien, now 14, shuffled into the kitchen, earbuds plugged in as usual. Without even looking up, he mumbled that he was heading out to meet Jake. “ Don’t stay out too late. And remember, homework first when you get back,” I called after him as he stormed out the door.Life had become a balancing act of raising two kids alone while trying to keep a roof over our heads. My call center job helped, but it wasn’t exactly my dream. It was a job, and in times like these, that was all that mattered. One day, Emery, the new neighbor in her early 30s, knocked on my door. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days. “Hey, Prudence, can I ask you for a huge favor?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly. I nodded and let her in. Emery sank into the couch, barely holding herself together. She explained she had a wild party the night before and then got called out of town for work. Her place was a disaster, and she didn’t have time to clean it up. She offered to pay me if I could help her out. I hesitated, glancing at the clock. My shift was starting soon, but the idea of earning some extra cash was tempting. Lord knows we could use it. After a brief negotiation, we agreed on $250, and I got to work. Emery’s house was a wreck, with empty bottles, half-eaten food, and trash everywhere. It took me two solid days of scrubbing, sweeping, and hauling garbage out. By the time I finished, my back ached, and my hands were raw, but I kept reminding myself of the $250 Emery promised. That money would go a long way for us.When Emery finally returned, I went to collect. She blinked at me in confusion when I mentioned the payment. “Payment? What payment?” she asked. My heart sank as she claimed there was no agreement. She dismissed me, saying she didn’t have time for this, and left for work. I stood there, dumbfounded and furious. I spent the rest of the day stewing over her betrayal. I had worked hard, and she had the nerve to pretend we never made a deal. I wasn’t about to let her get away with it. I needed to be smart about my next move. As I paced my living room, an idea started to form—a risky idea, but one I felt was necessary. Later that day, I found myself at the local garbage dump, loading my car with bags of trash. Desperate times called for desperate measures. On the drive back, I kept replaying our conversation in my head, justifying my plan with every mile. When I reached her house, the street was quiet. I hauled the garbage bags to her front door, heart pounding. As I worked quickly, I realized something: Emery had forgotten to take back her house key from me.I hesitated briefly but remembered how she dismissed me. I unlocked her door, stepped inside, and methodically tore open the garbage bags, dumping the contents all over her pristine home. Rotten food, old newspapers, dirty diapers—everything mixed in a disgusting heap. I left her house in shambles, feeling both satisfaction and guilt. That evening, as I put Connie to bed, I heard furious banging on my front door. I knew it was Emery before I even opened it. She screamed at me, demanding to know what I had done to her house. I calmly denied everything, reminding her that, according to her, I never had the key. She threatened to call the police, but I knew she had no proof. Defeated, she stormed off. As I closed the door, a strange mix of relief and regret washed over me. I knew I had crossed a line, but in that moment, it felt justified. Sometimes, you have to stand up for yourself, even if it means getting your hands dirty. I doubted Emery would ask me for any more favors after this.
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