They say karma comes back to bite you, but I never expected to witness it from my phone screen—on vacation, no less.
Six months ago, my husband Richard and I moved into what we thought was our dream neighborhood. Friendly faces, tree-lined streets, and a perfect place for our kids, Lily and Max. That is, until we met Oliver.
Oliver, our next-door neighbor, introduced himself with store-bought cookies and a smug tone. He soon began crossing boundaries—wandering into other people’s yards, commenting on our deliveries, and even planting in our garden without asking. But the worst came when he fixated on Richard’s pride and joy: a top-tier stainless-steel Weber grill.
Despite securing the grill and locking the gate before heading off on a beach vacation, Oliver broke in—with bolt cutters—and wheeled it into his yard for a party. We watched it all unfold via our security camera app: the theft, the setup, the smug grilling.
Then karma struck.
While showing off “his” grill, Oliver accidentally trapped a tablecloth in the lid. Flames erupted, quickly engulfing his patio and spreading to his pergola. Guests fled as firefighters arrived. By the time the flames were out, our grill—and his backyard—were destroyed.
We filed an insurance claim from the beach and returned home to find Oliver’s yard a charred mess. He never apologized. Turns out, his insurance didn’t cover stolen property or self-inflicted damage.
Ours did. We got a better grill—and a story we’ll never forget.