A few years ago, a new neighbor moved into our village with his wife. Since they came from another town, people viewed them with suspicion. However, they kept to themselves and didn’t bother anyone. They took their time before starting construction, but after two years, they finally began digging the foundations. Soon, a fence was installed, and shortly after, large piles of building materials—sand, gravel, and soil—covered their land.
One Saturday, when I arrived at my property, I was met with an unpleasant surprise—an enormous pile of gravel blocking my gate. I decided to handle the situation but waited until the morning to confront him.
The next day, I went to my neighbor and asked, «Why is this gravel blocking my entrance?»
He didn’t even look embarrassed. «I can’t put it in front of my own gate; trucks need to pass. You had space.»
I was stunned by his audacity. «Move it. I don’t want it here,» I insisted.
Instead of apologizing, he smirked and said, «Not my problem. I’ll deal with it when I see fit.»
That night, I took a shovel and moved half of the gravel onto my own land.
The next morning, he stood in front of my gate, confused, staring at the smaller pile. He walked up to me and asked, «What did you do?»
I calmly replied, «Since you dumped it on my property, part of it is now mine. Consider it rent.»
He muttered, «That was clever.»
From that day on, he never overstepped his boundaries again. I used the gravel to improve my property, and he learned that I wouldn’t tolerate disrespect. Over time, our interactions became more neutral. With people like him, you have to stand your ground—otherwise, they’ll walk all over you.
