After a week of sun and sand, Catherine was stunned to find that her new neighbor, Jeffrey, had built an enormous fence on her property. As a single mom, she knew she couldn’t let this slide. But what did she do to make sure he’d never forget his mistake?

Life as a single mom is far from easy, but I’ve managed to make it work. I’m Catherine, 40 years old, and I’ve been raising my two boys—Liam (10) and Chris (8)—all by myself for the past year.

Their father and I split when I caught him cheating. But that’s a story for another time.

Two months ago, I bought a new house for the boys and me. It was in a peaceful neighborhood with a beautiful forest nearby. Everything about our new community seemed perfect—until I met my next-door neighbor, Jeffrey. We’d been at odds since the day we first met.

I’ll never forget our first interaction.

We had just moved in when I heard a knock at the door. When I opened it, there he stood, folder in hand.

“Hello there, neighbor!” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Jeffrey. Welcome to the neighborhood!”

I shook his hand, thinking, How nice! If only I’d known what was coming.

“I wanted to discuss something important,” he continued, opening his folder.

“The previous owners signed this contract allowing me to build a fence on the property line,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Okay…?”

“So, I’ll be starting construction next week,” he said, as if it were already settled.

I was stunned. “Excuse me? You’re not even asking for my permission?”

“Well, I have the contract right here—” he began.

“That contract was with the previous owners,” I cut him off. “I’m the owner now, and I don’t want a fence blocking my view and sunlight.”

His face flushed. “But I need this fence for privacy!” he yelled. “I’ve been planning this for months!”

“Well, I don’t care what the FORMER owner said,” I shot back, and he stomped out of my house without another word.

Since that day, Jeffrey had been pestering me almost every week about this fence. Apparently, he wanted to throw lavish garden parties without his guests seeing my yard. Well, excuse me for existing!

@reddit.woman My new neighbor threatened to sue me if I didn’t remove the fence, so I completely removed it; she came to me pleading to put it back because her house was destroyed. #redditstories #reddit #redditstorytimes #redditreadings #askreddit ♬ original sound – Reddit Woman

There was no way I was letting him put up that fence. I didn’t buy this house just to stare at wooden planks instead of the sky and trees. But little did I know, things were about to get worse.

A few weeks ago, I decided to take my boys on a much-needed vacation. Liam and Chris were beyond excited.

“Mom, can we go to the beach?” Liam asked.

Chris chimed in, “Yeah! And can we build a huge sandcastle?”

“Of course, boys!” I said, hugging them both. “We’ll do all that and more!”

We left for a week, ready for sun, sand, and relaxation. If only I’d known what was waiting for us back home.

When we pulled into our driveway, something felt off. My heart sank as I realized what had happened.

“Boys, stay in the car for a minute,” I said, stepping out.

With each step toward our house, my anger grew. I turned to look at the side of the house, and there it was—a towering wooden fence, built right on our property, just a foot from my windows.

“What the hell?!” I shouted, not caring who heard me.

Liam and Chris ran up behind me.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Chris asked, his voice worried.

I took a deep breath. I had to stay calm for their sake. “Nothing, sweetie. Just a little surprise from our neighbor.”

“But Mom,” Liam said, frowning, “we can’t see the trees anymore.”

My heart broke for them. The view my boys loved so much was gone, replaced by Jeffrey’s obnoxious fence. I knew I couldn’t let this go. I had to teach Jeffrey a lesson.

I had two choices: go the legal route and wait for authorities to take action or take matters into my own hands. I chose the latter—my boys and I didn’t have time for bureaucracy.

That night, I went to a pet store. I had a plan.

“Can I help you find anything?” the clerk asked.

I smiled. “Yes, I’m looking for an animal attractant spray. The strongest you have.”

After getting home, I waited until everyone was asleep. Then, I crept over to Jeffrey’s beloved fence and sprayed every inch with the attractant. It was a pheromone spray, designed to attract dogs for training. I had a feeling it would attract more than just dogs.

I did this for several nights, making sure the entire fence was covered. And then, I waited.

It didn’t take long for results.

One evening, as I was taking out the trash, I saw a stray dog lift its leg against the fence. I had to stifle a laugh. “Good boy,” I whispered.

In the following days, more animals visited the fence—dogs, raccoons, even a fox once. They all seemed to think Jeffrey’s fence was the perfect place to do their business.

One morning, I watched from my window as Jeffrey discovered the mess. His face turned an impressive shade of purple when he saw what had happened. But to my surprise, he didn’t take the fence down. Instead, he started cleaning it.

Every morning, Jeffrey would come out with a bucket and a brush, grumbling under his breath as he scrubbed the fence. But no matter how much he cleaned, he couldn’t get rid of the pheromone scent. The animals kept coming back.

Soon, the smell became unbearable. Even my boys noticed.

“Mom, it stinks outside!” Chris said, holding his nose.

Liam nodded. “Can we stay inside today?”

“I know it’s bad, boys. Just give it a few more days, okay?” I reassured them, hoping my plan would work soon.

The next day, I saw one of our neighbors, Mrs. Thompson, knocking on Jeffrey’s door. I slowed down, pretending to check my mail so I could listen in.

“Jeffrey, what on earth is that smell? It’s awful!” Mrs. Thompson demanded.

Jeffrey looked embarrassed. “I’m working on it, Mrs. Thompson. It’s just an animal problem.”

“Well, work faster!” she snapped. “It’s affecting the whole neighborhood!”

After Mrs. Thompson left, Jeffrey caught my eye. He looked genuinely apologetic for the first time. I smiled, then turned and went inside.

That evening, I watched as Jeffrey attacked the fence with every cleaning product he could find. He scrubbed for hours, but the smell remained. Eventually, he gave up, throwing down his brush in frustration.

The next morning, I was awakened by a loud noise. Peeking through my curtains, I could hardly believe my eyes. Jeffrey was overseeing a team of workers taking down the fence.

I couldn’t believe my plan had actually worked!

I rushed to wake up the boys. “Liam! Chris! Come look outside!”

They raced to the window, their eyes widening in amazement. “Mom, we can see the trees again!” Chris exclaimed.

Liam hugged me tight. “You’re the best, Mom!”

Our view was restored, and Jeffrey had learned his lesson. But it wasn’t over just yet.

Later that day, Jeffrey approached me while I was gardening in the front yard.

“Catherine,” he said, clearing his throat, “I want to apologize.”

“Oh?” I feigned surprise.

He nodded. “I shouldn’t have put up that fence without your permission. It was wrong of me.”

“Yes, it was,” I replied, crossing my arms.

“I’ve learned my lesson,” he admitted. “From now on, I’ll respect your property.”

“Apology accepted, Jeffrey,” I said, smiling. “Let’s start over, shall we?”

“I’d like that,” he replied.

As he walked away, I felt a sense of pride. I had stood up for myself and my boys, and in the end, it all worked out.

This incident taught me that sometimes life puts you in situations where you need to get creative to find a solution—just like I had done to teach Jeffrey a lesson he wouldn’t forget.

Do you think I did the right thing?