My neighbor, a young woman known for throwing wild parties, recently asked me for a favor. After one particularly chaotic gathering, she had to leave town for work and requested that I clean up the mess, promising to pay me. I agreed, thinking a little extra cash wouldn’t hurt.
What I expected to be a simple cleanup turned into a grueling two-day task. When she returned, I went to collect my payment—only for her to deny that we ever had an agreement. We argued for nearly half an hour, but she stubbornly refused to pay.
Frustrated but not defeated, I decided to teach her a lesson. Twenty minutes later, I returned with a large trash bag filled with the very garbage I had cleaned from her house. Under the cover of darkness, I carefully spread the mess across her backyard—dirty plates, plastic cups, beer cans, and half-eaten pizza—creating a trail of chaos leading to her back door.
As I worked, a neighbor, Mr. Thompson, caught me in the act. “What are you doing?” he asked, amused.
“Just returning something that belongs to her,” I replied.
He chuckled. “She still owes you, doesn’t she?”
“Yep,” I said with a shrug. “Since she said we never had an agreement, I figured she’d want her trash back.”
The next morning, I heard her furious yelling from down the street. She stormed toward me, demanding an explanation.
Calmly, I told her, “That’s the trash I cleaned up from your party. Since you refused to pay, I assumed you wanted it back.”
Outraged, she accused me of trespassing and vandalism, but she had no real argument. Realizing she had no choice, she begrudgingly handed over the $250 we had originally agreed upon.
As I walked away, Mr. Thompson gave me a thumbs-up. “Heard she finally paid up.”
“Yep,” I said, grinning. “Turns out she didn’t want to deal with her own mess.”
Sometimes, people need a reminder that they can’t take advantage of others. And sometimes, a little creativity goes a long way in making sure you get what you’re owed.