When my neighbor’s construction crew started using my driveway without permission, I thought I could handle it like a reasonable adult. But after weeks of frustration and disrespect, I realized it was time to teach Dave a lesson he’d never forget — one that would change our relationship forever.
I woke up at 5 AM, my head already pounding. Another day of juggling kids, work, and Dave’s damn construction crew. I dragged myself out of bed, trying not to wake Emma. That girl needed her sleep, especially with all the noise lately.
In the kitchen, I started the coffee maker. The gurgling sound was like music to my ears. I leaned against the counter, closing my eyes for a moment.
“Mom?” Tyler’s voice made me jump. “Why are you up so early?”
I sighed. “Trying to beat Dave’s crew to the punch, honey. Go back to bed.”
He rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. “Nah, I’m up now. Want help with breakfast?”
I smiled, grateful for the company. We worked in comfortable silence, the smell of pancakes filling the air. As I flipped the last one, I heard the rumble of an engine outside.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered, rushing to the window. Sure enough, a massive truck was backing into my driveway.
Tyler peered over my shoulder. “Again? Mom, you gotta do something.”
I nodded, feeling the anger bubble up inside me. “Oh, I will. Watch the pancakes, okay?”
I stormed out, not bothering to change out of my pajamas. Dave was directing the truck, waving his arms like some kind of demented traffic cop.
“Dave!” I shouted. He turned, his face dropping when he saw me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?
He had the audacity to look confused. “Morning, Sarah. We’re just getting started for the day.”
“On my property?” I gestured wildly at the truck. “This is my driveway, Dave. How am I supposed to get to work?”
He shrugged. “It’ll only be for a couple hours. Can’t you park on the street?”
I felt an eye twitch. “No, Dave, I can’t. This is my property. You can’t just use it whenever you want.”
“Come on, Sarah. Don’t be difficult. It’s just for a little while.”
“Difficult?” I stepped closer, my voice low. “I’ll show you difficult if you don’t move this truck right now.”
Dave held up his hands. “Alright, alright. No need to get worked up. Mike, back it out!”
The truck slowly reversed, and I watched until it was completely off my property. Dave turned to me, a forced smile on his face.
“Happy now?”
I glared at him. “This better not happen again! I mean it.”
As I turned to go back inside, I heard him mutter, “Drama queen.”
I spent the rest of the morning fuming. By the time I got the kids off to school and myself to work, I was exhausted. My boss, Linda, noticed as soon as I walked in.
“Rough morning?” she asked, eyebrow raised.
I collapsed into my chair. “You have no idea. My neighbor’s construction crew keeps blocking my driveway.”
Linda frowned. “That’s not right. Have you talked to him about it?”
“Every day,” I sighed. “He just doesn’t seem to care.”
She patted my shoulder. “Well, don’t let it affect your work. We’ve got that big presentation next week.”
I nodded, trying to focus on the computer screen. But all I could think about was what I’d find when I got home.
Sure enough, when I pulled up that evening, two massive trucks were parked across my driveway. I sat in my car, gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.
“Mom?” Emma’s voice came from the backseat. “Are you okay?”
I took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “I’m fine, sweetie. Just… frustrated.”
We made our way inside, squeezing past the trucks. I was about to start dinner when there was a knock at the door. It was Dave, looking smug.
“Sarah, the crew needs to leave those trucks overnight. That’s not a problem, right?”
I stared at him, speechless for a moment. Then, something in me snapped.
“Not a problem? Are you serious, Dave? You’ve been blocking my driveway for weeks, and now you want to leave them overnight?”
He looked taken aback. “It’s just one night. Don’t be so —”
“If you say ‘difficult’ one more time, I swear to God, Dave.”
He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Calm down. It’s not that big a deal.”
I laughed, a harsh sound. “Not a big deal to you, maybe. But I have three kids and a job to get to. This stops now.”
Dave’s face hardened. “Look, Sarah, I’m trying to be neighborly here. But if you’re going to be like this —”
“Neighborly?” I cut him off. “Neighborly would be asking before using someone else’s property. Neighborly would be respecting boundaries. This? This is just selfish.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but I slammed the door in his face. I leaned against it, breathing heavily.
The next morning, I woke up even earlier than usual. With Jason’s help, I maneuvered my car into the perfect position, completely blocking access to the driveway.
“You sure about this, Mom?” Jason asked, worry creasing his brow.
I nodded, feeling a little guilty, but mostly determined to make a point. “Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire, honey.”
As I settled into the Uber, my phone buzzed. It was Dave.
“Sarah, what the heck? Move your car!”
I ignored it, a small smile playing on my lips. Let him see how it feels for once.
Throughout the day, the calls and texts kept coming. Each one more frantic than the last. By lunchtime, I almost felt bad. Almost.
When I got home that evening, Dave was waiting, his face red with anger.
“What kind of stunt was that?” he exploded as soon as I stepped out of the Uber.
I raised an eyebrow. “Stunt? I just parked in my own driveway, Dave. Isn’t that what driveways are for?”
He sputtered. “But… but you knew we needed access! You’ve cost me an entire day of work!”
“Funny,” I said, my voice cold. “That’s exactly what you’ve been doing to me for weeks.”
Dave’s anger deflated slightly. “Come on, Sarah. It’s not the same thing.”
“Isn’t it?” I challenged. “You use my property without asking, block my access, and expect me to just deal with it. How is this any different?”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again. For once, Dave seemed at a loss for words.
I softened my tone slightly. “Look, Dave. I get that you’re doing renovations. That’s fine. But you can’t just assume you can use my property whenever you want. It’s disrespectful and inconsiderate.”
Dave tipped his hard hat off his head, sighing. “I… I guess I didn’t think about it like that.”
“Clearly,” I said. “So, can we agree that from now on, you’ll keep your vehicles off my property unless you ask first?”
He nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, alright, okay, I should have been more considerate.”
***
When I got home the next evening, it wasn’t Dave waiting for me. It was a man I didn’t recognize, wearing dungarees and a worried expression.
“Mrs. J—?” he asked as I approached. “I’m Mike, the foreman on Dave’s project. I wanted to apologize personally for the inconvenience we’ve caused you.”
I was taken aback. “Oh. Um, thank you, Mike. But shouldn’t Dave be the one apologizing?”
Mike grinned. “Yeah, well… Dave’s not always the best at admitting when he’s wrong. But I want you to know that it won’t happen again. In fact, if you’ll let us, we’d like to make it up to you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“We noticed your driveway could use a bit of repair,” Mike said. “If you’re okay with it, we’d like to resurface it for you. Free of charge, of course.”
I was speechless for a moment. Then, slowly, I nodded. “That… that would be wonderful, Mike. Thank you.”
He smiled, relief evident on his face. “Great. We’ll get started tomorrow, if that works for you. And I promise, we’ll park all our vehicles on the street.”
The next few weeks were surprisingly peaceful. True to his word, Mike and his crew stayed off my property, and my driveway looked better than ever.
And for the first time in months, I felt like we all might actually be on the path to being good neighbors to each other on our street. It had been a long, frustrating journey, but maybe, just maybe, it was worth it in the end.
What would you have done?
