When new neighbors, Maria and Luis, moved in, they quickly became close friends with my wife, Teresa, and me. Their passion for gardening transformed their yard into a vibrant oasis. However, their joy was short-lived when Luis tearfully confessed that someone was systematically destroying their beautiful garden, leaving them heartbroken and contemplating moving. What struck me was the timing of this vandalism, coinciding with Teresa’s peculiar new habit of “watering the plants” every night at midnight.
Suspicion gnawed at me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Teresa’s midnight excursions were somehow connected to our neighbors’ predicament. One night, I feigned sleep and watched her slip out, watering can in hand. Instead of going back to sleep, I cautiously followed. Peeking through the window, I was stunned to see her kneeling in Maria and Luis’s garden, not vandalizing, but carefully scattering something white and tending to the soil with gentle, almost reverent movements. It was clear she wasn’t destroying their garden; she was protecting it.
Confronted, Teresa confessed through tears that she had been secretly trying to repair the damage to our neighbors’ garden. She’d been sprinkling salt to deter pests and spirits, replanting, and cleaning up, all in a desperate attempt to make them stay. Her actions, though unconventional, stemmed from a deep-seated desire to preserve her newfound friendship with Maria. Relieved by her innocent intentions, we decided to take action, installing security cameras around both our properties.
Three nights later, the cameras revealed the culprits: our seemingly quiet neighbors, Todd and Claire, from two houses down. Their motive was simple: Todd’s sister wanted to buy Maria and Luis’s house at a discounted price once they moved. With the evidence in hand, we reported them to the neighborhood coordinator. They were fined and forced to pay for all damages. Maria and Luis stayed, unaware of Teresa’s secret heroism, and the two friends continued to enjoy their shared love for gardening, their bond stronger than ever.