She’d warned her neighbor not to park his son’s truck in her driveway twice now. The first time he did it, she had him remove it immediately. The second time was a carbon copy of the first.
But when she got home from the emergency room that night and found the truck in her driveway, she knew it was time to live up to her promise.
Alicia Holloway was your ordinary single mom living in Arlington, Virginia. She’d worked hard to get everything she had, and her life was comfortable.
She lived with her two sons in a friendly, quiet neighborhood. Her house was beautifully large and at the end of the cul de sac. She enjoyed the peace that came with the community until her new neighbors moved in.
At first glance, Alicia’s neighbors were your typical upper-middle-class family. They had four teenage sons, three of which drove their cars alongside their parents. One sunny afternoon, Alicia saw a massive truck pull into the neighbor’s driveway.
Alicia paid it no mind. She went to tend to her lastborn, who’d come down with a fever. But that evening, the issues that were secretly brewing between her and her new neighbors would come for her.
Just after sunset, Alicia heard a knock on the door. She hurried over only to meet her neighbor. The man smiled at Alicia and apologized for bothering her at night.
“It’s nothing,” Alicia answered. But she also apologized for not welcoming him in. She explained her son’s sickness and her worries over it being contagious. The man nodded in understanding. “I have a favor to ask,” he said.
“Sure,” Alicia said. “How can I help you?” Although Alicia didn’t know much about her new neighbors, she’d made an effort to at least introduce herself and her sons when they moved in.
Although she loved to stay indoors after work, she had a great relationship with everyone in the cul de sac. If her neighbors needed anything within her reach, she would help.
“My son just turned sixteen,” the man smiled. “I’m sure you saw the truck we bought him.” “I did!” Alicia exclaimed. “It’s such a pretty truck, and big. Does he like it?”
“Yes, he does,” her neighbor said. “It’s what he wanted. It’s so big, and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” At Alicia’s nod, he revealed something that left her stunned.
“We were wondering if we could use your driveway for the truck. We’ve been getting complaints from the other neighbors that it’s so big they can’t get around it.”
Alicia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Each house in the neighborhood had a garage, a driveway, and ample space on the street for parking. Her answer made her neighbor froth with anger.
“I use my driveway when I leave and come home,” Alicia said. “I can’t access my garage without it. I also have issues with depth perception, and your son’s truck is so big I am afraid I might scratch it.”
The neighbor tried to insist, but Alicia wouldn’t budge. The discussion became heated, and seeing that this wasn’t going anywhere, Alicia wished the man goodnight.
Alicia emailed the homeowner’s association about the matter before it escalated as a cautionary step. She then went to bed.
Alicia woke up ready for work the next day. She prepared her boys for school, and they all hopped into her car. But when she rolled up her garage door, she couldn’t believe what was standing imposingly behind them.
The truck was blocking Alicia and her kids. Fuming, Alicia took photos of the vehicle on her property before having the neighbors remove it. She also warned them that if they parked in her driveway again, she’d have it towed.
She updated the HOA on the situation and headed to work. But later that night, her heart dropped when she pulled around the corner and looked at her driveway.
The truck was parked exactly where it was in the morning, blocking Alicia’s garage. She stomped over to her neighbors’ house. The neighbor’s wife received her this time, rudely asking why Alicia was disrupting her family’s dinner.
Alicia calmly asked her to have her son remove his vehicle from her property. She also issued the same warning she had in the morning.
But when Alicia got in the house, she found her son’s condition had worsened. She quickly strapped him into the car and headed to the emergency room.
Her son’s diagnosis was not as severe as she’d thought, and soon they were on their way back home. Alicia drove up to their neighborhood, finding the truck on her driveway again. Knowing she’d tried to play fair, she decided enough was enough.
Alicia took more photos and videos of the truck and updated the HOV again. She also called a 24-hour tow truck service. It was an hour past midnight, but the tow truck showed up and got to work.
A loud thump and insistent bell ringing woke Alicia up the following day. She didn’t need to guess who it was. She made her way downstairs and found her neighbor and son furiously banging at her door.
“How can I help you?” Alicia asked sweetly, but the two glared at her. “You stole our truck,” her neighbor barked. “I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘towed,’” Alicia answered, smiling.
Her neighbor formed a fist, seemingly controlling himself. “I will sue you,” he hissed, but Alicia still held her smile. What she said next made the man freeze.
“Go ahead. I am pressing charges for trespassing,” Alicia said. “I have evidence, photos, videos, and emails.” She was even recording this conversation as it was happening.
“If you want your vehicle, you can find it at the tow truck yard.” With that, Alicia closed the door and returned to bed. Even though she didn’t press charges, the truck never neared her driveway again.