Young Man Accidentally Burned Down Neighbor’s Fence, But She Asked Him For Too Much In Return

He was aware that he messed up and had no qualms admitting that this was the case. As a matter of fact, he wanted to make it up to her. However, his neighbor was so entitled that she asked him for more than that. Even though he did not expect to find anything online, he turned on his computer and looked her up on the internet. He could not believe it when he stumbled upon those photos of her. But now that he found out about what she did, he wanted to make this woman pay! How far they were both willing to take it…

He Led A Monotonous Life

Kristopher Hess was an 18-year-old guy who had fallen into a routine of sorts. Every single day was starting to look the same to him. He worked 16 hours at a security company, returned home at 8 o’clock in the morning, and went to sleep. When he woke up, he would do the same thing again. When his best friend called him to say that he was going to be in town for a couple of days, Kristopher felt happy. At last, there was something that he could look forward to! Not once did he think that everything was going to go so wrong…

Looking Forward To The Weekend

He found out that Mark, his childhood friend, was going to be around for the Independence Day weekend. After such a long time, they could finally see each other and catch up! He was very excited about the reunion and even asked to go on leave on those days. He also used up his savings to ensure that Mark would get a warm welcome. Kristopher planned to relax and catch up with his old pal over snacks and beers. But when Mark finally got there, it turned out that he had plans of his own.

Not The Best Idea

The day in question had been a hot one. As a matter of fact, it had not rained in the area for more than two months already. Despite this, they put up deck chairs in the yard and started chatting. A couple of beers later, however, Mark suggested something that they could do to celebrate the holiday. With a twinkle in his eye and a sly grin, he said that they should buy “good ‘ole American fireworks.” However, Kristopher had some hesitations about the plan. In retrospect, he should have listened to his gut…

He Used His Savings To Buy Fireworks

Before they did anything, he first checked if his dad was going to be home. Since the answer to that was no, he dug into his meager savings. “To be fair, I have had nothing but bad experiences with fireworks so I had no idea how this would be any different,” Kristopher later said. He added, “We got home with the fireworks and we laid them all out on the floor; Sparklers, Bottle Rockets, Cakes, and Roman Candles.”

They Just Wanted To Have Some Fun

The two guys looked at their haul with delight. Kristopher was the one to suggest, “Why don’t we mess around with some sparklers since it’s still not dark yet?” Mark, of course, thought that it was a good idea. However, it turned out that there was an issue in the back yard that neither boys anticipated. In the end, this led to one of the greatest revenge stories that we have ever heard!

The Two Of Them Messed Up

Kristopher went on and lit a sparkler for his friend and then one for himself. They were fascinated by the sparks that went down their arms as they waved them in the air. The two boys drew patterns, made tracers, giggled, and relived their childhood memories. However, the sparklers would actually be the source of a problem for the two of them. “One of the little sparkies from mine and my friends’ sparkler made contact with the ground and made two small fires…” Kristopher narrated.

They Set Fire To The Lawn

To his horror, the backyard had been so dry that the small fires turned into something that resembled hell. It spread close to the neighbor’s yard as well! “I ran as fast as I could to grab the garden hose and quickly started spraying down the fire. It was no use, it was spreading faster than I could spray it,” the young man shared. This was the moment that the neighbor saw her opportunity. But to do what?

He Thought He Was In The Clear

Kristopher had the presence of mind to dial 911 as Mark attempted to put out the flames. It was too late, however. When the fire made contact with the fence, it went up in flames. Patricia, who lived next door, came out to put out the blaze. The young man felt guilty, but he was glad that she seemed to be understanding. When the firemen left and she returned home, he noticed the sinister smile on her face.

There Was A Nasty Surprise Waiting For Him

He had to go back to work after his stressful break. The young man felt horrible about what transpired. It also felt like he just wasted his day off. Once he got home after his first day back at work, he was more than ready to get some rest. However, he found an unpleasant surprise as soon as he opened the door.

She Asked Him For A Lot Of Money

There were two quotes from Patricia. One was for $4,000 that was meant to pay for the cost of her a new fence. The other one was for $6,000 to cover the cost of the burnt lawn. He did not have money on him at all since he already spent his money on the fireworks. After showing the pieces of paper to his dad, the older man blew up. “Son, don’t you give that con artist a single dime,” he told Kristopher. After all, the documents had no company name or logo. She clearly made them on Microsoft Word.

The Whole Thing Was Suspicious

Aside from that, she left a rude note below the amount of money she was asking for. “I will also be having you pay my water bill for 3 months because the new yard will need lots of water,” it said. The young man was in disbelief and let out steam on Reddit: “Now the fence this woman had before was raggedy and falling apart. Her yard? Dead grass, weeds everywhere, never mowed it. Now looking at this paper she wants a mahogany fence, and a brand new back yard with flowers and trimmed hedges? I said ‘I need to get an estimate myself, this doesn’t feel right…’”

She Was Taking Advantage Of The Situation

Kristopher got in touch with a friend who worked as a contractor. He felt sure that her lawn had already been in bad shape even before the accident happened. However, it was hard to prove this thanks to the damage dealt by the fire. Kristopher knew someone who could work on the lawn, install a new fence, trim the hedges, and plant flowers for cheap. He asked his pal for an estimate, but things soon got ugly.

She Threw A Fit

The contractor came over the next day. Before they could start the assessment of the damage, Patricia went up to them with flailing arms. “I did not give you permission to get an estimate on my fence!” she screamed at them. Kristopher only retorted, “The fence separates the property line, so it’s both of our fences.” It was easy to see that her plan was falling apart. This must be why she called the cops!

Not Going To Take It Lying Down

“She calls the cops on me for having a contractor, and they ultimately can’t do a single thing because I’m on my property,” he explained. About his pal, he said, “He quickly finishes the estimate off at $1,200.” It was a good thing that he also knew a landscaper from his days as a grocery store worker. According to his friend, it would cost around $800 to reseed the property. “After I get these estimates, I give copies to the woman and she is having none of it,” Kristopher shared with the ProPrevenge subreddit.

Coming Up With Excuses

After seeing the quotes that he presented to her, she told him, “I don’t know these people, I don’t want them near my house, they’re probably really bad contractors.” He tried to reason with her and said, “No, I know them personally. They are really nice people and do great work.” Despite this, she did not want to hear it and even slammed the door right in his face! Here is where things start to get interesting.

He Has Had Enough Of Her

“I ended up working a 16hr shift that night and got home at 8 am, and this woman comes knocking on my door at 9 am and demanded I speak to her,” he said, “I explained, “I would really love to do this, but I just got home and I have to be back at work in less than 5 hours. I need to sleep.” She then asked him, “What kind of lazy jerk sleeps in until 2 pm?” That was the last straw for him. After this, he has had enough of her!

He Thought That It Was Finally Over

“At this point, I had about lost it, and told her: “you can either accept my $2000 for my quotes or get nothing,” he told her. Kristopher narrated, “She stood there for a while with her mouth open, but she accepted my offer and planned to meet down at the notary the next morning.” He assumed that this was the last of it. When he returned home from work later that day, he wrote a contract and gathered the amount in cash. However, it turned out that this was not yet the end of the story!

She Did Not Show Up

The following morning, he got up early with the contract in his hands. Kristopher could not wait to finally be over with the entire situation. He headed to the notary, where they agreed to meet. He waited for three years, but Patricia did not show up whatsoever. This is already bad enough, but there was more. “I get a message from her saying ‘I’m sorry the $2000 isn’t enough, I’m having my guys start work on this project, and you will be paying me the full price,’” he shared. It was time for him to come up with a plan!

This Was Her Real Plan

“After that, I did not say a single word to her, and I watched for a few months as these guys turned her backyard into an oasis, complete with a small pond, brand new Sod, flowers, the whole 9 yards,” he recounted. He went on to explain, “Come to find out she had plans to remodel these things for a long time and was just waiting for the opportunity to go through with it.”

Looking For Dirt Online

Kristopher was aware of the fact that he really did mess up. He actually felt horrible about burning down her yard and was willing to pay her for the damages. However, there was no way that he would agree to the unfair amount that she was asking from him. There must be a way for him to find justice after what she did to him. He turned on his computer and soon found what he needed to do that. On Facebook, he found incriminating photos of Patricia. It turned out that she was asking for money for something else…

The Photos Made His Jaw Drop

“She used her remodel funds to go on a trip to Hawaii. You know how I found out about this? She was bragging about it on the neighborhood Facebook group and didn’t know I was in it,” he said on his post. The proof was on Facebook for the whole world to see. The photos showed her with expensive cocktails at a five-star resort in Hawaii. As he tried to find ways to come up with the money, she was living in paradise with her girlfriends. Kristopher asked the readers, “Are you ready for the revenge?”

Time To Battle It Out In Court

“Now, four months after the fire and all the remodels, I get served papers to go to court for $10,300. At 18 years old I’m having to hire a lawyer to work my case,” he went on. “When we finally do get into court, I lay everything out: the quotes, being harassed multiple times, not showing up after agreeing to a deal, not wanting me to get my own quotes (required by law btw), and her bragging about conning me out of money… and, I have proof of all of this.”

He Won Over Her In The End

“The judge looked at her and said “Ma’am with all due respect, you’re out of your dadgum mind. Not only did this young man tell the truth of what happened, but he also offered to pay you more than he was supposed to,” continued Kristopher, “Your lawn was already dead before the fire occurred therefore he is only responsible for the fence of $1200. I will also deduct from this his lawyer fees.”

She Should Not Have Counted Her Eggs So Soon

As a conclusion to the story, Kristopher explained, “She took a huge financial loss from this, not sure how much the Hawaii trip cost her, but she was in serious debt. She ended up having to sell the house because of it and moved into a smaller house. Haven’t heard anything from her since.” He finished it by saying, “To this day I still do not use fireworks, because we could’ve really hurt someone. What I have learned through this though, is its best to take responsibility for your actions from the gate.”