Exhaustion had become my constant companion since the arrival of my twin babies, Lily and Lucas. Halloween was just around the corner, but I was too drained to care about the festivities. That was until my smug neighbor, Brad, egged my car because it was parked in front of his elaborate Halloween display.
Brad took Halloween very seriously, transforming his house into a haunted carnival every year. His over-the-top decorations and inflated ego made him the talk of the neighborhood, but I had no patience for his antics.
When I confronted Brad about the egged car, he admitted to the prank, claiming my vehicle was ruining the view of his display. His audacity left me speechless.
But as I washed the egg off my car, something clicked. I realized Brad’s weakness was his pride. He needed his haunted house to be the center of attention. I decided to play smarter, not harder.
I casually strolled over to Brad’s yard and suggested he upgrade his display with high-tech fog machines and ghost projectors. Unbeknownst to him, I had researched terrible machines with one-star reviews that were notorious for breaking down.
Brad took the bait, and on Halloween night, his house was a spectacle. But instead of impressing the crowd, his machines malfunctioned, spraying water and projecting a jittery ghoul. The crowd laughed, and Brad’s dignity deflated along with his giant Frankenstein inflatable.
The next morning, Brad apologized for egging my car, looking humbled and contrite. I accepted his apology, but not before saying, “Funny how things have a way of balancing out, huh?” Brad had nothing to say, and for once, his ego was silenced.
Sometimes, revenge comes in the form of a well-placed prank, but often, it’s just about standing up to those who think they can bully others. And as a sleep-deprived mom, I had finally found a way to restore balance to my neighborhood.
