Things that probably should have bothered me.
Because I believed being a good neighbor meant giving people the benefit of the doubt.
I believed kindness mattered.
But looking back, I realized there was a difference between kindness and allowing someone to take advantage of you.
I just hadn’t learned that lesson yet.
The first time Monica crossed a line was six months earlier.
My garden gnome disappeared.
To most people, that would have seemed like a silly thing to care about.
But that little gnome wasn’t just decoration.
My husband had bought it for me during one of our last summers together.
We were walking through a flea market when he suddenly stopped and pointed.
“Eleanor,” he said, “look at that ridiculous thing.”
I laughed.
“It’s awful.”
“Exactly. That’s why we need it.”
He picked it up and held it under his arm like he had found a treasure.
