Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"Who else but you would do something so barbaric?" Madge was clearly livid.

It was rare for her to speak ill of others.

And "barbaric" might be the most aggressive word she could muster.

Yet, for Louisa, it was water off a duck's back. She stood with her hands on her hips and let out a cold laugh, "Barbaric? This is barbaric to you? You clearly haven't seen anything yet!"

"You're admitting it then? You did this?" Madge couldn't believe what she was hearing, her eyes wide with shock.

Louisa's gaze flickered, "Watch your words. What am I admitting to? Where's your proof? Do you have any?"Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

"Plus, even if I did do it, so what? If you're so tough, go ahead and call the cops on me, see if I care. The law says you need damages over five hundred dollars to file a report. You think I don't know my rights?" Madge was beside herself with anger.

Norris quickly stepped in, placing himself between his wife and Louisa, "Louisa, there's no need to be so harsh! Our wisteria wasn't bothering you. We're all neighbors here, why take it this far?"

Roseanne surveyed the scene, noting the wisteria petals scattered around, the trellis that ran along the shared yard wall was broken and hanging in mid-air.

The whole yard was a disaster zone.

"Just because you say it wasn't bothering you?" Louisa, far from intimidated by Norris stepping in, rolled up her sleeves ready for a showdown, "Your plants shaded my vegetable patch from the sun, stunted their growth, and they're always getting infested with bugs because of it. How is that not a bother?"

"And these trellises," Louisa pointed at the ground, "are all sharp angles and directly in front of my window, messing with the vibe of my house. How is that not a bother?"

Norris laughed in disbelief, "First off, the space between our houses is communal, not for personal use. You complain about bugs in your veggies, I could say your garden attracts swarms of mosquitoes to ours every summer. Did we say anything?"

"Second, those trellises are on our property. Even if they extend a bit, they don't cross into the communal space, much less into your yard. Mrs. Wilson across the way has her trellises facing your window too, why don't you mess with hers?"

Mrs. Wilson, known throughout the neighborhood for her fiery temper and not someone to be trifled with.

Louisa wouldn't dare cross her.

In the end, it was all about bullying the easy targets.

Louisa sneered, "I don't feel like messing with her stuff, I just don't like yours, what's it to you? You think you're so fancy with your flowers

and plants, trying to act all high nett

mighty. If you were so capable, you'd buy a mansion with front and back yards to plant whatever you want, instead of squabbling over space here, right, Mr. Cole?"

"You-"

"Pretending to live a life you can't afford, pfft!"

Norris, being a man, wasn't one for arguments, easily ruffled by a few harsh words.

Madge was speechless.

Roseanne wasn't one for street fights either, but...

She walked to the corner, picked up the mop she had swung around the day before, still damp from Norris' cleaning.

"Louisa, it seems yesterday's mop

Co worries, we can

cleaning didn't quite jog your

vel.net

continue today-"

Without giving Louisa a chance to react, Roseanne swung the mop.

"What do you think you're-Ah!" Louisa screamed.

She tripped as she stepped back, tumbling backward in a heap.

"Pfft-" Madge couldn't help but laugh.

Having dealt with a similar situation the day before, Norris was quick to respond, "Oh, Louisa, I'm terribly sorry. Kids can be so impulsive, didn't

thurt you, did it? But as the law goes, tripping over your own feet doesn't count, calling the cops won't help, there's no case to be made.”

Roseanne's lips curved in a smirk, cultural sophistication had its moments!

Giving someone a taste of their own medicine seemed to be a lesson well learned.