Mina returned home from a trip that lasted for two weeks to find a nightmare waiting for her: her cheerful yellow house, which had been painstakingly painted by her late husband, had been redone in a dreary shade by her neighbors who were interfering. She was so outraged by their brazenness that she fought back and taught them a lesson that they would never leave behind.
I am Mina, and I am 57 years old and brimming with fire… Also, I’m still a little bit hot. As you pull into your driveway after a long journey, you anticipate seeing your bright and cheery home, but instead, you discover a house that is completely unfamiliar to you looking back at you. This is what struck me, and I am still raging with rage in my stomach…
I have a corner lot where I live. After getting married, Mr. and Mrs. Kane moved in next door two years ago. They were a newlywed couple. Since the very beginning, people have been making snide comments about my bright yellow house.
Those individuals would snicker and exclaim, “Wow, that is the loudest house we have ever seen!” You painted it yourself, didn’t you?”
“That’s right, me and a little bit of sunshine!” I’d fire back, putting an end to their operations. How do you feel about that? Is it time for me to work on the fence?
However, those two could not be stopped. In the event that Mr. Kane was in the vicinity, he would throw a jab.
“Mina, has it been bright enough for you?” He’d give his wife a sneer while elbowing her, and she’d laugh like a crow.
It was the same with her. As an alternative to making jabs, she would look at me with a pitying expression and ask, “Mina, have you ever considered bringing it down?” Is there something… more gentle?”
It was as if my home was a loud annoyance that need its spirit to be removed.
Their aversion was immediately apparent from the beginning. What they did was act as if the color of my house was a vivid stain on an otherwise beautiful and dull world.
On a certain day, Mrs. Kane came to visit me while I was working on planting tulips. In addition to pointing a polished nail in the direction of my residence, her grin was as phony as a foggy day.
“That hue is simply more than enough… That completely messes up the entire street, Mina! Something needs to be done about it. Are you interested in something like… beige? I was told by her as if it were her mission to make me better.
I raised an eyebrow while holding my trowel in my hand. “Oh my goodness, Mrs. Kane, is that the very reason for all of the commotion? The expressions on everyone’s faces led me to believe that a circus had arrived. Paint is all that it is!
Is it just paint? It’s as if a gigantic grapefruit got blown up in our neighborhood! Consider the value of your own property! Surely you are aware of how… nasty that is! With her arms crossed, she let out a huff.
I maintained my composure by shaking my head. “Mrs. Kane, there seems to be no regulation that prohibits it. Yellow is my favorite color. This was the hue that my late husband favored the most.
Suddenly, her cheeks became red. “This isn’t over, Mina!” she said as she walked away from the door.
Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Bland were unable to tolerate my bright yellow house. They complained to the authorities about the “blinding” color, complained to the city about a “safety hazard” (I assume the hazard was happiness), and even attempted to file a lawsuit against me! That legal action was as unsuccessful as a crappy sparkler.
Their most recent prank? I was going to start a club called “No Bold Colors,” but my neighbors are so great that they told them to get out of here.
“Are you able to believe it?” Mr. Voss, my neighbor, yelled out suddenly as he strode over to me with a grin that was as broad as my yellow house. “Those two did not realize that we would be joining their dull beige march! It’s completely absurd!
Mrs. Wen on the other side of the street laughed, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. “The atmosphere here is not their dull nonsense; rather, it is honey, a bright house, and a happy heart,” she said.
“Yes, perhaps this will finally put an end to their agitation!” I did a sigh. I had no idea that what I had just experienced was merely a warm-up for their interference.
It was about to get a lot worse than it already was.
My job required me to leave town for a period of two weeks.
Two weeks of suffocating confinement in a filthy city. When I finally reached the end of the path, it stretched out and led me back to my safe haven. It should have been my yellow house, which was bright like a sunflower in contrast to the dull beige of the neighborhood, that I saw for the first time.
Rather than that, a chilly piece of gray material stood at the curb. I just about drove right by it. The color of my home, which had been lovingly painted by my late husband, had become so dark that it was reminiscent of a forgotten basement!
The tires screeched in protest as I slapped on the brakes violently. Is it gray?
My heart fell, and my anger began to boil over. It was clear to me who was responsible for this unwelcome transformation. Is it possible that those nosy neighbors thought they could completely destroy my spirit with a can of paint? In no way. There was a burning in my blood.
Two weeks have passed, and this is what I find when I return home?
I went straight to the Kanes’ house and marched there. Beige bullies who detested even the slightest hint of color in their monotonous environment, they were the obvious perpetrators of the crime.
A clenched fist was used to pound on their door when I knocked. There is no response. How dare you! To believe that they could use a pail of dull paint to repaint my home and my heart is unfathomable.
Mr. Voss, my neighbor, came over and shook his head the entire time. I witnessed everything, Mina. I have images as well. Attempts were made to call you, but the call was unsuccessful. Calling the police was unsuccessful since the painters had a work order. No action that they could take.”
“What is the work order?” With a voice that was shaking with rage, I inquired.
Mr. Voss gave a displeased nod. There was a display of the police documents. During your absence, the Kanes asserted that you had hired them to repaint the apartment.
My heart was pounding. “Have they fabricated my name?”
He gave a slight nod. “It appears to be the case. My deepest apologies, Mina. Despite my best efforts, they refused to move from their position.
I responded, “Show me those pictures,” while my eyes narrowed in interest.
He presented me with photographs of the painting crew that was operating on my home. According to him, “the work order was paid for in cash and was in the name of the Kanes.”
I clenched my teeth and gritted my teeth. “It was, without a doubt.”
I looked over the footage from my security cameras. And what do you think? My property was never visited by the Kanes at any point. Ingenious. There are no charges for trespassing. When I called the police once more, they informed me that the painters had acted in good faith, which meant that they had no authority to take any action.
I was raging with rage. How could these two ruminants have the audacity to tamper with my home?
I required a strategy. As soon as I got back to my house, I observed that the paint job was shoddy; there were specks of yellow that shone through like defiant rays of sunlight.
As a professional interior designer, I was aware that the previous paint ought to have been scraped aside first.
I hurriedly made my way to the office of the painting firm, armed with my identification and the necessary paperwork.
The painting job that you did on my house was poor, and you did it without my permission. Damage to the exterior may result from this. I yelled out quickly, “I’m going to sue you.”
After being taken aback, the manager, Finn, whispered an apology to himself. We were under the impression that it was your home.
I gave a glare. Even though it is my home, I did not place an order for a paint job!
My anger was so intense that I demanded the work order. Indeed, it was in
