“No. It ruins the appearance of the property.”
I honestly thought he was joking, so I waited for him to laugh.
He did not.
“How does a tree ruin the neighborhood?”
“It’s messy and uneven. The branches hang over the fence.”
“A few do.”
“And apples fall into my yard.”
“Sometimes. But you can just pick the apples and use them.”
“I don’t want them there. I don’t want your fruits, too.”
I looked at him in surprise, wondering why he was being so rude.
In all my years living here, I had yet to have a neighbor with such an unfriendly attitude.
Seeing that he was serious, I decided I would not inconvenience him.
“I can trim the branches back and pick up anything that falls.”
Ryan looked directly at me.
“I don’t want it trimmed. I want the tree gone.”
My smile disappeared, and friendliness disappeared.
If he was not willing to compromise, neither was I.
“That isn’t happening.”
“You should think about property values. Your tree lowers this area’s value.”
“I have, and I do not care about it.”
“Well, I do. You must understand that.”
“No. I understand that the tree is on my property.”
His jaw tightened.
“I’d rather we settle this civilly.”
“So would I.”
“Then have the tree cut down, or you will not like the next steps I will take.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Take it as you may. I have notified you,” he said and walked away before I could reply.
I closed the door, still in shock at the kind of audacity my new neighbor had.
I was not going to cut down the tree that reminds me of my husband just because of his empty threats.
The following day, I hired someone to cut the branches on Ryan’s side of the yard.
The fruits and leaves would now fall on my side of the yard.
I was satisfied with how it looked and knew that if Ryan bothered me again, it would be because he was simply a pestering neighbor.
That should have been the end of it.
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