A few days ago, our new neighbor came over and told us to stop using our pool. She said, “You’re upsetting my daughter.” I was stunned by her tone — after all, it was our pool, on our property. I tried to be polite and explained that we used it mostly in the afternoons and didn’t play loud music or disturb anyone. She didn’t seem to care. With a huff, she turned around and walked off, muttering something about how we were being inconsiderate.
I brushed it off, thinking she was just one of those overly sensitive neighbors who didn’t like others having fun. But yesterday, as I was swimming a few peaceful laps, I noticed movement near the fence. Her young daughter was there, waving shyly to get my attention. I waved back with a smile, thinking she just wanted to say hi. But then I noticed she was pointing frantically toward the ground.
I swam to the edge and realized something was wrong — one of their sprinklers had burst, and water was flooding straight toward their open basement window. Without thinking, I jumped out of the pool, ran over, and shut off their outdoor valve. The little girl looked relieved and yelled, “Thank you!” A few minutes later, her mother came out, clearly flustered, and saw the mess that had almost turned into a disaster.
