Chapter 78 The Mop Again
"Who else but you would pull such a savage stunt?" Bella was fuming.
She hardly ever snapped at anyone.
And "savage" was probably the harshest word in her vocabulary.
But Anouk? She didn't even flinch. She put her hands on her hips and sneered, "Savage? You think this is savage? You ain't seen nothing yet!"
"So you admit it? You did it?" Bella's eyes were about to pop out of her head.
Anouk's eyes flickered. "Watch your mouth. Admit what? Got any proof? Where's your evidence? And even if I did do it, so what? Go ahead, call the cops. Think I don't know the law?"
Bella was boiling.
Alistair quickly stepped in to shield Bella. "Anouk, quit being a bully! Our wisteria didn't bother you. We're neighbors; why go to such extremes?"
Camilla scanned the yard, seeing it littered with wisteria petals. The trellis near the shared fence was busted and hanging by a thread.
The whole yard looked like a war zone.
"I say it did bother me!" Anouk, seeing Alistair step in, wasn't scared. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to throw down. "Your flowers blocked the sun from my veggies, stunting their growth and attracting pests. You call that not bothering me?"
"And these trellises," Anouk pointed to the ground. "They're sharp and pointy, facing my windows. You call that not bothering me?"
Alistair laughed in frustration. "First off, the space between our houses is communal and can't be used for gardening. You say our flowers attract pests; I say your garden brings mosquitoes to our yard in the summer. Did we ever complain? Secondly, these trellises are in our yard. Even if they extend a bit, they don't cross into the communal space or your property. The neighbor across the street has trellises facing your windows too. Why don't you go tear theirs down?"
The neighbor across the street was known for having a bad temper and being a nightmare to deal with.
Anouk wouldn't dare say a word to them.
In the end, she was just a coward who picked on the weak.
Anouk sneered, "I don't want to mess with their yard. I just can't stand yours. So what? Planting flowers in your yard like the rich do doesn't make you one. If you have the money to buy a big mansion with a big garden and plant whatever you want, then you don't have to fight with me. Am I right, Mr. Learmond?"
"You!"
"Poor folks pretending to be rich, pathetic!"
Alistair wasn't great at arguing. Anouk's few words had already got him riled up.
Bella couldn't get a word in edgewise.
Camilla wasn't great at arguing either, but she walked to the corner and picked up the mop she had used yesterday. Alistair had just washed it, and it was still wet.
"Anouk, looks like yesterday's mop lesson didn't sink in. No problem, let's continue today."
Without giving Anouk a chance to react, Camilla swung the mop.
"What are you doing! Ah!" Anouk screamed.
She stumbled backward, tripped, and fell flat on her back.
Bella couldn't help but laugh.
Alistair, having seen this before, was now a pro. "Oh, Anouk, I'm so sorry. Camilla is so reckless. Are you hurt? But the law says if you fall on your own, it doesn't count. Calling the police won't help; they won't file a report."
Camilla smirked. Alistair had mastered the art of using people's tactics against them.
Anouk's face darkened.
Alistair kept going, "Oh, and by the way, I just used this mop to clean the bathroom. Haven't had a chance to wash it yet, but it should be fine. Our bathroom isn't that dirty. You don't mind, do you?"
"Oh, Dad, did you forget?" Camilla jumped in. "I dumped the leftover food in the toilet yesterday. Even though I flushed, it still felt greasy."
"Anouk, do you think you smell like slop?"
Alistair and Camilla took turns making gross comments, and Anouk's smug face turned dark real quick.
"You, you!" She sniffed herself, like she could actually smell the slop.
"You just wait!"
With that, she stormed off.
A shower! She needed a shower ASAP!
At that moment, Camilla felt like the queen of mops!
Bella felt both relieved and a bit disapproving of Camilla's actions. "A lady shouldn't be swinging a mop around. It's not ladylike."
"She was asking for it!" Camilla looked at the scattered wisteria petals, her heart aching.
Alistair had already started cleaning up. "When the weather clears, I'll fix the trellis and move it further into the yard."
Alistair thought it was better to avoid trouble. It wasn't a big deal.
He didn't mind the hassle but didn't want Bella to go through it again.
Camilla was quiet for a moment. "Dad, have you ever thought that people will take advantage of kindness?"
If Anouk dared to do this today, she would dare to do it again.
As Anouk herself said, if the police didn't file a report, no one could do anything about her.
Alistair sighed. "What else can we do? We've been neighbors for decades. I know her better than anyone. But we live here, and if we fight every day, it won't be good for anyone."
Bella also tried to calm things down. "Let it go. She's been like this more than once. Let's just keep the peace. We should not stoop to her level."
Camilla thought for a moment. "What if we didn't live here?"
Bella and Alistair thought she was just a kid with wild ideas and didn't take her seriously.
They thought, 'Not here?
'Where would we live?
'New house?'
They didn't even dare to think about the rest!
Maplewood High School was in the most bustling part of Starlight City. The property prices had skyrocketed. With their current savings, they could only afford a small two-bedroom apartment in the suburbs.
Alistair commuted to school every day. Living in the current neighborhood was much more convenient.
The fourth day after Christmas, early morning.
It had snowed all night and finally stopped. The sun peeked through the clouds, casting a golden light.
Camilla got up early.
By the time Alistair and Bella woke up, a warm breakfast was already on the table.
Oatmeal, waffles, and corn sandwiches.
"Delicious!" Alistair praised. "You're getting as good as me!"
Bella rolled her eyes. "Camilla's cooking is way better than yours."
Alistair replied, "Isn't that because she inherited my skills? It's in her genes!"
Bella said, "Sure, sure, you always find a way to praise yourself."
After breakfast, Camilla cleaned up and suggested that Alistair and Bella accompany her for a walk.
Alistair, always restless, immediately agreed.
Bella loved the warm winter sun and the weather. Camilla hadn't been home for a long time, so the three of them strolled leisurely along the river near their house.
Camilla subtly guided them down a different path. When Alistair and Bella realized it, they found themselves at the sales department of a popular new housing development.
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