MY NEIGHBOR STARTED A BARBECUE EVERY TIME I HUNG MY LAUNDRY—SO I TAUGHT HER A LESSON SHE WON’T FORGET.

For 35 years, my laundry routine was sacred. I loved hanging my freshly washed sheets under the sun and smelling the lavender-scented detergent in the breeze. But everything changed when Melissa moved in next door.

At first, I thought it was just coincidence. But it wasn’t. Every single time I hung laundry on my clothesline—every time—she dragged her oversized barbecue grill to the fence and fired it up. Ten in the morning. On a Tuesday. The smoke blew straight into my yard, and the smell of bacon and lighter fluid ruined all my clean clothes.

I confronted her. She smiled sweetly, falsely, and said,
— “I’m just enjoying my backyard. Isn’t that what neighbors are supposed to do?”

After having to rewash load after load, I decided: this means war.

I talked to Eleanor, my neighbor across the street, who was also bothered. And right there, fueled by frustration and a little inspiration, I had an idea: if Melissa could turn her backyard into an Instagram set, then so could I—with loud, colorful, embarrassing laundry, hung at the exact right moment.

The next Saturday, just as her friends began arriving for her fancy brunch, I stepped out with a full laundry basket. Neon towels, SpongeBob sheets, leopard print leggings, and a hot pink robe that said “#1 Hot Mama” on the back—all proudly displayed along the clothesline.

The reaction was immediate: whispers, glares, phones lowered mid-selfie. Melissa stormed over to confront me. She said I had ruined her brunch.

— “I’m just enjoying my backyard,” I replied calmly. “Isn’t that what neighbors are supposed to do?”

After that, the brunches shrank. The barbecue stayed cold. And my sheets once again smelled like lavender.

Maybe Melissa will never apologize. But every time I see my laundry fluttering in the wind while her patio sits empty, I smile. Because sometimes, the best comeback isn’t shouting—
It’s just living your life, with a sturdy clothesline and a whole lot of conviction.