I’m Linda, a high school English teacher who used to find peace in my backyard garden — a space I’d lovingly built over years.

That was until my father-in-law Richard, who moved in after my mother-in-law passed, decided he wanted a pool.

Despite my firm refusal and my husband Tom backing me up,

Richard couldn’t let it go.

While Tom and I were away visiting my parents, Richard seized the opportunity.

We returned to find my garden bulldozed,

a giant hole where flowers once bloomed, and Richard proudly announcing his surprise:

“I started the pool for you!” I was devastated. Tom was furious. But karma was just getting started.

Enter our rule-loving neighbor, Mrs. Jensen, who called her friend a city inspector.

An hour later, Richard was slapped with a hefty fine for illegal construction and ordered to fill the hole immediately.

As the contractors worked, they hit an old water pipe,

flooding the yard and basement.

Richard, trying to intervene, slipped and landed face-first in the mud in his best suit.

The repairs, fines, and cleanup cost him dearly, and the pool dream was buried for good.

Since then, he avoids the topic entirely and keeps to himself. With time, I restored my garden,

each bloom a quiet victory. And every time Mrs. Jensen walks by, she gives me a knowing smile and says,

“Still no pool, I hope?” Lesson learned:

Never mess with someone’s garden or karma might just make a splash.