I believe neighbors should help each other.
The problem was that anything Vanessa carried across the property line seemed to undergo a philosophical change.
It stopped being borrowed.
It became temporarily hers.
The carpet cleaner came back eleven days late with dog hair wrapped around the brushes.
The canopy came back with one bent support arm.
My griddle returned with grease baked onto the edges.
Once she borrowed a set of serving trays for a dinner party and returned only five of the six.
When I asked about the missing one, Vanessa frowned as if I had accused her of international theft.
“Are you sure you gave me six?”
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