Chapter 2 - The Orange Stakes
I stared at the handwritten note for a long time.
The previous owner had been a paranoid man who rarely left his house, so I tried to convince myself that his warning was just an exaggeration.
Vanessa was out in her yard right now, directing her contractors to dig massive holes for her new deck footings.
I could not let her steal my property, regardless of what some old letter claimed.
The following morning, I hired a licensed surveyor to mark the exact boundary line.
By the end of the afternoon, vivid orange stakes had been placed along the entire dividing line between our two yards.
Vanessa stepped outside carrying an iced coffee, noticed the markers, and froze as though the earth had shifted beneath her feet.
She looked at the stakes and immediately told me that the measurements could not possibly be correct.
I calmly informed her that the licensed professional I had just paid entirely disagreed with her.
She stared down at the empty post holes that were clearly on my side of the bright orange line.
Then she somehow managed to tell me that the fence needed to be replaced anyway, brushing off her blatant trespassing.
That was the exact moment I contacted the city building department.
I asked the clerk one straightforward question involving an active deck enlargement, setback requirements, and a neighboring structure that had been removed without authorization.
The clerk promised to send an inspector immediately.
Two mornings later, a white vehicle belonging to the city parked in front of Vanessa’s house.
The inspector entered her backyard carrying a clipboard and examined the bright orange stakes.
I stood on my porch, ready to watch Vanessa finally face the consequences of her entitlement.
The inspector walked over to the property line and pulled a long tape measure from his belt.
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He looked at the stakes, shook his head, and walked directly over to Vanessa with a warm smile.
They embraced like old friends, and I watched in horror as he handed her a document that gave her permission to completely ignore my survey.
