Brighten Your Day

I live in a suburb of Charleston, West Virginia. My partner and I have lived in our home for 20 years and have built good relationships with our neighbors. One of our neighbors, who has been here for about 15 years, has had a contentious history with the people living on either side of her. There have been several incidents over the years, including police being called due to disputes with one neighbor, and she’s verbally lashed out at the other.

While I understood some of her frustrations—one side often hosted loud parties and the other had piled up a noticeable amount of bags of garbage beside their home—it didn’t excuse the hostility. At one point, she even gave my partner the middle finger as she drove by, despite the fact that we had always made an effort to be friendly and greet her.

About a year ago, her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I only found out because she came over to our house one day to complain about something, and during the conversation, she mentioned it. A few months later, I thought a small gesture might bring some comfort. We bought a $25 Domino’s gift card, tucked it into a greeting card, and dropped it off at her house as we were heading out one day.

We never heard anything back, and I wasn’t sure how she felt about it. But not long after, her demeanor began to shift. She became friendlier—not just with us, but even with the neighbors she had previously clashed with. The household that had once been overwhelmed with trash cleaned up, and their kids even started helping with yard work.

Then one day, as my partner was walking our dogs, she came outside and spoke to her. “You have no idea what that gift card meant to me,” she said. “I was telling my family about it when I visited them out of state. Thank you!