At sixty-four, I thought my quiet suburban life had become predictable. Then my electric bill arrived at nearly twice its normal amount. After checking the meter and appliances, I finally discovered the reason: my neighbor Monica had been secretly charging her white Tesla from my garage outlet. When I confronted her one night, she didn’t apologize. Instead, she told me I lived alone and didn’t need much electricity anyway. She offered me ten dollars and called me greedy for objecting. I thought about the garden gnome she had taken from my yard, the lawn mower she had borrowed, and the ladder she had kept from another neighbor. I had tolerated everything because keeping peace seemed easier than fighting.

But that night, something changed. I texted my daughter that I had solved the mystery and had a plan. The next morning, I retrieved my stolen garden gnome from Monica’s flower bed and placed it beside my garage outlet. Then I prepared something Monica would never expect. That evening, I waited quietly behind my geraniums as her Tesla approached. Monica stepped out carrying her charging cable, completely unaware that I was watching. She walked toward my garage and stopped when she saw the gnome blocking the outlet.