Amele shakes her head in frustration. That was quite imaginative of her to do. What a dream confrontation to have. Can she even do it the way she imagined?
She shakes her head once more to clear her head from her zoning. What did just happened? She screamed at her head when she calmed down. Her mother's going to stitch her mouth closed for real. She can't recount the number of times she cursed at the man in her thoughts.
Oh, and her prized plants.
A cloud of depression descended over her again. Those plants were her babies. Some of those plants were very hard to attain. She went through a hell of a ride just to get those plants. Humiliation? Pride? Begging? Name it, she has done it.
Now, where did all those sacrifices went?
Yes, it's here, right now in her front yard. Wilting and in crumbles as the uprooted stems were strewn all over her once immaculate garden.
Her horrified eyes continue to check her yard and got devastated the more she did. The wooden gates were unhinged. Broken and littered wooden shrapnel were decorating the grass. Grass which is now marked with tires, digging into the earth.
Yes, maybe she can realize her dream after all. Anger continues to bubble in her shivering form and turns towards the house beside her. It's almost noon and she felt she's still floating in a dream. A nightmare to be more precise. She walked mindlessly, the shrapnel crunching beneath her flats. The dam is about to burst.
She reached her once wooden gate and stop as her fist clenched in anger.
She just wants to have a peaceful day for once. Just a day without having to deal with her neighbour's pettiness. A day without stress and disappointment. Is it too much to ask?
Pace gradually accelerating, she entered the fenceless yard of the drunkard neighbour. She saw the damage the range rover acquired from ramming into her fence and ploughing into her flower bed.
Scratch marks lined the side and the bumper of the rover in a crisscrossed pattern. A crack on the windshield got her doubling over. The more damage she sees, the more horrified she was for her flowers. They must have suffered greatly being ploughed by those big wheels.
She went straight for the door and bang it with all her might. Stopping was far from her mind, not even minding her hand turning red from banging too hard.
Loud bangs kept echoing as she heard the muffled curses behind the door. She didn't think anymore. The moment the hard bloodshot eyes of the drunkard met her gaze, he was not even able to utter a word when her hand went flying.
A clear handprint marked his face. Yes, he slapped the hooligan. He was so shocked that he wasn't able to dodge her next attack. A fist went for his jaw because it's the only place she could reach. Her knuckles vibrate in pain as they collided with his bone.
The drunkard stumbled a bit. She didn't stop at it. Her knees shot up, successfully hitting his abdominal plane. He grabbed the door for support.
She was hissing this time.
"You asshole! How could you make me suffer with you! I've been patient all these months!" She smacked his chest.
"Jerk!" Smack. "You've ruined my plants!" Smack. "The wooden gate I've worked hard last summer!" Smack. "The sleepless nights I've endured, the stress, the energy I've spent cleaning after your ass!" Smack. "Months of dragging you across the pavement!" Smack.
"And this is all I've got?! My prized plants, you've massacred my plants!" Another resounding smack hit the drunkards face. She was so into her heated rant that she didn't notice the drunkard stopping her hands from hitting him further.
"What did I ever do to you?" she squeaked as she gasped for air. The anger bursting out of her kept her from noticing her flooded face, tears and snot mingled.
Inhibitions went out of the window as she sobbed hard. Those plants were her blood, sweat and tears in all its figurative form. She was never a demanding woman. She never asked for her parents much and she is one hell of an introvert before. She has nothing to amuse herself in all her teenage life but the comfort of those lively plants. It is where her peace resides. Her refuge.
"You're a fuckin asshole. Selfish bastard. You're a fiend kicked out from hell. I should've sued you before. I should've." her cries quietened down a notch as hiccups smothered her being.
"I've never hit a woman in my life, Ma'am but are you fucking crazy?!" the drunkard shouted at her. She got surprised and took a few steps back.
Unfortunately, she can feel is herself hurtling down the three-step stairs as the drunkard jerked her hands away from his person. She might end up with a fracture but she doesn't care that much.
A tug on her arm got her senses snap back as the fall did not occur. She instead plopped down the grass. The drunkard stopped her from hurtling down the stairs. Not waiting for any more words from him, she dashed out of his property and went back to her house almost removing the door from its hinges as she slammed it hard.
---
Sniffles attacked her one after another as she wallowed on the death of her plants. One of them is a Middlemist Red, it is a rare flower. She has been taking care of it for years. Asking advice from her botanist friend. She invested much time, effort and money in them that thinking about her Middlemist Red wilted outside her house causes another sniffle to assail her.
"My babies," her hoarse voice breaks the silence of her living room. She can feel her throat going sore now. Which is not good since she will need to discuss some lessons the next day.
She stood up and drags herself to the kitchen. Water would help her calm a bit. Drinking a glass of water, she leans against the island of her kitchen and organises her thoughts. Emotions started subsiding as she slowly sips a mouthful.
Months of enduring his neighbour's irrational behaviour led her to today's event. As she thinks back at what she did a while ago, her heart went into hyper mode again. I
It slowly dawns on her that another problem was now added to her plate. Her heart continues to abuse her ribs.
Jail time.
She might serve jail time for attacking her neighbour. Goodness gracious, what if he'll sue her for hitting him? She sure as hell can't count the times she smacked the fiend.
Hands went into her hair as her thoughts left her dazed. Did she do the right thing? She wasn't herself, of course. She got carried away, only got carried away. The bastard slaughtered her prized plants. Surely, the judges will give her the benefit of the doubt for attacking her neighbour. If ever her neighbour would file a case against her.
She walked back to her living room bringing the glass with her. She places it down the side table and paces. Her middlemist red sure does deserve justice and revenge. She never thought it'll end up in physicality though. What if her neighbour would attack her back? That drunkard neighbour of hers is quite violent. She won't be surprised if he'll barge in right now to confront her.
Gasping in horror, she locked her door and lean onto it. What is she going to do if this will end up in legal means?
She's a licensed professional for Pete's sake! The possibility of losing her license got her shivering. Something should be done. Why did she even attack him in the first place?
"Oh my god," she muttered. The action she did back there started sinking in. She can't be branded as someone violent. It's the opposite of her job. She stomps her foot in frustration and pace again.
She is sure that she can do something to alleviate the aftermath of her attack.
Biting her lips, she needs something to defend her actions. Something that would probably give justice to her, attacking her neighbour a while ago. Anything that will keep her out of jail time and tarnishing her name.