The Yellow Curb Saga Continues

I can't believe this is still going on.

As you may recall, a couple years ago my neighbor Bill painted the curb in front of his house yellow, to create his own no parking zone. He then continued to tell his own guests to park there. However, whenever one of my guests would park there, he would leave rude notes on their cars or yell at them. He even yelled at me over the phone and hung up when I tried to discuss it with him.

Just last weekend, Bill had another party at his house. Hubby heard his daughter was getting married, and they were holding the rehearsal dinner at their house. Sure enough, when the guests arrived, cars were lined up and down the street – including that yellow curb in front of Bill’s house.

“I’m calling the police,” I threatened, reaching for the phone. I was so tired of this double-standard Bill held to his beloved frontside curb. But this time, Hubby seemed to have reached his limit too. He decided to walk over to Bill’s and have a chat with him. I followed him out the front door so I could hear.

Hubby couldn’t find Bill, but he met his daughter instead. “Hey, I’m the neighbor next door. Is there a way someone could move their car? It’s kind of hard for us to get out, and you’re really not supposed to park there.”

“Oh, sorry,” she explained. “We told guests they could park there.”

“You know it’s a yellow zone, right?” Hubby asked.

“I know,” she giggled. Then she added proudly, “My dad painted it.”

“Well,” Hubby began. “It’s been this kind of back-and-forth thing, with the City coming out and everything, and they determined it a no parking zone.”

“Oh,” she said. After a pause, she continued. “Well, let me get my dad, then.”

Soon after, another gentleman stepped out of the house and walked over to the car. It wasn’t Bill, but the car’s owner. We had to assume that Bill had confirmed our request and asked his guest to move his car.

So Bill’s daughter admitted he had painted the curb, and that they still let their guests park there. And now, he knows that we are aware of what he is doing. And that we’re not going to allow it anymore.

It’s amazing that I am trying to teach my children manners and how to be good citizens in society. And, yet, next door is a grown man who is still learning this lesson.