Neighbors Demand He Shovel Their Driveway After Ignoring His Kindness, So He Hands Them The Shovel Instead
by Heather Hall
Getting along with neighbors is not always easy, especially when your attempts to be friendly go unnoticed.
So, what happens when those same neighbors expect your help?
Do you lend a hand? Or do you do as little as possible to prove a point?
In the following story, a young man finds himself in this exact predicament.
Here’s what he did.
AITA for not shoveling my neighbors driveway and refusing to help them get their car unstuck after they told me I should be nicer?
I (27M) live in a duplex with my fiance.
The duplex has a single driveway that I share with my neighbors, but they both park their cars in the driveway even though both houses have a garage.
I don’t hate my neighbors. We both just do our own thing, but I’ve attempted before to try and be nice and neighborly to them.
I’ve invited them to cookouts, offered help with yardwork, brought them their packages that were left at my door, etc.
And nothing I do seems to be enough to get even a ‘thank you’ out of them.
We’ve gotten a lot of snow during the cold snap that’s affecting half of the U.S. right now.
One day, after we had a big snowstorm, I got done shoveling my side of the driveway, and I decided to be nice and shovel and salt their side, too.
I again didn’t get a thank you, even though I waved at them when I saw them getting home.
Well, this was rude.
Then, a day later, we had another big snowstorm. I didn’t have time before I had to get to work, so I made plans to shovel when I got home.
When I got home, the neighbor’s side of the driveway was cleared, while mine was a literal mound of powder and ice.
I also noticed a snowblower left outside right in front of their garage.
I admittedly got a little mad but didn’t confront them about it.
I’d use one too if I had it, but to leave my side a complete mound that I had to shovel by hand, most of it frozen from the negative weather, and I felt like I could almost hear them laughing at me.
We had yet another snowstorm this morning, but today was my day off, so before my fiance had to go to work herself, I shoveled/froze my buns off.
I only did my side of the driveway.
After an hour, I heard a knock at my door. It was the neighbors, both of them looking annoyed and cold.
The guy asked if I could help them, as the furthest car down the driveway was stuck, so neither of them could leave (the other car was parked in front of that one).
I thought about just laughing and shutting the door, but I just went out and got ready to shovel yet again.
Just when you don’t think the neighbors can get any worse.
When I stepped out, the guy started berating me, asking why I didn’t do their side of the driveway when I was out earlier.
The woman in the car started yelling at me that it was my fault he would be late for work because I could’ve cleared the snow behind them, but I chose not to.
So I brought up the aforementioned snowblower, but the guy said it was ‘out of the question’ and stated he didn’t have enough gas for it or the money to get it because of the high price.
I asked if that was the case, I literally have a full gas tank in my garage he could use, but the guy said there was no time and I just had to ‘be nicer.’
So I got my shovel out of the garage, gave it to the guy, then went back inside.
They were both yelling at me even after I went in, and later on, I found my shovel in the yard.
They did get their car out eventually.
AITA?
As the saying goes, you get more with sugar than salt!
Let’s take a look at how the fine folks over at Reddit weighed in on this situation.
This person wouldn’t have even given them a shovel.
Here’s someone who had a similar experience.
This would have been so funny!
Proof that nice neighbors do exist!
These people have some nerve!
If they followed the Golden Rule, everything would be better.
If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.
Categories: STORIES
Tags: · aita, chores, help, picture, reddit, rude neighbors, shared driveway, shovel snow, snow, snow blower, top, winter
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