Lena agreed to help her neighbor Karen by driving their daughters to school, thinking it would be a one-time favor. But soon, Karen started asking every morning, expecting Lena to take Emily along with her own daughter Sophie. At first, Lena didn’t mind—Emily was well-behaved, and Sophie enjoyed the company.
One hectic morning, when Lena was running late, she asked Karen to take Sophie instead. Karen immediately refused, claiming her car was too full—even though she had a large SUV and usually only drove Emily. That lie made Lena realize Karen had been taking advantage of her kindness.
The next day, when Karen asked again for the school run, Lena agreed but decided to teach her a lesson. She took a detour to a donut shop, making the trip longer and causing the girls to be late for school. Karen was furious when she picked up Emily and complained about the delay.
Lena calmly suggested Karen handle the school drop-off herself if timing was so important. After that, Karen never asked for help again and kept her distance, clearly embarrassed. Lena felt proud for standing up for herself and learned that being a good neighbor doesn’t mean being a doormat—it means setting boundaries, even if it means taking the scenic route.