An orange extension cord ran across my lawn like a neon trail, connecting my neighbor's garage directly to my wall outlet. I stopped, puzzled. Just a coincidence, I thought. Maybe they'd plugged it in and forgotten about it. But on closer inspection, it became clear that the connection had been made intentionally, without even asking my permission. For a moment, I was more puzzled than irritated: we'd always gotten along well.
Later that day, I decided to take things calmly. I said to my neighbor, "Look, I think you accidentally plugged your car into my outlet. Just so you know, the electricity goes through my meter." He downplayed the incident, saying, "It's just a small current," as if that excused anything. Not wanting to create any tension, I simply installed a small, lockable outlet cover: a simple and courteous measure that would prevent future incidents.
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