By the time I understood, water was exploding into the sky and Mr. Streeter’s car was kissing a broken fire hydrant. Nick had simply built his biggest snowman over the hydrant on the edge of our property—right where “cars aren’t supposed to go.” Streeter aimed for his usual shortcut and hit the one boundary that could finally hit back.

The officer’s flashlight on the tire tracks, the official tone, the looming city fines—none of it felt vindictive. It felt inevitable. Cause, meet effect. My son hadn’t set a trap to hurt him; he’d trusted the pattern of an adult who thought rules were for other people.

Nick went back to building snowmen in his spot. Streeter started turning wide, like our lawn was lava. No apologies. No neighborly thaw. Just distance—and, at last, respect measured in inches of untouched snow.