So, guess what happened? We helped our neighbour, and somehow ended up getting reported. Is that meant to be a thank-you?
Not long ago, a social worker showed up at our door. Said they’d had a tip-off that the kids were being neglected and needed to check our living conditions. The worker looked through the fridge, inspected the house, checked the kids—everything was fine. They sorted out some paperwork, asked me to sign it, and then left,” explained Alice, who’s 35.
Alice and James have been married for ages. They’ve got two kids—an 8-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. The kids are well-behaved, listen to their parents, and the family’s close. Alice couldn’t work out who’d do something like this or why.
They asked the kids if everything was okay at school and nursery, and the kids just nodded. At least there weren’t any real consequences, but still—who’d even dare?
A week later, Alice bumped into Emily, their neighbour’s granddaughter. Things had been tense between them—they’d only met once before, and it ended in an argument.
Martha, their elderly neighbour, had been thrilled when Alice and James moved in next door. She’d pop over for tea and always brought biscuits. She even helped babysit little Harry when he was their only child. In return, Alice and James were kind to her—helped with chores, picked up her shopping and meds, even invited her to their holiday cottage.
When Martha fell ill, Alice was there constantly, looking after her. A social worker checked in, but couldn’t do much for a bedridden old lady. Martha had family, but they couldn’t care less.
“Eight years, and not one visit. I was sure she had no relatives,” Alice recalled. “I often paid for her treatments myself—her pension barely covered anything. James and I took turns, but we had our own family to worry about too. When I realised we couldn’t keep up, I decided to track down her family.”
Alice asked Martha for her daughter and granddaughter’s details. She found Sarah on social media and messaged her, saying her mum wasn’t well and she should visit. Of course, Alice told Martha.
The old lady was overjoyed—she hadn’t seen Sarah or Emily in 15 years. The last time Sarah visited, Emily was seven. Sarah had demanded Martha sell her house, and when she refused, Sarah cut all ties.
Sarah turned up the next day and started shouting. She accused Alice of only helping Martha to steal her house. Worse, she claimed Alice was trying to poison her to speed things along.
She called Alice every name under the sun. James stepped in and told them to clear off. When Alice saw Emily, it clicked—*that’s* why the social worker had come.
“My mum and I will make sure you end up in prison. Just wait—you’ll hear from us again! Scammers! We’ll get rid of you!” Emily screamed.
“I just wanted to help. I didn’t need her house,” Alice said. “I thought Martha deserved someone who cared. If I’d known her family were like this, I’d never have reached out. I won’t meddle again. I’m not scared of social workers—I just don’t get why they’d do this. It’s just sad it turned out this way.”
