AITA for Holding Hostage a Child’s Soccer Ball? A Night-Shift Worker’s Tale of Noisy Neighbors and Sweet Revenge
Oh honey, let me tell you a story. It’s a real doozy with drama, tension, and a soccer ball caught up in what can only be described as a neighborly Cold War. Picture this: You’re a night-shift warrior, battling the odds at ungodly hours while everyone else is tucked in their beds. You come home, ready to catch up on some beauty sleep when suddenly…BAM! BAM! BAM! No, it’s not a construction crew; it’s a pint-sized demon from down under – literally.
Meet Our Hero: The Unsung Night-shift Worker. Our hero lives on the third floor of what many would call an ordinary apartment building. And below him resides a family, one of whom is a tiny, relentless footy fanboy, who apparently believes his apartment walls are lined with goal nets.
Gone are the tranquil mornings. Instead, it’s ~kick kick kick~ all day. The walls surrender, the ceiling (hero’s floor) caves, and the roar of the soccer ball reverberates like a landslide. Imagine your whole world tilting on its axis every time that little brat attempts to curve a Beckham-esque free kick. Spare a thought for the aching head and furrowed brow of our dashing night-shift warrior. Trying to steal a wink of sleep amidst this chaos is akin to napping in a rock n’ roll concert. Except, of course, less rock and more roll.
The Plot Thickens! One fine, tortured day, Lady Luck smiles upon our beleaguered hero! The infamous ball lands right on his balcony! The tides have turned, and the neighbor’s cherished soccer ball is now a hostage of the 3rd-floor dynasty. It’s like fate tossing our knight the Excalibur of revenge. Keep it? Hand it back? Torture it? Decisions, decisions.
Now, you might think our hero would immediately chuck it back with a stern word or two. Oh no, darling. The plot twists more than a telenovela on steroids. Instead, he keeps it. For two entire days.
The Kid’s Response? Little Messi is not pleased. Cue Stage Left: Tap, tap, tap! No, wait, it’s more like,
Original story
A little context. I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building and the family below me has a little boy who loves to kick his soccer ball around ALL DAY.
He kicks it against the side of the building, against the inside walls of his apartment, slams it into the ceiling (my floor), and throws it onto the roof. This isn’t just loud; it shakes my entire apartment.
I work a night shift, and this makes it impossible for me to sleep.
By chance, he kicked his soccer ball onto my balcony, and I just haven’t given it back. It’s been two days, and he has been knocking on my door continuously for those two days.
He knocked (beat) on my door for two hours straight today, and at least once every hour after that. The thing is, I can sleep through someone knocking on my door, I can’t sleep through my apartment shaking.
I was finally able to sleep a full 8 hours today and I really don’t want that to go away. AITA?