Candace Leslie Cima, 76, is not an ordinary grandma. While she chooses to age gracefully, people often criticize her for her style.

A 76-year-old woman has been judged for not wearing appropriate attire for her age.

Unphased by the criticisms, Candace Leslie Cima responded to the negativity by showing off her flawless figure in a chic black one-piece swimsuit.

She has remained unbothered by what haters have to say and continues to prove that women can still look beautiful and fashionable at any age.

Candace Leslie Cima is a 76-year-old mother, grandmother, wife, artist, businesswoman, and model born in Buffalo, New York. She is known for her blog “Life In My 70s: Aging Is Changing,” in which she discusses how women should embrace all the things that come with aging naturally and gives lifestyle and fashion advice.

According to Cima, she has always had a keen fascination with the concept of aging and its often negative associations attached to it. Her interest in the aging process started when she was in her 20s and 30s.

As a businesswoman, she is the owner of a senior housing community and has been for over 32 years. Of her years getting to know older people from different backgrounds, Cima concluded:

“The one thing I know for sure is that Aging is Changing. We are not our mothers or our grandmothers. We now have the chance to be productive, intelligent, compassionate, [and] stylish women throughout our later years.”

Speaking of style and fashion, Cima is also well-known for showcasing her gorgeous fashions on her TikTok account, where she typically adorns very trendy and what some may consider youthful apparel. Despite garnering 94,000 followers on TikTok, Cima often experiences trolling over what she chooses to post.

Many people criticize the beauty for not dressing for her age and deem her outfits inappropriate. However, the unbothered 76-year-old does not let the haters get to her by any means and instead claps back at them by continuing to adorn the clothes she wants to wear.

In a previous TikTok video, she was seen sporting a chic daytime look that appeared as an outfit someone in their late 20s to early 30s may have also worn: a short-sleeved white top with edgy light blue slacks and open-toed white heels.

The text in the video shows a previous negative comment by a viewer expressing how Cima should not be wearing what she is wearing at age 60. While strutting her stuff in the video, she shuts the comment down and corrects the viewer, saying that she was actually 75 at the time.

Another mic-drop moment was when she appeared again in a TikTok video this year, adorning a chic, figure-hugging, black one-piece swimsuit while on vacation in Florida. While strolling around the poolside area, her supporters gushed about how amazing she looked.

Cima’s social media account on TikTok was initially created to encourage people to rid themselves of negative connotations concerning aging. She seeks to empower women of any age to embrace the beauty that comes with aging naturally and gracefully.

Unthwarted by people who have told her that she shouldn’t wear certain items of clothing because it is frowned upon at her age, Cima continues to inspire fellow older women. On her blog, she frequently talks about the elements of aging she loves.

Of all the elements, being less stressed, having the maturity to accept things out of her control, learning to do something new, and being fearless are her favorite characteristics of aging. According to Cima, aging has the potential to be the best time of someone’s life:

“Many older women live vibrant and fulfilling lives as they age. More and more women are setting records and breaking through barriers.”

As someone who has engulfed herself in every facet of aging, Cima makes it no secret that, of course, there are the occasional older women who set limitations on themselves as to what they can or cannot do. However, she is adamant about other older women not allowing themselves to be influenced or shaped by this rhetoric that dictates that women are incapable of doing certain things past a particular age.

As she has gotten older, Cima reports being more consciously aware of how anxiety and stress affect her. She discloses that though the feelings are unavoidable, with time and meditation, she recognized a way to combat the detrimental physical effects of those negative feelings by balancing and working on the relationship between herself and her stress and anxiety.

Cima continues to ignore the ageist criticism dished out by haters on social media.

With aging comes perspective and experience, ultimately setting the tone for one’s attitude toward life. Cima says:

“Attitude is everything, and changing how you look at something can change how you feel about it. Changing how you feel about it can change the outcome… Aging does not mean stopping; it means you now have accumulated wisdom that is unstoppable if you want it to be.”

Outside of her dazzling fashion statements, Cima’s slender physique makes a statement on its own. The 76-year-old is able to maintain her incredible physique by staying fit and active regularly.

In another video she posted on TikTok, she showed off her fantastic yogi skills while engaging in her daily yoga routine. Cima can bend and contort herself into different kinds of shapes and poses, showing how extremely flexible she is.

The 38-second clip revealed Cima dressed in all-black athletic attire on her yoga mat. From the cat-camel stretch to a full-blown split, she awed onlookers who were inspired to see an older woman being capable of doing such things. One viewer commented:

“You are so inspiring! I am 44 and have been following a few older women on social media to provide me with examples of graceful and healthy aging.”

Cima continues to ignore the ageist criticism dished out by haters on social media. She remains unthwarted in her efforts to empower women who may not be comfortable with aging and inspires others who look for examples to follow.

Straight Family Man Prefers To Wear Skirts And Heels As He Believes ‘Clothes Have No Gender

Mark Bryan is a robotics engineer who has been married for 11 years and has a daughter. He identifies as straight and chooses to dress unconventionally. Bryan is an American living in Germany, and he doesn’t believe that fashion has to be gendered. You can find Bryan wearing a skirt and heels to work or out anywhere else he goes on any given day.

Bryan said he doesn’t like how limited men’s choices are in the fashion department, especially when it comes to office attire. Men’s pants only come in a few colors, mostly black, gray, dark blue and the occasional pinstripe, and cuts.

The stylish dresser believes that if women are allowed to wear pants, men should be able to wear skirts and dresses as well. Bryan likes how skirts come in many styles and patterns – and many more colors – unlike men’s clothing.

Bryan prefers to mix traditional gender looks by wearing masculine attire on his top half, like a blazer and tie, and traditionally feminine attire on the bottom half. He will typically wear a pencil skirt and four-inch heels on the bottom.

Wearing high heels is no problem for Bryan. He first learned how to do it when his college girlfriend asked him to wear high heels while dancing with her so that they were on the same level. They continued this for over a year.

Bryan doesn’t let stereotypes or assumptions stop him from dressing in a way that brings him joy. He challenges expectations and does so unapologetically. Keep reading to hear what Bryan has to say about his fashion choices.

Bryan has a very clear idea about how he likes to dress. He told Bored Panda: “To me, clothes have no gender. I prefer skirts to dresses. Dresses don’t allow me to mix the genders. I prefer a ‘masculine’ look above the waist and a non-gendered look below the waist. It’s all about clothes having no gender.”

He continued: “I am old enough to remember that in school, the girls could not wear pants. Pants have now become a non-gendered article of clothing. So why can’t skirts and heels be non-gendered? Besides, men wore heels before women did. Maybe not today’s stiletto-style heels, but men did wear heels before women.”

Bryan is correct about that. High heels can look back on a long history. Although historians and archaeologists cannot date their invention clearly, they have been around at least since the 10th century. And they were not a fashion statement at first. No, the first recorded use of high heels was eminently practical: the Persian cavalry wore boots with heels, called a kalash or galesh, that made it easier for them to keep their feet inside their stirrups. This is, by the way, the same reason why cowboy boots have a small heel as well!

Since owning a horse was a sign of wealth, only well-off men could afford to wear these high-heeled boots. The use of them slowly spread across Europe, and high heels heels became one of the fashion signs of rich noblemen or traders. In fact, following the Great Schism of the Christian Church in the 11th century, even the pope wore high heels.

It wasn’t until several hundred years later that fashion slowly changed. During the 18th century, cultural concerns in Europe came up about the distinction between males and females and talk about what men and women should wear arose. This is the point in time where the belief that fashion is something effeminate and frivolous that “real men” shouldn’t care about hails from. Due to these changing beliefs, men largely abandoned high heels heels, as they were seen as impractical and mere accessories.

Bryan is one of the examples of how high-heels are slowly coming back as an accepted form of footwear for men. Although the engineer champions the option of wearing high-heeled shoes for men, he understands many people will look twice when they see him. He compares his style choices to someone who chooses to dye their hair bright colors. He explained:

“Take a person with bright green hair. Green hair is not normal. You look up and see this person, your mind tells you it’s a person with green hair, you think to yourself, that’s odd or interesting, then you go back to do what you were doing and don’t give it another thought. I believe this is the same when people see me in a skirt and heels.”

Bryan doesn’t have to struggle to find skirts and heels that fit him either. He wears a size 8 in skirts, and with smaller feet for a man, his shoe size in heels is 8.5. If you know a man who is considering trying out wearing heels and skirts too, Bryan suggests starting with a lower heel until you feel more comfortable walking in high heels.

The superstar

The superstar asks a little girl to sing “You Raise Me Up”. Seconds later, the girl brings down the house.

If you’re a fan of America’s Got Talent, you’ll certainly remember Céline Tam, a sweet little girl from Hong Kong who was evicted from the competition last year, before reaching the finals.

Nominations in 2024

Country music is always changing but there will also always be a core base of country music singers that stand out among the rest. These are more than just the singers that sell the most albums, they have country music in their blood. Now that Beyoncé has entered into the genre of country music, her fans have loyally followed along. She did well with her country music hit, Texas Hold ’em, but that didn’t help her at the Country Music Awards (CMA).

Despite the fact that she had one of the biggest country music songs of the year, she didn’t receive a single nomination. This caused many of her fans to be up in arms, claiming that she should have received recognition at the awards and looking forward to her being the first black woman to be nominated for Album of the Year, Her album, Cowboy Carter, was inspired due to the treatment she received at the 2016 CMA. She performed the song Daddy Lessons with The Chicks, and people were critical. Even though she didn’t receive any awards, her success in the country music genre is unmistakable. She was at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs for 10 weeks consecutively, making it the second longest song of the year to obtain that goal.

In addition, she was the first black woman to be at the top of the charts in country music as a solo artist. Despite all of that, she didn’t receive nominations for any categories at the CMA. Many of her friends, as well as media outlets, felt that she was being snubbed for her performance in 2016. Many have also said that just because she has a country music album does not mean that she is country. Beyoncé said: “[The album was] born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed… and it was very clear that I wasn’t”. There were many other factors that caused a stir among her fans as well as others who felt that she was snubbed on purpose at the awards. It’s all water under the bridge now, but it will be interesting to see what happens in 2025.

Millionaire Demolishes Old Man’s House, Unexpectedly Sees His Childhood Photo among Ruins — Story of the Day

 

A rude millionaire who believed money could buy anything demolished a poor old man’s house to build a mall. While checking the ruins later, he accidentally found his childhood photo among the rubble.

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Can a person’s greed for riches blind them so miserably that they destroy someone else’s dreams to build theirs? In July 2021, Florida-based real estate tycoon Elliot Morris happened to shatter a poor old man’s dreams to fulfill his pursuit of wealth.

Elliot was looking for a perfect landscape to build a deluxe mall in the city when his eyes fell upon old Joe Brooke’s land. The young builder loved the location and fixed his mind to raising his new mall there.

He decided to tear down the old man’s house on the plot. When old Joe objected to it, Elliot saw him as nothing more than a thorn in his way that was easy to get rid of…

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

“Please, I beg of you. I don’t have anybody, and this house is the only treasured memory I have of my late wife,” Joe begged Elliot, who had visited with his men. “I have nowhere to go. Please don’t make me homeless.”

But Elliot turned a deaf ear to the poor old man’s pleas. “Look here, old man. I already talked to the mayor, and he is on my side. I’m bringing this thing down in two weeks. All you’ve got is 14 days to pack your stuff and leave with whatever money I give you. Is it clear?”

Poor Joe was worried. He refused to accept a dime in exchange for his beloved house and kept crying. But Elliot was far from kind and walked away, grinning. “Two weeks and I’ll be back,” Joe heard the rude rich man’s faint voice from outside.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

Joe’s house was a bit farther away from his clustered neighborhood, so nobody stepped forward in his favor. The two weeks were nothing short of nightmarish for the poor old man. He hoped something would happen and change the rich man’s mind. He anticipated a miracle and never packed his things. But before he knew it, the day for the demolition had arrived.

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“Please, I beg you! Please don’t destroy my house!” old Joe pleaded with Elliot and his men, who arrived two weeks later with heavy machinery outside his house to tear it down.

“Didn’t I tell you to pack your things?” Elliot retorted. “It’s not my problem anymore. Here, take this check and leave. I don’t have time to listen to your silly, old stories.”

Elliot ordered one of his men to take old Joe to the nursing facility. He handed out the check for the house, but the old man refused to take it.

Before leaving, a teary-eyed Joe looked at Elliot and said, “You’ve changed a lot, young man. Money has blinded you and ruined your soul…You cannot buy everything with money.”

“What rubbish! Take this old man from here,” Elliot ordered. He brushed Joe’s words as nothing and walked further to watch the house being torn down. Joy filled his heart as he saw the bricks and roof chipping away from the building, crashing onto the ground.

“I’ll be back in a while. Keep working, and do not touch anything until I arrive,” he said, driving past the dusty house in ruins.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

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That evening, Elliot returned to the demolished spot to celebrate his feat. “Getting rid of that old thorn was so easy!” he exclaimed as he walked over the broken bricks.

Just then, he stumbled upon the broken glass of a photo frame. He looked at the photo and gasped in shock.

“Mom? What is her photo doing here?” he said, picking up the picture. Elliot dusted it and realized it was an old photo of his mom with a baby.

“That’s me,” he exclaimed again. “But what is our photo doing in this old man’s house? I have to find out,” he said and immediately drove to the nursing home to see Joe.

“You? Why have you come here? Aren’t you happy yet?” the old man cried after seeing the young builder. “What more have you come to destroy?”

Joe refused to look at Elliot, who held his hand and showed him the photo he’d recovered from the demolished ruins.

“How did you get my mom’s photo?” he asked. “That’s me with her. Do you know my mom? What is your relationship with her?” Elliot was furious. He had known that his mother was a single parent, and finding her picture in Joe’s house raised many questions in his mind. “Tell me…how do you know my mother?”

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For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

Joe, who remained silent, finally spoke out, revealing something Elliot never knew.

“I found your mother Samantha on the road with a baby in her arms 30 years ago,” Joe said. “I was on my way home from my wife’s funeral and found your mom hopeless and drenched in the rain while trying to protect you.”

As Elliot heard this, tears slowly started to fill his eyes. “Then what happened?” he curiously asked.

“I took her in and gave her shelter. Her boyfriend, your dad, had kicked her out for another woman,” Joe narrated. “Samantha lived in my house for five years, and I treated her like my daughter.”

“But if she lived with you, why did she move out? We had a bigger house,” Elliot asked, still doubtful of old Joe’s revelation. “Is there something I’m missing?”

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For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels

“I bought her a new house and helped her start a small business from my savings. She grew into a successful businesswoman but never forgot this old man. Samantha often visited me until she died ten years ago,” Joe explained. “I had also been to her funeral, but who would notice this poor, old man. You had grown into a successful, rich man, and I was happy to see how she raised you.”

At this point, Elliot’s heart broke. He recalled his mother once telling him about a loving father who was behind her success. But all this while, he had no idea that she had been talking about old Joe.

Guilty and heartbroken, Elliot decided to mend his mistake. The next day, he put up an “Under Construction” board on Joe’s property and ordered his men to build a new house there. In less than four months, a beautiful home replaced the one he demolished.

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For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

Elliot gifted this house to Joe and apologized to him for being so ignorant and forgetful of his past. He also promised to do his best to return the old man’s kindness. But the humble man he was, Joe forgave the young builder and refused any form of help.

“You are my grandson, and I will accept only this house from you, and nothing more. I do not expect any material help from you other than your love,” Joe said, creating a massive impact on Elliot. “You are always welcome to visit this old man as my grandson, not as a wealthy man filled with guilt. Even your mom wanted to help me, and I had told her the same!”

Joe happily moved back to his new house and lived a modest life. He inspired Elliot and taught him that money perishes but not compassion and love.

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In the end, Elliot built a couple of retirement homes for older adults in the city. He helped people in need and never tore down another house that belonged to someone else unless they were willing.

For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

What can we learn from this story?

• Do not ruin someone else’s happiness to build your dreams. In Elliot’s efforts to build his mall, he destroyed old Joe’s beloved house. He did not consider the old man’s pleas and ruined his happiness to fulfill his own.
• Create something useful for others when you get a chance. When Elliot realized his mistake, he apologized to Joe and built a house for him. And because he had the resources, he did his best to help the needy.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.

My House’s Previous Owner Left Me a Warning Note about Our Neighbors – I Couldn’t Believe It until One Day

 

When we moved into our new house, we thought we’d found the perfect neighbors in the Johnsons. But after returning from vacation to find our property trashed, I discovered a hidden note that would change everything and force us to question who we could really trust.

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We moved into our new house a year ago, and everything seemed perfect. The neighborhood was quiet, the house was beautiful, and we were excited to settle in. Our neighbors, the Johnsons, seemed cool too. They welcomed us with a pie and friendly smiles.

An attractive suburban home | Source: Pexels

“Welcome to the neighborhood!” Jane beamed, holding out a steaming apple pie. Her husband, Tom, stood behind her, grinning and waving.

“Thanks so much,” I said, taking the pie. “I’m Emma, and this is my husband Mike.”

Mike stepped forward, shaking their hands. “Great to meet you both. We’re really looking forward to living here.”

We chatted for a while, and they seemed nice enough. Their house was somewhat run-down, but that didn’t bother us. Over the next few months, we got to know them better. We had barbecues, swam in our pool, and generally got along well.

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A group standing on the lawn of a home, chatting happily | Source: Midjourney

But three months later, I found a note from the previous owner tucked inside a kitchen drawer. It read: “Beware of the Johnsons. They’ll make your life hell. Don’t put them too close.”

I showed it to Mike that evening. “What do you think about this?” I asked, handing him the note.

He read it and frowned. “Seems a bit dramatic, don’t you think? They’ve been nothing but nice to us.”

I nodded, but something nagged at me. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s probably nothing.”

A couple chatting in the backyard of a luxurious home | Source: Midjourney

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“Maybe the previous owner had a personal beef with them,” Mike suggested. “People can be petty sometimes.”

We decided to ignore it. After all, we’d been getting along great with Jane and Tom. Every weekend, we invited them over for pool parties and barbecues. We exchanged recipes, borrowed books, and even asked for their advice about garden design.

“Your tomatoes look amazing, Tom,” I complimented Tom one day when he came over to look at my fledgling vegetable patch. “Any tips?” I asked.

Tom puffed up with pride. “Well, it’s all in the soil preparation…”

A man grinning confidently in a lush garden | Source: Midjourney

Jane and I swapped book recommendations regularly. “Oh, Emma, you have to read this one,” she’d say, pressing a novel into my hands. “It’s absolutely gripping.”

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We gave them permission to use our garden and pool any time they wanted — we were set for our annual family vacation, so it felt good leaving the place for our new neighbors to enjoy.

***

Fast forward to last week. Mike and I returned from our vacation, and what we found left us livid. Our beautiful garden was trampled, the pool was filthy with debris, and there was garbage strewn all over the driveway. It was a complete nightmare.

A filthy, trash-strewn garden and pool | Source: Midjourney

“What the heck happened here?” Mike exclaimed, his face red with anger.

I clenched my fists. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

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We marched over to the Johnsons’ house. I knocked on the door, my jaw set with determination. Jane answered with a smile that seemed a bit too wide.

“Hey, neighbors! How was your trip?” she chirped.

“What happened to our property?” Mike demanded to know, not standing for any small talk.

Tom stepped out to meet us on the porch, his face a mask of innocence. “That wasn’t us. You can’t prove anything,” he snapped.

A angry man confronts another man on a front porch | Source: Midjourney

I raised an eyebrow. “Why did you think we’d accuse you? Do you know who did this?”

Jane’s eyes darted nervously. “Oh, maybe it was the neighbors across the road? Ethan and his girlfriend — they’re a weird couple, bunch of hippies, if you ask me.”

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“Right,” I said, not believing a word. “We’ll go check with them.”

We decided to check it out. Ethan answered the door, looking confused at our aggressive tone. His girlfriend, Olivia, stood next to him, equally bewildered.

A young couple standing in front of a house, looking curious | Source: Midjourney

“Look, we’re sorry to bother you,” I started, “but our property was vandalized while we were away. The Johnsons suggested it might have been you.”

Ethan’s eyes widened. “What? No way! We’ve barely left the house since moving in. We’ve been renovating.”

Olivia stepped forward. “Actually, we might be able to help. We installed security cameras last week. They cover part of your property too.”

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A woman standing on a front porch, talking | Source: Midjourney

“Really?” Mike perked up. “Would you mind if we took a look?”

Ethan nodded. “Of course, come on in.”

We watched the footage in disbelief. The Johnsons had thrown multiple parties at our house while we were away. Their guests had no respect for our property, and Jane and Tom did nothing to stop them.

“I can’t believe this,” I muttered, watching Jane laugh as her kid spray-painted our fence.

Mike’s fists were clenched. “Those lying, two-faced —”

“I’m so sorry,” Ethan said. “We had no idea this was happening.”

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A young man standing, talking inside an untidy living room | Source: Midjourney

Olivia nodded. “Yeah, if we’d known, we would have said something.”

We thanked them for their help and left, fury building with each step back to the Johnsons’ house. This time, we didn’t bother knocking.

“Hey, Tom,” I called out. “Let’s talk again about the trash that mysteriously appeared on our property.”

Tom came to the door, opened it, and looked at me for a few moments, then he shrugged and offered lamely, “You’re blowing this out of proportion. It’s just some trash and a bit of paint. Kids will be kids, right?”

“Just some trash?” Mike exploded. “Our pool is filthy, our garden is destroyed, and there’s garbage all over our property!”

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An angry-looking man addressing someone out of frame | Source: Midjourney

“And let’s not forget the multiple parties you threw at our house,” I added. “We saw the security footage.”

Jane’s face paled. “What footage?”

“Ethan and Olivia’s security cameras caught everything,” I explained, enjoying the look of panic on their faces.

Their smug attitudes fueled my anger. I knew it was time to teach them a lesson they wouldn’t forget.

A couple standing implacably in a front yard | Source: Midjourney

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That night, after the Johnsons had gone to bed, Mike and I put our plan into action. We gathered up all the garbage they’d left at our house, plus a few extra “presents” from our trash.

At midnight, we crept over to their yard. “Ready?” I whispered to Mike.

He nodded, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Let’s do this.”

A man carrying a full trash bag at night, looking mischievous | Source: Midjourney

We spread the trash all over their lawn and garden, making sure it was a complete mess. As a final touch, we let our kids paint whatever they wanted on the Johnsons’ front fence.

“Remember, kids,” I whispered, “be as creative as you want.”

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Our daughter grinned, wielding her paintbrush like a weapon. “This is gonna be fun!”

The next morning, we woke up early to watch the show. Jane’s scream of disgust was music to my ears.

A woman reacts with shock to see her front lawn strewn with trash | Source: Midjourney

“Tom! Tom! Look at this!” she shrieked.

Tom stumbled out, and his jaw dropped at the sight. “What is this?”

We casually strolled over, coffee mugs in hand. “Everything okay?” I asked innocently.

Jane turned to us, her face red with anger. “Did you do this?”

I shrugged, mimicking Tom’s gesture from yesterday. “You’re blowing this out of proportion. It’s just some trash and a bit of paint.”

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Mike chimed in, “Kids will be kids, right?”