What's Wrong With This Pregnant Woman?!

It was pouring rain when I drove past the supermarket and saw my pregnant neighbor across the street struggling to carry her shopping bags while waiting for the bus with a wobbly umbrella.

The wind and rain were relentless, and she was soaked.

I pulled over and offered her a ride, dropping her off on my way home.

Afterward, she got my contact information and said she wanted to send some money as a thank you. I declined; it was just a small favor, after all.

"Cindy, you're such a kind-hearted girl. Young people lack compassion nowadays, but meeting you is such a blessing!"

Her compliment made me feel a little giddy. When I got home and told my friend about it, she warned me, "Cindy Waters, you better watch out. If something happens along the way, she might hold you responsible!"

"Really? She seemed pretty decent to me."

"Decent? You don't get it. What if she claimed she got sick because your driving was bumpy? You're so generous."

To emphasize the point, my friend sent me a few links to stories about people who were scammed after helping pregnant women. Reading those cases made me sweat.

I decided to stop overthinking it. After all, she had a husband, and I was just a single young woman. It was not my job to take care of her.

Just as I firmed up my resolve, the neighbor messaged me.

[Cindy, what time are you heading out tomorrow morning? I'll catch a ride with you!]

Ah, here we go!

I immediately replied to her. [What about your husband?]

Their family owned a car, and she was not a widow. Why mooch off me?

[He can't get up in the morning. We're going the same way, so we can chat during the ride.]

Nice try. I refused outright. [It's not on my way, and I don't want to take you. Have your husband drive you.]

[Cindy, how can you say that? We're neighbors, and I'm pregnant! You're going to work anyway.]

I was speechless.

[You're pregnant, but it's not my baby. Why should I chauffeur you? This isn't a rideshare service. End of discussion, don't bother me again!]

Then, I blocked and deleted her contact. Thanks to my friend's timely reminder, I did not get suckered.

Just as I was about to shower, there was a knock at my door.

"Room 306, come out! 306!"

Looking through the peephole, I saw my neighbor's husband standing there, looking furious. I grabbed my phone, started recording, and opened the door.

"What do you want?"

"My wife asked you for a ride. Why won't you give her one? She's crying because of you!"

"Ridiculous! Am I her personal chauffeur? You're her husband. If you won't drive her, why should I? And crying? Are you serious?

"What are you looking at?! Harass me again, and I'll call the police!"

I delivered my rant in one breath, shut the door before he could respond, and left him fuming.

He vented his frustration in the neighborhood group chat, but before he could finish, I uploaded the video.

[You tell me. Should I have given her a ride?]

I even tagged the wife. [What's the deal? Trying to freeload? Even Uber costs money. Will you pay up?]

I also shared our chat history, and the group erupted in laughter.

[Letting her husband sleep in but burdening others, how shameless!]

[Sounds like a setup. Ignore her!]

[Exactly! She once told me to turn off my WiFi because it supposedly affected her pregnancy!]

Apparently, their antics were not new, though I was unaware of it.

The couple stayed silent, but it was clear they hated me.

To be safe, I ordered a few mini surveillance cameras and set them up around my place.