— Vasily, do you see this? — Anna Sergeyevna stood in the middle of the vegetable garden, pointing at a gray gas pipe that snaked right through the potato beds.
— What pipe? — her husband tore himself away from fixing the fence and came closer. — What kind of miracle is this?
— There it is! This morning when I left for work, there was nothing. And now look what they’ve done!
Vasily Petrovich crouched down, examined the fresh trench and the neatly compacted soil. The pipe had clearly been installed professionally, but without the slightest consent from the landowners.
— It leads to the Krutovs’, — the man traced the direction of the pipeline. — So they ran gas for themselves. And didn’t even bother to ask us.
Anna indignantly spread her hands.
— How could they do this? On someone else’s land, without permission! They’ve completely lost their minds!
— Let’s go find out, — said Vasily, taking off his work gloves. — We need to talk to the neighbors.
They headed to the Krutovs’ house. A new SUV stood in the yard, and Svetlana, Igor Nikolaevich’s wife, was sunbathing on the porch. Seeing the neighbors, she quickly slipped inside.
— Igor Nikolaevich! — Vasily called out. — Come out, we need to talk!
The homeowner, a middle-aged man dressed expensively, emerged slowly — wearing a shirt and a confident expression.
— Hello, neighbors! What’s going on?
— Something happened, — Anna replied. — You ran a gas pipe through our plot! Without our consent or warning!
Igor shrugged as if it was a trivial matter.
— So what? It’s a thin pipe, it doesn’t bother anyone. And now we have gas, as it should be.
— How is that not a problem? — Vasily tried to keep calm but his voice trembled with irritation. — This is our land! You should have asked for permission!
— Come on, — Krutov waved a hand dismissively. — Everyone does this. We’re neighbors, we should help each other. Besides, it causes no harm.
— Harm?! — Anna almost choked with indignation. — What if we need gas ourselves? If we renovate the house or sell the plot?
— Well, we’ll work it out, — the neighbor replied unenthusiastically. — I’m not greedy. I could even compensate — would five thousand be enough?
— Are you kidding? — Vasily exploded. — Dismantle it immediately! Reroute the gas around our land!
Igor’s face changed sharply.
— Why should I do that? I’ve already invested, the documents are done. I’m not redoing anything!
— Documents? — Anna asked. — And where is our permission?
— What permission? The pipe is underground, no one sees it. Don’t make a fuss over nonsense.
With that, he turned and went into the house, slamming the door loudly.
— What an ill-mannered guy! — Vasily muttered. — Thinks money solves everything.
— We need to go to the chairman, — Anna decided. — That’s why he was elected.
The next day, the couple went to the association chairman. Petr Alexandrovich was watering tomatoes on his plot.
— Hello, neighbors! What brings you here?
— Petr Alexandrovich, this is serious. The Krutovs laid a gas pipe through our land without our permission.
The chairman hesitated awkwardly, continuing to “water” the already damp soil.
— That’s… a sensitive issue. Maybe it’s better to settle it neighborly?
— Settled neighborly? — Vasily was surprised. — They violated our rights!
— You see, Igor Nikolaevich is a man with influence. Connections. Better not to get involved unless absolutely necessary.
— And who will think about our rights? — Anna was getting upset.
— Come on! It’s a small pipe underground. It doesn’t ruin the land, doesn’t interfere with the harvest. And Igor Nikolaevich also does charity — helped install a playground.
The couple exchanged looks. It was obvious the chairman wasn’t going to help.
— So you’re not going to intervene? — Vasily asked directly.
— Why would I… I just advise not to escalate the conflict. Talk to the neighbor again, find common ground.
On the way home, Anna was as gloomy as a storm cloud.
— Now it’s clear why he’s covering for them. Probably got his share for staying silent.
— Then we’ll have to deal with it ourselves, — her husband decided. — Tomorrow I’ll go to the gas company and find out how they connected without our permission.
But as they reached their gate, a neighbor from the opposite plot called to them — Nina Ivanovna Morozova, a retiree living with her daughter and grandson.
— Anna Sergeyevna, Vasily Petrovich! Can I have a minute?
— Of course, Nina Ivanovna.
— I heard you’re having problems with the Krutovs over the gas?
— Not problems, a violation! — Anna said. — They ran the pipe through our land without asking!
The woman shook her head sympathetically.
— Yes, it’s not good. But maybe don’t be so strict? Igor Nikolaevich promised to connect us too through that same pipe — it would be cheaper. And if you start causing a fuss, we’ll be left without gas too.
— So you also want to use that pipe? — Vasily was amazed.
— Why just us? It’s already a common main line, so to speak.
— Common? — Anna was outraged. — It runs through my land!
— Oh, stop being so principled, — the neighbor suddenly snapped. — It will be easier for everyone. For the children and grandchildren too. And you’re depriving everyone of comfort because of your beliefs.
Anna was nearly speechless.
— So now we’re the bad guys?
— Just think about other people, — Nina Ivanovna said offendedly. — One family is stopping everyone from progressing.
In the evening, Nina Ivanovna’s daughter, Elena, a young woman with a tired face, came over.
— Sorry for coming so late. Mom asked me to tell you: if you don’t object to the gas connection, Igor Nikolaevich is willing to pay. Ten thousand — does that work?
— Elena, you know that’s wrong, — Anna replied gently. — You can’t run utilities through someone else’s land without permission.
— I understand, — the woman sighed. — But I really need gas. My son is often sick, firewood is hard. Heating the stove every day… Maybe you won’t object?
— So far, there’s no harm, — Vasily answered. — But tomorrow there could be new connections, and who knows what damage they might cause. We’re just protecting our rights.
Elena left empty-handed. The next morning, Anna noticed neighbors looking at them strangely — some avoided eye contact, others whispered.
— Vasily, I think they’ve already labeled us “bad” neighbors, — she said bitterly.
— Let them. We’re doing the right thing — defending our interests.
At the gas company, they were met by a connection specialist — a thin man about thirty-five.
— You’re here about gas on Sadovaya Street?
— Yes, — Vasily nodded. — We want to know how the neighbors managed to run a pipe through our land without our permission.
The specialist, Semyon, tensed noticeably upon hearing the question.
— What’s the matter? — he asked, trying to sound casual.
— The matter is, we never gave permission! The pipe goes right through our garden!
Semyon cleared his throat and began rifling through papers on the table.
— Sorry, but that’s not my responsibility. You should talk to management.
— Semyon Ivanovich, — Anna said firmly after reading his badge. — You did the connection. Tell us where the documents are for running the pipe through our land?
The man clearly felt uncomfortable.
— I just followed orders. They gave me the route — from the main line to house No. 15. I did it.
— Who gave you the order?
— The client — Igor Nikolaevich Krutov.
— And you didn’t check if he had the right to run utilities through someone else’s land?
Semyon faltered.
— They told me everything was approved. That the neighbors didn’t mind.
— Is that so! — Anna exclaimed. — So Krutov lied to you, and you believed it and did the work illegally?
— I didn’t know! — the technician tried to explain. — I just got the addresses and was told to connect.
— Semyon Ivanovich, — Vasily said seriously, — do you realize you violated the rules? You can’t work without permission.
The gas worker turned pale.
— I thought it was legal! Krutov said everything was arranged. Even paid extra for urgency.
— Paid extra? — Anna was suspicious.
— Yes, in cash. Asked to do it fast, without extra bureaucracy.
Now the picture was clear: Igor Nikolaevich bribed the specialist to bypass official procedures.
— Semyon Ivanovich, — Anna continued, — if we file a complaint with your service, what will you tell the management?
The man was silent, then sighed deeply:
— I’ll tell everything as it was. That I was deceived and the connection was done without required permissions.
At home, the couple saw a small gathering of neighbors by their gate led by Nina Ivanovna.
— So, have you agreed? — the retiree asked hopefully.
— What to agree about? — Anna didn’t understand.
— About the gas, of course! Krutov said you went to the gas company and settled everything.
— We went to find out if the pipe was legally installed through our land.
— And what did you find out? — Chairman Petr Alexandrovich intervened.
— It was done violating all regulations, — Vasily answered firmly.
The neighbors started talking loudly. Some were outraged, others demanded explanations.
— What?! — Nina Ivanovna cried out. — Because of you, we’re all left without gas now!
— We’re not damaging anything, — Anna calmly replied. — We just want the law followed.
— What law? — the chairman joined in. — The pipe is already there, gas is connected. Why create problems now?
— Petr Alexandrovich, — Vasily said, — what if tomorrow someone decides to run a sewer line through your land? Will that also be “neighborly help”?
The chairman was at a loss for words. At that moment, Igor Krutov approached the crowd.
— What’s this gathering? What’s going on?
— Igor Nikolaevich! — Nina Ivanovna exclaimed happily. — Explain to them that they misunderstood everything!
Krutov looked around at the crowd and smiled smugly.
— I already know what they’re up to. Trying to disrupt the entire association’s gas connection.
— We’re not disrupting anything! — Anna retorted. — We just demand you get permission to lay the pipe through our land.
— And if I don’t? — the neighbor challenged.
— Then dismantle the pipe and reroute it.
Igor laughed theatrically:
— Are you crazy? I’ve already invested fifty thousand! I won’t dismantle anything!
— Then we’ll file an official complaint, — Vasily declared.
— Go ahead! — Krutov waved him off. — I have connections, it’ll be sorted out. But life here will get… difficult for you after that.
It sounded like a direct threat.
The next morning Anna was awakened by shouting from the yard:
— Mom! Mom! It smells like gas here!
It was Danila Krutov, standing by the pipe holding a soccer ball. Anna looked out the window and saw gas leaking from a damaged section of pipe.
— Vasily! — she called her husband. — Something’s wrong!
They ran outside and indeed smelled a sharp odor. Gas was slowly leaking from the pipe.
— Danila, what did you do? — Svetlana ran out of the house.
— I didn’t mean to! The ball hit the pipe hard… It’s just a small dent.
— Small? — Igor shouted as he rushed over. — There’s gas leaking!
The smell grew stronger. People started coming out of their houses, realizing something serious was happening.
— We need to call the emergency service! — Nina Ivanovna shouted.
— What do we say? — Svetlana panicked. — That we have an illegal connection?
Igor looked frightened for the first time:
— Everyone stay away from the pipe! And no smoking!
Anna and Vasily watched from the side. Now hiding the unauthorized connection was impossible.
Half an hour later the emergency crew arrived. The specialists quickly shut off the gas supply and inspected the damage.
— Who did the connection? — the chief technician asked.
Krutov tried to explain something but was cut off:
— Where are the permits for running through three properties?
— What permits? — Igor tried to evade.
— The pipe runs through others’ land. Did you have the owners’ consent?
There was a pause. Neighbors exchanged looks.
— Unauthorized connection, — the chief stated. — Who exactly did the work?
At that moment another vehicle arrived, and among the workers appeared the familiar Semyon.
— Semyon Ivanovich, — the chief called out. — Were you the one who did this?
The gas worker looked pale.
— I thought it was legal… The client said everything was arranged and even paid extra…
The chief shook his head.
— Thought? Didn’t bother to check documents?
Semyon looked down.
By evening, the situation took an official turn: Krutov was fined 200,000 rubles for unauthorized connection and safety violations. Semyon was fired, and gas was shut off on the entire street until everything was resolved.
— Well, are you happy now? — Nina Ivanovna reproached Anna. — Because of you, everyone is left without gas!
— Nina Ivanovna, — Anna replied wearily, — it’s not our fault. Krutov broke the rules.
— Come on! If you hadn’t been stubborn, nothing would have happened!
— What if my grandson was playing near the pipe when it burst? — Anna asked. — What would you say then?
The retiree was thoughtful and, finding no answer, left.
Igor spent a week trying to use his connections, going to various offices, but the case was serious — the leak could have caused a tragedy. In the end, he had to pay the fine and completely dismantle the illegal branch at his own expense. The new legal connection cost another 150,000.
Petr Alexandrovich, realizing his patronage was now public knowledge, submitted his resignation.
— You know, — Anna once told her husband, watching neighbors officially connect gas, — if he had done everything legally from the start, he would have spent less money and effort.
— Yeah, — Vasily agreed. — But some people think they can do whatever they want until life teaches them otherwise.
The neighbors gradually began to get along better. Nina Ivanovna even apologized. But the Krutovs never reconciled with them. Soon the couple sold the house and moved away, citing exhaustion from conflicts.
The new owners turned out to be friendly and law-abiding. They officially registered all the gas connection documents.
— See? — Anna smiled. — And you said we got involved for nothing.
— Not for nothing, — Vasily shook his head. — If we’d stayed silent, who knows what else they would have run through our land — water, electricity, sewage… You have to be principled to set boundaries.
Anna fully agreed with him.