So she adapted.
She moved the food.
She put away several decorations.
She asked her friends to help keep an eye on the younger children.
But Karen did nothing.
She sat in a lounge chair.
She ate Sarah's food.
She checked her phone.
And occasionally she shouted:
"Kids! Be careful!"
Then immediately returned to her phone.
The situation deteriorated.
One of the boys discovered the diving board.
Sarah stepped toward him.
"Please don't use that without an adult."
Tyler jumped anyway.
Water crashed over the pool deck.
A potted hydrangea toppled sideways.
"Tyler!"
Sarah's voice finally rose.
Karen looked up.
"He'll be fine."
"The plant won't."
"It's only a plant."
Sarah stared at her.
"It was a gift."
Karen smiled.
"You can always buy another one."
That sentence hurt more than it should have.
Because Sarah knew Karen wasn't talking about the plant.
She was talking about everything.
Sarah's work.
Her home.
Her rules.
Her effort.
To Karen, all of it was simply something disposable.
Then came the chips.
A five-year-old boy climbed onto a chair near the food table.
He reached into a bowl.
Pulled out a chip.
Licked it.
Put it back.
Sarah froze.
He did it again.
"Excuse me."
The boy looked at her.
"What?"
"Please don't put food you've eaten back into the bowl."
He frowned.
"I'm making them better."
Karen walked over.
"What happened?"
Sarah pointed.
"He's licking the chips and putting them back."
Karen laughed.
"Oh, honey. Kids do weird things."
"It's a hygiene issue."
Karen picked up one of the chips.
"So?"
Sarah stared.
Karen ate it.
"See? Perfectly fine."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Sarah looked around.
Her guests were uncomfortable.
Khloe had stopped smiling.
David, the man Tyler had soaked earlier, quietly shook his head.
Sarah finally understood.
If she didn't stop this now, there might not be a party left to save.
Sarah walked toward the pool.
"Everyone, out for a minute."
The children ignored her.
She tried again.
"Please get out of the pool."
Tyler laughed.
"We're swimming."
"I know."
"Mom said we could."
Sarah looked at Karen.
Karen slowly stood.
"What exactly are you doing?"
"I'm closing the pool."
Karen's expression changed.
"Excuse me?"
"There have been too many unsafe things happening."
Karen stepped closer.
"My children are swimming."
"They were running around a wet concrete surface."
"They're fine."
"One of them almost slipped."
"Almost doesn't count."
Sarah pointed toward the pool.
"That's enough. Everyone out."
Karen's voice sharpened.
"You cannot tell my children when they can swim."
"Actually, I can. It's my pool."
Karen stared at her.
The music seemed suddenly too loud.
Sarah walked to the control panel.
She shut down the pool equipment.
The children began complaining.
"Mom!"
"She turned it off!"
"I wasn't done!"
Karen's face became red.
"Sarah, are you serious?"
"Completely."
"My children could drown."
Sarah looked at the shallow end.
"They're standing in four feet of water."
Karen's voice rose.
"You're accusing me of being a bad mother?"
"No."
"Yes, you are!"
"I'm saying that I won't allow unsafe behavior in my backyard."
Karen stepped closer.
"You don't even have children."
The sentence landed hard.
Sarah went quiet.
Khloe immediately stepped forward.
"Karen, don't."
But Sarah raised a hand.
"It's okay."
She looked directly at Karen.
"Whether I have children or not doesn't determine whether I can recognize dangerous behavior."
Karen folded her arms.
"You've always been uptight."
"And you've always ignored boundaries."
A few guests looked down.
Nobody wanted to become involved.
Karen pointed at Sarah.
"My kids were having fun."
"They weren't invited."
Karen laughed.
"That's your problem."
"No. That's yours."
The backyard became completely silent.
Sarah had never spoken to Karen like that.
Karen hadn't expected it.
For several seconds, neither woman moved.
Then Sarah said quietly:
"The pool is closed. Please collect your children and leave."
Karen's mouth fell open.
"You are unbelievable."
"I'm asking you to leave."
"You'll regret this."
Sarah nodded.
"Maybe."
Karen turned toward her children.
"Everybody out!"
The children slowly climbed from the pool.
Tyler deliberately stomped across the wet patio.
Sarah watched.
She said nothing.
She thought the confrontation was ending.
She was wrong.
The children gathered near Karen.
One of the younger girls was crying.
"I'm cold."
Karen glared at Sarah.
"Look what you've done."
Sarah remained calm.
"They're cold because they're wet."
"Because you shut off the pool."
"Because the party is over."
Tyler looked at his mother.
"Mom, she can't make us leave."
Karen answered immediately.
"Apparently she thinks she can."
Sarah pointed toward the driveway.
"I am asking you to leave my property."
Karen shook her head.
"This isn't over."
Sarah didn't respond.
She simply waited.
Karen gathered the children and began walking away.
Then one of the younger boys stopped.
He looked at Sarah.
A mischievous smile appeared.
He kicked the decorative bird bath.
It tipped over.
Ceramic shattered across the lawn.
Sarah stared.
Karen turned.
"Oops."
Sarah's voice became dangerously quiet.