A special HOA meeting was called, and Marcus and Nia attended to observe.
Monica walked into the clubhouse wearing her signature crimson suit, holding her black handbook like a shield. She stepped up to the podium and attempted to call the room to order, but another board member immediately cut her off.
“We have a petition signed by sixty-three homeowners demanding your immediate removal as board president,” the member announced.
Monica’s face hardened. “This is organized retaliation over a private, external school misunderstanding.”
The elderly homeowner raised his cane from the second row. “No, Monica. The school incident simply showed all of us what you do when nobody is around to stop you.”
The vote was called. It passed overwhelmingly.
Without a word, Monica gathered her papers, packed her handbook into her purse, and walked out of the hall to complete silence.
Nia watched her leave.
“Do you feel bad for her?” Marcus whispered.
“No,” Nia said. “Do you?”
“A little,” Marcus admitted. “Consequences always feel like cruelty to people who have spent their whole lives avoiding them.”
Unstoppable
Six months later, Cedar Grove Middle School launched a peer-mentoring program designed to help incoming students with physical disabilities transition into middle school. Nia was the first to volunteer.
During her initial session in the school library, a sixth-grade girl in a manual wheelchair leaned toward Nia, looking nervous.
“What do you do when people try to push your chair or touch it without asking?” the girl asked softly.
Nia rested her hands on her wheels, her purple star spokes catching the sunlight streaming through the window.