Trash collection stopped.
Landscaping stopped.
Streetlights stopped being maintained.
And then the neighbors turned on Patty.
Thirty residents gathered outside her house.
She opened the door.
"Get off my property!"
"There is no board anymore!" someone shouted.
"You destroyed the HOA!"
"You cost us thousands!"
Patty slammed the door.
I watched from my porch.
Atlas sat beside me.
I drank my coffee.
For once, I didn't feel angry.
I felt tired.
Because the war had never really been about winning.
It had been about being left alone.
Judgment
Three months later, we stood in federal court.
The judge reviewed the evidence.
The HOA had violated federal housing protections.
They had engaged in discrimination.
They had retaliated.
They had harassed me.
And they had attempted to use their authority to punish a disabled veteran for having a service animal.
The judge announced the judgment.
Compensatory damages.
Punitive damages.
Legal fees.
Civil penalties.
The total approached half a million dollars.
Patty stared forward.
She looked smaller than I remembered.
The judge looked at me.
"Mr. Cole."
"Yes, Your Honor?"
"I hope this brings you some closure."
He paused.
"And give that dog a treat."
I smiled.
"I will."
Outside the courthouse, Saul put his hands in his pockets.
"There's one problem."
"What?"
"The HOA doesn't have the money."
"So?"
"So the homeowners will have to cover the debt."
I stared at him.