“But community standards cannot exist entirely on trust.”
People nodded.
Walter didn't.
Patricia didn't.
But enough people did.
The fines grew.
Eventually, the HOA placed a lien on my property.
I challenged it.
This time, the fight would go to court.
The Courtroom
Six months after Martin became president, I stood in a courtroom with my permits, my old correspondence, the deputy report, the reversed fines, and the camera footage of Carol at my gate.
Ellen argued that the new rule was retaliation disguised as neutral policy.
The HOA attorney argued that the rule applied equally to every visually obstructed property.
He emphasized one fact.
The HOA was not asking to enter my land.
It was asking for photographs.
The judge listened carefully.
He criticized the HOA's earlier handling of the gate dispute.
He acknowledged that Carol's prior conduct was troubling.
But then came the ruling.
The new documentation rule was upheld.
It did not require physical entry.
It applied generally.
It had been properly adopted.
The court considered it a reasonable community standard.
Reasonable.
That word hurt more than any insult Carol had ever given me.
The lien remained.
The fines continued until I complied.
I appealed.
The appeal dragged on.
Legal fees accumulated.
The gate stayed closed.
But my peace didn't return.
Every quarter, another notice arrived.
Every meeting, my property appeared on the compliance report.
Every delivery truck made me wonder whether someone was watching.
I had won the morning with the deputies.
I lost the year that followed.
Then Walter died.
At his funeral, Patricia squeezed my shoulder.
“He hated what they did to you,” she whispered.
I nodded.
Walter had been the first person to tell me what Carol was really like.
He never lived long enough to see how much more effective she became.
The Price of Winning
The appeal failed that winter.
The court found no abuse of discretion.
No unlawful entry.
No sufficient evidence of selective enforcement.
No proof the rule existed solely as retaliation.
Solely.
Another word that could hide an entire weapon.