“Oh.”Casey Fisher stands.“I, um, was wondering how you plan to pay for the big city ad agency you mentioned earlier.”
“Donations,” Kitty snaps.“Next.”
Donations?What donations?
“You.”Kitty points to someone on the other side of the room.
“I guess I had the same question as Casey.What donations?”
“We’re working on it.”My goodness, Kitty’s being evasive.No doubt it’s because she doesn’t actually have a plan.
That’s okay.I do that sometimes.I throw up an answer to get the question to disappear.We all do it.
Kitty hits the hammer and says, “Next up on the agenda….”
And that’s it.She really does take control of these meetings.It’s amazing considering she’s two hundred years old.
By the time Mona’s name is read, the crowd has gotten considerably smaller.People filtered out slowly after the initial discussion of the television show.When Kitty said, “Okay, Mona.What is it now?”I knew we were almost done.
Thank goodness.
“I’m here to address the issue I have regarding Velma Lou Hamlin’s excessive noise at herlatestproject.My tenant has issues.”
I can’t see the front of Mona, only her backside, but I hear an eye roll from here.Lots of people around here don’t get what I do.Sure, they see the before and after of my house projects, but they don’tseewhat I do.I’ve invited people in after I finish and I usually get a few walk-throughs, but for the most part, there’s a little indifference.Neighbors of my rehabs appreciate that I’m restoring old places which, in turn, makes their own properties more valuable, mostly.But I think it’s a woman thing.Many have old notions about what we, as women, should be doing.Luckily, our town is filled with people my age or younger and that attitude is changing.Slowly.
“Velma Lou, would you like to respond to this complaint?”Kitty asks, frowning at Mona.The two of them, well, they’re like oil and water.
Hell, everyone is like oil and water with Mona.
“Sure.”Standing, I move up to the front of the room until I’m next to Mona.“I follow the ordinance you laid out for me.I only use power tools from eight in the morning to five at night, Monday through Friday, and ten to three on Saturday.”
“That’s not what she’s doing.”
I turn my head slowly and glare at Mona.“Yes.It is.”
“My tenant—”
Kitty pounds her hammer.“We don’t have any complaints from any of the other neighbors, Desdemona.”
“Because they’re gone during the day.”
And because they’re also her tenants.Desdemona owns all the property surrounding the Little house.
“Aha.”I hold up my finger.“She said ‘during the day.’”And because her tenant is a worthless layabout, he’s at home all day.
“Some people sleep during the day,” Mona snaps.
“You’re telling me.”I’ve got my hands on my hips and I’m facing the old bag next to me.“That because your ‘tenant’”—I use air quotes for emphasis—“chooses to sleep all day, I can’t work?If I can’t work during the day, when can I work?”
Mona’s eyes turn into tiny slits.“You can’t.”
I lean in like I’m going to say something super-duper clever, but Kitty hits the hammer.“That’s enough.”
Looking left, then right, at the other council members, she holds up her finger to us.“Give us a minute.”
I watch as they turn their backs to us and roll their chairs closer to one another.And for the first time all night, I’m worried.
In no time, they’re all back.“Mona, the last time you complained about Velma Lou’s noise, you stated that your tenant went to bed early, therefore, she needed to stop using tools at five.Now, you’re saying he sleeps all day too?”
