A grin spread across his face for a split second. Then he gained control of his emotions. “I’m afraid I’m not. Are you sure you don’t want to go inside?”
I ignored his question. My eyes bulged, and my nostrils flared. “I have never heard of something so outrageous in my entire life. The woman is a lunatic! Have you seen her property? Her grounds are in complete disarray! She and her husband try to tend to it on their own and fail miserably. It is an utter mess! And if it wasn’t bad enough that her yard is covered with decaying foliage and dead branches, she has a pile of junk in her side yard a mile high. Every time I brush my teeth and look out of my bathroom window, I have to stare at the filth. It’s a disgrace. Yet she has the audacity to call the police because of a few stray leaves! And you come running as if a triple homicide had been committed? This is unbelievable.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” His eyes pierced mine. “However, we have to respond to every call we receive. You should feel free to call, too, if you need assistance.”
“Okay. But leaves circulating in a yard?” I ridiculed. “What are you going to do this time? Conduct a forensic examination to determine if the vegetation originated from one of my trees or one of hers?”
He held up his hands. “Please, calm down, Wa… Wait, you are overreacting and blowing this situation out of proportion. There is no way we’d waste taxpayer dollars on such a silly task.”
I let out a slow breath. “Well, that’s a relief. Thank you.” I reached for my door again. “If that’s all—”
He cut me off and held up his hands. “Unfortunately, it’s not. While there is nothing that I can do regarding the leaf situation, since I didn’t witness it occurring, a different issue came to light as a result of my visit.”
I swallowed hard. “And what, pray tell, might that be?”
A satisfied look spread across his face. “I arrived on the scene right as your landscapers were leaving the premises. I spoke to them briefly. They confirmed they were tending to your property this morning.”
“So what?”
“Well, are you aware this village has a new ordinance prohibiting landscapers and all other contractors, for that matter, from performing work on Sundays unless they are responding to an emergency. Was your autumn clean-up an urgent or dangerous situation?”
I closed my eyes. “No.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’m sorry. I am going to have to give you a citation.” He pulled a pad of paper from his back pocket and scribbled. Then he ripped off the page. I was surprised he exhibited enough manners to wait for me to open the screen door.
I took the paper from him and skimmed over the words. When I saw the amount, my heart momentarily stopped.
“Five hundred dollars!” I exclaimed. “This is a joke, right?”
“Nope,” he said smugly.Was he getting commission for these cockamamie charges?“You can always dispute the ticket if you feel it is unjust.”
And have to see him again in court? No thank you!
I placed my hands on my hips. “I moved here over two years ago, and I’ve seen landscapers and other tradespeople working practically every single Sunday. I’ve never heard of one person getting a fine. Not one!”
“Yeah.” He pursed his lips. “Laws constantly change and evolve. This rule is fairly new. It was only passed last week at the village’s last public meeting. I am assuming you didn’t attend?”
“Of course, I didn’t attend! I have a job! Who has time for such nonsense?”
“Nonsense?” He arched an eyebrow. “Interesting choice of words. It’s a shame you don’t take more interest in the community where you live. I believe it is always wise to be informed, but I’m sure you are not interested inmyopinion.”
“You’re right, I’m not.”
“No surprise,” he said. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Ms. Ensworth.” He turned around and walked away.
I slammed the door with so much force my house rattled and my cat ran under the couch. I couldn’t help myself. At the top of my lungs, I screamed. “Bastard!”
6
The outrageI felt yesterday morning didn’t subside in the slightest. In fact, the more I thought about the incident, the more agitated I became. I couldn’t stop replaying the scene in my mind.
My mom andperfectsister thought I was overreacting, as usual. They echoed the officer’s advice. Both of them told me I should become more informed about local news. My mom encouraged me to sign up for the village’s newsletter.Really?And my sister went so far as to tell me I should join the town’sMom and DadFacebook page!Has she lost her mind?Did she think I had the time or patience to weed through post after post about advancements in swing set technology?
I scoffed at all of their ideas, especially when they told me I should call my landscaper and make him pony up for the fine. I knew they had a point. However, I wasn’t comfortable with the concept. The man was trying to make a living, and he had a staff to pay. Clearly, the new law was obscure because I spotted at least five homes having lawns mowed when I conducted my own surveillance on my way to the supermarket for yogurt.
I was itching for a semi-unbiased opinion; I knew Sydney would be more reasonable than my family. And I was right, instead of jumping right in and finding my flaws, my friend listened intently as I gave her a play-by-play at lunch.
“And who the hell did that pompous jerk think he was trying to lecture me about becoming a better, informed citizen?”
