A few residents walked past on their way to the pool or the parking lot. One glanced at the grill and nodded. Another asked whether we were having a party. I told him it was breakfast turning into lunch, depending on how long the cooking took. Nobody seemed troubled by the appliance, the temporary reference marker, or the fact that I was standing on grass.
At 7:49, Linda appeared on the walkway near the pool gate. She had a takeaway coffee in one hand and her phone in the other. I saw her glance toward the grill, stop mid-step, and turn her whole body in my direction. The expression on her face was so immediate that I knew there would be a conversation whether I invited one or not.
I started a recording on my phone, keeping it plainly positioned near the cooler. I had checked the rules governing recording conversations in our location because I wasn't interested in collecting evidence unlawfully. I wanted a straightforward record of what was said, not a secret trap that would create another problem.
Linda crossed the grass quickly. She didn't acknowledge the temporary boundary marker or ask why I had moved the grill from the paved common area. Her attention seemed fixed on the fact that I had dared to bring the appliance outside again.
"Are you serious?" she demanded.
"Good morning, Linda."
"I told you this was prohibited."
"I remember."
"So turn it off."
"No."
"You are violating association rules."
"No."
"You're standing on association property."
"No."
She looked at me as though I were speaking another language. "I've served on this board for nine years. I know where our property ends."
"Then this should be easy to check."
For the first time, she noticed the reference stake. "What is that?"
"A temporary boundary reference."
"You can't put stakes in association property."
"This isn't association property."
She set her coffee on the nearby path with enough force that some of it splashed onto the lid. "Do you have any idea how much time the board spends dealing with people who think they can ignore the rules?"
"I'm sure it takes time."
"And you find it funny."
"No. I find it important to know which rule applies."
"You mock us every time we try to maintain standards."
"I asked you to show me the rule. That's not mockery."
Her voice rose enough that a man walking toward his car turned to look. She accused me of deliberately provoking the board, disrespecting volunteers, and making the neighborhood difficult for everyone else. I let her finish each sentence before answering, partly because interrupting would only make the exchange less useful and partly because she seemed perfectly willing to continue without help.
Then she said something I hadn't expected.
"I've been watching your unit since the dog incident."
I looked at the phone beside the cooler and then back at her. "What do you mean by that?"
"I know exactly which residents cause problems."
"Have we received some other violation notice?"
"Not yet."
"Then what have you been watching?"
She pointed toward building two. "Now that I know which unit is yours, it's only a matter of time before you give me something I can use."