That surprised her.
“What?”
“Call them.”
So she did.
Then she went inside to change.
Meanwhile, breakfast continued.
I walked into the backyard.
For the first time in two years, it sounded like one of Robert’s mornings again.
People laughing.
Car doors closing.
Someone arguing about engines.
George was attempting to cook eggs on a portable griddle while three different men told him he was doing it wrong.
I laughed.
Really laughed.
And it caught me by surprise.
George looked over.
“There she is.”
“What?”
“We’ve missed that.”
I knew exactly what he meant.
One of the club members, Diane, handed me a cup.
“Robert’s coffee.”
I looked inside.
Black.
One sugar.
“He would’ve complained that you put the sugar in before giving it to him.”
“I know.”
My throat tightened.
Diane reached into her bag.
“I brought something.”
She handed me a photograph.
It had been taken in our driveway about eight years earlier.
Robert stood beside his old Pontiac with both hands raised because apparently somebody had caught him in the middle of giving instructions.
There were cars everywhere.
I touched the edge of the photograph.
“I’d forgotten this.”
“We haven’t.”
Arthur appeared beside me.
He looked around the yard.
“Robert would be happy to see this driveway full again.”
I swallowed.
“Yeah.”
For six months, Linda had kept telling me I barely used the driveway.
She wasn’t entirely wrong.
What she didn’t understand was why.
The driveway hadn’t become empty because it stopped mattering.
It became empty because Robert did.
Or at least, that was how I’d felt.
Around nine, a police car pulled up.
Linda came outside immediately.
The officer spoke to her first.
Then he came over to me.
“Are you the property owner?”
“Yes.”
“And these people are your guests?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know the owner of that SUV?”
“My neighbor.”
“Did you give her permission to park here?”
“No.”
He glanced toward the PRIVATE DRIVEWAY sign.
“Have you asked her not to?”
“Repeatedly.”
Linda interrupted.
“That’s not the issue. She’s deliberately blocking my vehicle.”
The officer looked at her.
“Ma’am, is your vehicle parked on your property?”
Linda hesitated.
“No, but—”
“Did she give you permission to park here today?”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“Can these vehicles be moved enough to let her retrieve the SUV?”
“After breakfast, absolutely.”
Linda exploded.
“After breakfast? I have work!”
The officer held up a hand.
“I’m trying to resolve this without making it more complicated.”
I wasn’t interested in turning the situation into a legal battle either.
I’d made my point.
I asked George and two others to move their cars.
Within ten minutes, there was enough space for Linda to back out.
Before she left, the officer spoke to her privately.
Don’t miss
I didn’t hear everything.
