“Go ahead. Finish.”
A pink sleeve appeared beside him.
Then Brenda’s blonde head rose above the fence line.
Large sunglasses.
Pink blouse.
Pearl earrings.
She looked down.
The smugness disappeared when she saw Marcus filming.
“What are you doing?”
Marcus almost laughed.
“What am I doing?”
“This was an accident.”
Behind him, Danielle said:
“An accident?”
Brenda looked toward the family.
“Oh.”
That single word told Marcus more than any explanation could.
She had not known they were outside.
Or perhaps she knew Marcus might be.
She had not expected the entire Reed family to be sitting directly beneath the garbage.
Tyler lowered the bin.
“Mom.”
“Quiet.”
Marcus zoomed slightly.
“Do not move that bin.”
Brenda’s face hardened.
“You don’t get to order my son around.”
“You’re standing behind my fence dumping garbage into my yard.”
“It tipped.”
Marcus looked at the mountain of trash.
“By itself.”
“The wheels caught.”
“While he was holding it over an eight-foot fence.”
Brenda removed her sunglasses.
“Don’t start.”
Danielle stepped beside Marcus.
Her hands were shaking with anger.
“Brenda, my mother-in-law has garbage on her clothes.”
Gloria called from behind them:
“I’m all right.”
Danielle did not turn.
“That isn’t the point.”
Brenda looked irritated.
“We were clearing debris.”
Marcus asked:
“From where?”
“The common area.”
“Which common area?”
“Behind the clubhouse.”
Marcus nodded toward Tyler.
“So your son dragged clubhouse garbage three blocks, climbed onto something behind my fence, lifted it above his head, and accidentally dumped it into my yard.”
Tyler looked at the ground.
Brenda answered for him.
“Yes.”
Samuel laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
“Boy, that is one hardworking accident.”
Brenda’s eyes narrowed.
Marcus looked toward Danielle.
“Get pictures before anyone touches anything.”
Danielle nodded.
She immediately began photographing the patio.
Aaron pulled his phone out too.
Renee started recording from the table.
Brenda noticed.
“Oh, come on.”
Marcus looked back at her.
“What?”
“You’re turning this into some production.”
“You brought the production.”
“It’s garbage.”
“It’s my backyard.”
Brenda crossed her arms.
“You always do this.”
Marcus lowered the phone slightly.
“Do what?”
“Make everything adversarial.”
Marcus stared.
Samuel muttered:
“She threw garbage on a birthday cake and called you adversarial.”
Marcus almost smiled.
He did not.
Brenda continued.
“We’ve spent months trying to work with you.”
“No. You’ve spent months sending notices.”
“Because you refuse compliance.”
“With what?”
“Community standards.”
“Be specific.”
“There.”
She pointed.
“That.”
“What?”
“That attitude.”
Marcus laughed.
“Still not a rule.”
Tyler whispered:
“Mom, can we go?”
Brenda looked at him.
“Not yet.”