"Hey, guys. What's going on?"
The teenagers turned.
The girl smiled.
"Morning!"
Anthony looked toward the gate.
"How did you get in here?"
The boy gestured casually.
"Victoria said it was okay."
Anthony frowned.
"Victoria Whitmore?"
The girl nodded.
"She said this is one of the neighborhood pools."
Anthony felt his stomach tighten.
He stepped onto the patio.
"Guys, this is a private pool. It's part of my house."
The teenagers looked confused.
The boy glanced toward the fence.
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
The girl immediately climbed toward the steps.
"Oh. Sorry. We thought it was shared."
Anthony believed them.
They seemed genuinely surprised.
He asked them to leave safely and told them they should always verify permission before entering someone's backyard.
They apologized.
Then collected their belongings.
Anthony watched them go.
He was annoyed.
But he assumed the situation resulted from a misunderstanding.
He wouldn't make that assumption again.
Victoria appeared twenty minutes later.
She wore a floral summer dress and large sunglasses.
Anthony met her near the driveway.
"Victoria, did you tell two teenagers they could use my pool?"
She smiled.
"Oh, Anthony. They were just enjoying the weather."
"That wasn't my question."
Her expression changed slightly.
She lowered her sunglasses.
"I told them the neighborhood had access to recreational amenities."
Anthony stared.
"My pool isn't a community amenity."
Victoria laughed.
"Well, technically, your property is inside the HOA."
He nodded.
"So is yours."
"Exactly."
"That doesn't make my kitchen a community restaurant."
For a moment, Victoria seemed offended.
Then she forced a smile.
"There's no need to be difficult."
Anthony folded his arms.
"I'm not being difficult. I'm telling you the pool is private."
She waved one hand.
"Of course. I'll make sure they understand."
He nodded.
"Thank you."
Victoria started walking away.
Then turned.
"You know, Anthony, this neighborhood would benefit from homeowners being a little more generous."
He looked toward her.
She continued.
"We all contribute to the community."
Anthony remained calm.
"I'm happy to contribute to legitimate community activities. But that doesn't mean strangers can enter my backyard."
Victoria's smile disappeared.
For several seconds, she stared.
Then said coldly, "We'll see what the board thinks."
She walked away before Anthony could answer.
Three days later, he came home from work and found four teenagers in the pool.
Two were the teenagers from Sunday.
The others were friends.
There were towels scattered across the patio and empty soda cans near the fence.
Anthony stopped beside the gate.
"What are you doing here?"
The teenagers froze.
One girl looked embarrassed.