“No.”
“Forty-five?”
“It belongs to my family.”
“That’s not a number.”
“No.”
He laughed.
Then finally noticed I was no longer being polite.
“All right, man.”
He backed toward the driveway.
“No need to get weird.”
“You walked into my garage without asking.”
The smile disappeared.
Tyler left.
That evening, Lorraine texted me.
Tyler says you two discussed the Chevelle. Charles and I would love to make a serious offer. We could come by tomorrow afternoon.
Charles Mercer was Lorraine’s husband.
Commercial real estate.
Small apartment developments.
Shopping strips.
Self-storage properties.
I knew that because I looked him up after receiving the text.
I replied.
The car is not for sale. Please ask Tyler not to enter my garage without permission again.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally:
Samuel, we are neighbors. No need to be unfriendly.
I did not answer.
The next afternoon, Lorraine and Charles arrived anyway.
Charles was sixty-two, broad through the middle, gray at the temples, and carried himself with the relaxed assurance of someone who had spent years watching people become more cooperative after hearing enough numbers.
He shook my hand.
“Sam.”
“Charles.”
“We won’t take much time.”
“I already told Lorraine the car isn’t for sale.”
He smiled.
“We understand.”
He looked toward the garage.
“But everybody has a price.”
“Not everybody.”
“Fifty thousand.”
“No.”
“Cash.”
“No.”
“Fifty-five.”
I almost laughed.
“Charles.”
He waited.
“My wife chose that car.”
The smile softened slightly.
“She died four years ago.”
Charles looked toward Lorraine.
“This isn’t an asset I’m negotiating.”
He nodded.
“I respect that.”
For a moment, I believed him.
Then he looked back.
“Sixty.”
I opened the front door.
“Have a good afternoon.”
Charles’s expression hardened just enough for me to notice.
Lorraine noticed too.
She took his arm.
“Come on.”
They walked away.
The first HOA violation arrived four days later.
UNREGISTERED / POTENTIALLY INOPERABLE VEHICLE VISIBLE FROM PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY.
Fine: $175.
The attached photograph showed the Chevelle inside my open garage while I washed the driveway.
The car had a current Georgia registration.
Classic-car insurance.
Valid plate.
Operational engine.
I uploaded all three documents.
The violation remained.
I emailed the HOA administrator.
No response.
Three days later, an automatic notice added a $50 administrative surcharge.
I paid it.
That probably sounds stupid.
Police chief receives obviously questionable HOA fine and pays it anyway.
I had a reason.
Arguments create noise.
Records create cases.
I wanted to know what they would do next.
The second violation came twelve days later.
EXCESSIVE AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR ACTIVITY / PROHIBITED COMMERCIAL WORK FROM RESIDENCE.
The evidence photograph showed my garage door open and the Chevelle on jack stands.
I was replacing a rear brake line.
No customers.
No signs.
No commercial tools.
No other vehicles.
Fine: $300.
I paid.
Then wrote down the date.
Third violation.