Chapter 16: The Meeting
The meeting happened in Dana’s office.
Preston came with two attorneys, a board member, and the expression of a man swallowing broken glass.
I came with Mara.
Dana placed the survey on the table first.
Then the arborist report.
Then the valuation.
Six mature sycamores.
Replacement cost.
Loss of privacy.
Property damage.
Trespass.
Possible punitive damages.
And finally, the access road.
Preston’s attorney did most of the talking. Preston mostly stared at the table.
At one point, the board member said, “Surely we can all agree this got out of hand.”
Mara leaned forward.
“No,” she said. “It started out of hand. You just didn’t care until the gate went up.”
No one answered her.
Because everyone in that room knew she was right.
Power often calls itself reasonable only after consequences arrive… Continue Reading ⬇️