Nobody said anything at first. A couple neighbors gave me looks, sure, but nothing direct. Then one morning, I walked outside with my coffee, already halfway thinking about the day ahead, and the truck was gone. Just gone. The space where it had been sitting the night before looked almost too empty, like it had never been there at all.
At first, I thought it had been stolen. My heart dropped into my stomach. I even spun around like maybe I’d parked it somewhere else without remembering, which didn’t make sense. But your brain does weird things when something disappears like that. I called the police. They ran the plate, asked a few questions, then one of them said almost casually, “Yeah, it was Toad.
” And I remember just standing there like, “Toad? By who? For what?” I hadn’t gotten a ticket, no warning, no notice taped to my door, no email, nothing. So, I tracked it down to a tow yard about 20 minutes away. One of those places with chainlink fences and rows of cars that all look equally miserable.
The guy behind the counter didn’t even look up at first, just asked for my plate number like he’d done it a thousand times that day. I paid the fee, 280 bucks, and asked him who authorized the toe. He shrugged and said, “Hoa request.” That’s when the confusion turned into something else. Not angry yet, but close.
I asked what the reason was, and he slid a form across the counter, barely even looking at me. Unauthorized commercial vehicle parked overnight. I remember staring at that line for a second longer than I should have, like maybe if I looked at it hard enough, it would make sense, but it didn’t because I already knew the city ordinance.
I checked it when I first moved in just to be safe. Commercial vehicles were allowed on public streets as long as they weren’t oversized or blocking access, and mine wasn’t. Still, I figured, okay, maybe it’s a misunderstanding. Maybe someone complained. Maybe the HOA just got overzealous. So, I brought the truck back, parked it in the exact same spot, went inside, and tried to let it go.
