Retired guy, lived four houses down, been there 15 years. He came over one afternoon while I was in the driveway sorting through boxes, still unpacking, and introduced himself. No agenda, no pamphlet, just a guy being a neighbor. We ended up talking for about 40 minutes. He gave me the rundown. Who was quiet, who threw parties, which kid kept leaving his bike in the middle of the sidewalk.
Normal stuff, the kind of briefing you only get from someone who’s been paying attention for a long time. I liked Frank immediately. Toward the end of the conversation, he nodded across the street, not pointing, just a nod. You met Brenda yet? I told him no. Seen her once pulling into her garage. That was it.
Frank kind of paused like he was picking his next words out of a lineup. She’s very involved with the HOA. Just keep your paperwork organized. I laughed. Thought he was being dramatic. He wasn’t. Brenda came over on a Wednesday, maybe 4 days after I moved in. She had a small plant, one of those little succulents in a ceramic pot, and a smile that looked like it had been rehearsed in the mirror.
Welcome to the neighborhood. Nice enough, normal enough. She handed me the plant. I said, “Thanks.” And I figured that would be it. But Brenda didn’t leave. She just kind of stayed, started looking around. The truck, the driveway, the boxes still stacked by the garage. So, is that your main vehicle? The truck? I said, “Yeah.
” “And you park it here on the side?” I told her that was the plan. “The driveway was right there.” Made sense. She nodded. Kept nodding like she was filing things away inside her head. Her husband Doug was standing a few steps behind her the whole time. Didn’t say a word. Just gave me one of those polite nods that guys give when they’ve learned it’s easier to stay quiet.
I didn’t think much of it then. I think about it now. Before she left, Brenda mentioned she was on the HOA board. Then she mentioned it again about 2 minutes later. Different sentence, same information. Secretary for 7 years. I basically know these rules better than the people who wrote them. She laughed when she said it.
