“Just protecting neighborhood standards.”
Then we waited.
The first knock came three days later.
Not from Vernon.
From the city.
Then the HOA.
Then a contractor truck showed up, sat for an hour, and left.
By the end of the week, his shed was marked for removal. His lights were disabled. He was issued citations. Fines stacked up. His precious “perfect” yard had neon tags stuck in it like warning labels.
The Facebook group exploded.
Vernon posted a long rant about “harassment” and “overreach.” People asked questions. Someone reposted his original message about protecting property values.
Someone else commented:
“Isn’t this the guy who iced his neighbor’s car?”
The likes disappeared.
The comments turned cold.
A few days later, I was outside washing my very much unfrozen Civic when Vernon finally crossed the street.
