For a moment, she seemed to expect him to apologize.
Or offer to pay.
Or admit that his landscaping project had somehow been directed at her.
Arthur did none of those things.
He simply stood beside the new garden bed, looking at the vehicle that had driven onto it.
Brenda marched back to the SUV.
She climbed inside.
Closed the door.
And started the engine again.
Arthur stepped away from the vehicle.
The engine revved.
The tires spun.
Loose mulch shifted beneath them.
The SUV rocked slightly, but the front wheels remained trapped.
Brenda tried reversing.
Then moving forward.
Then reversing again.
Each attempt disturbed more of the loose material.
The vehicle settled unevenly.
A neighbor called from the sidewalk.
"Maybe you should stop spinning the tires!"
Brenda ignored him.
She tried once more.
The engine rose sharply.
The wheels turned.
The SUV moved perhaps an inch.
Then stopped.
Finally, Brenda shut off the engine.
She sat motionless behind the wheel.
Arthur could see her staring straight ahead.
The entire situation had become painfully public.
And the most embarrassing part was that nobody had forced her to drive onto the lawn.
She had done it herself.
After several minutes, Brenda opened the door and stepped out again.
She took out her phone.
Her movements were quick and irritated.
She walked toward the sidewalk, away from the growing group of neighbors, and called a towing service.
Arthur returned to the porch.
He picked up his coffee.
It had gone cold.
He took a sip anyway.
Across the yard, Brenda paced while speaking into the phone.
The tow company apparently asked where the vehicle was located.
Brenda looked toward the SUV.
She hesitated.
Then answered.
"It's on a lawn."
There was another pause.
She glanced toward Arthur.
"No, not my lawn."
Arthur looked down at his cup.
He could almost imagine the conversation on the other end.
The tow operator would have questions.
Where was the vehicle?
How far from the pavement?
Was it stuck in mud?
Sand?
Loose soil?
And how had it gotten there?
Brenda continued pacing.
Finally, she ended the call.
"They'll be here in about an hour," she announced.
Arthur nodded.
"All right."
Brenda looked at him sharply.
"That's all you have to say?"
"What would you like me to say?"
She opened her mouth.
Then looked toward the neighbors.
Several were still standing nearby.
One had begun discussing the depth of the mulch with another homeowner.