Gary said, “Those peppers were a trap.”
I said, “Gary, a trap implies I placed something designed to harm you. Peppers growing in a garden are not a trap. The fact that you couldn’t tell the difference between cherry tomatoes and Carolina Reapers might suggest that harvesting other people’s plants without their knowledge is not a skill you have refined.”
Someone in the third row made a sound. It was laughter, quickly stifled, but laughter.
Ted Blalock cleared his throat. He said, “Gary, I want to be direct with you. The footage Ellen has shared shows you accessing her private property without authorization on multiple occasions. That is a serious matter regardless of what plants are in her garden.”
Gary said, “The fence is—”
Ted said, “Six feet of private boundary, Gary. Ellen owns everything on her side.”
Gary looked at the table.
Ted said, “Ellen, what outcome are you looking for from the board?”
I said, “I want a formal HOA notice to Gary acknowledging that accessing another resident’s private garden over a shared fence constitutes trespass and is a violation of section 8 of the CC&Rs regarding property boundaries and neighbor relations. I want that notice to include a warning that future incidents will result in fines and referral to the appropriate authorities.”
Ted looked at the other board members. They nodded one by one.
Ted said, “The board agrees. Gary, you’ll receive written notice within the week.”
Gary stood up. He looked at me. He said with some heat, “You planned this.”
I said, “I grew peppers in my garden, Gary.”
He said, “You put them there for me.”
I said, “I put them there for my garden. What you do in your own yard is your business. What you do in my garden over my fence without my permission is very much the board’s business, apparently.”
He walked out.
Frances beside me opened her purse and looked at the printed Carolina Reaper photograph. She considered it for a moment, then put it back. She said quietly, “Saved for another day.”
What Gary did next.
I want to tell you that Gary reflected on his behavior and became a better neighbor. I want to tell you that.
What Gary actually did was go home, get on his computer, and post about the situation on the neighborhood social media group—the community Facebook page that approximately half of Willowbrook Estates uses to share lost-pet notices and road-work updates and occasional heated debates about leaf blowers.
His post said—and I am paraphrasing because the post has since been deleted—that a neighbor had grown toxic plants near their fence specifically to harm him, and that he had been made ill by these plants, and that the HOA had sided with the neighbor without a proper investigation.
The post received forty-one comments.