Neighborhood Watch (16 page)

“Pretty house,” Kristin said. “Expensive things.”

Teddy nodded, half looking, his concentration on the presentation he expected to make to the committee.

“They’ll be just a few more minutes,” Marilyn said returning. “Can I get anyone

anything?”

“No, thank you,” Teddy said. Kristin shook her head.

“How about you, Jennifer? I have chocolate covered frozen vanilla yogurt on a stick.”

Jennifer looked up at Kristin.

“If you want one, honey, say ‘Yes, thank you.’ ”

“Yes, thank you,” Jennifer parroted. Marilyn’s smile widened and softened.

“I love your decor,” Kristin said. “I favor traditional, too.”

“Do you? Good. Sometimes I feel like I’m holding up the cause alone,” Marilyn said.

“I’ll be right back.” She went to the kitchen and Kristin turned to the picture window. She saw the rocker and gazed out at the street.

“They have a clear view of our street and the one adjacent from here,” Kristin

commented. “Almost as if they look down on everyone.”

“So?” Teddy remained standing near the doorway, anxious to make his presentation.

“I wonder if she saw anything.”

“What? What are you talking about? Saw what?”

“What happened to Angela Del Marco.”

“Oh. Don’t bring it up,” he warned as Marilyn returned with the yogurt on a stick.

“Say ‘Thank you,’ honey,” Kristin prompted.

“Thank you.”

“Take the napkin and don’t let it drip,” Kristin ordered.

“It’s all right,” Marilyn said quickly. It had been so long since she’d had to worry about anything like that, she almost welcomed a little smudge. “Let her enjoy.”

“I would have chosen furnishings like yours,” Kristin continued, “if our home hadn’t come already furnished.”

“Would you? Well, you’ll change it to your own liking over time, I’m sure,” Marilyn said.

They all turned at the sound of footsteps and then Philip Slater’s appearance. He smiled.

“Evening, folks.”

“Hi,” Teddy said. He shook Philip’s hand.

“We’re ready for you now. Hi there, Jennifer,” he said. Jennifer backed up a few steps and brushed against Marilyn who instinctively put her hand on the little girl’s shoulder.

“Why doesn’t Jennifer stay with me while you two go in,” Marilyn suggested. She

smiled down at her. “Would you like to stay with me? I’ll show you my collection of dolls.”

Jennifer’s eyes widened with interest.

“Will you wait with Mrs. Slater, honey?” Kristin asked. Jennifer gazed at Philip and then nodded. “Thank you,” Kristin said to Marilyn.

“Oh, we’ll have fun. Come on, Jennifer.” She extended her hand. “The dolls are all in the sewing room.”

“Right this way,” Philip indicated. “Beautiful evening, isn’t it? How I pity those poor souls trapped in some urban cage where the buildings block out the stars.”

He opened the office door. The seats had been rearranged for a hearing with the

committee seated on both sides of Philip’s desk. Nikki Stanley sat on the right end with Sid Levine beside her. She looked irritated, her lips pencil thin, her eyes picking up the dull, yellow illumination from the side lamp. Sid Levine appeared businesslike in his jacket and tie, but on the other side of the desk, Vincent McShane slouched, his lower shirt button undone with some of his stomach flowing over the belt buckle. His thick lips were twisted in an uneven smile resembling the grin of someone who had been on a

drunken bender. Larry Sommers, tall and lean with thin dark hair, looked bored and

impatient.

Two chairs had been set up just inside the door, facing the committee.

“Have a seat,” Philip said indicating them. He walked around to the back of his desk and sat. “I think you know everyone, don’t you, Ted?”

“I don’t,” Kristin said sharply.

“Of course. Sorry. Nikki, you know. Sid Levine, Jean’s husband, Vincent McShane,

Eileen’s husband, and Larry Sommers, Charlotte’s husband.” All of the men nodded.

“I have yet to meet Eileen and Charlotte,” Kristin said. “Of course, I’ve spoken to Eileen,” she added. “She was the one who first called us, officially.”

Philip nodded, sympathetically and then raised his eyebrows.

“You know, it really is time for us to arrange a gettogether,” he said.

“Yes, it is,” Vincent McShane said emphatically.

“We’re all workaholics around here, I’m afraid,” Philip added with a tight smile. “Don’t know how to relax.”

“I suggested something like that as a way to get to know everyone,” Kristin said. She turned toward Nikki. “But I was told that was inefficient.”

“Yes, well, that’s a whole other issue,” Philip said. “Let’s get down to the point at hand.

Nikki,” he said shifting in his seat so he faced her. She raised her clipboard and read.

“This is an official hearing of the Emerald Lakes Board of Trustees, called to consider the formal appeal of Theodore and Kristin Morris of Emerald Lakes. The Morrises are asking for a variance concerning article seven point five, use restrictions applying to animals. To wit, pets.” She looked up.

“I quote: Except for caged birds and tropical fish in aquariums no bigger than six feet in length, three feet in width and three feet in height, no animals, reptiles, or insects shall be kept in any residence. This specifically refers to dogs of any breed and cats of any breed.”

She sat back, a ripple of satisfaction flowing through her face.

“All right,” Philip Slater said. “Now, Nikki, you received a letter as head of the

Neighborhood Watch, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe you better read it into the record. Sid?”

“Yes, she should,” Sid Levine replied.

Nikki began, not looking down at the letter on her clipboard:

“Dear Mrs. Stanley,

We would like to appeal to the board of trustees for a variance concerning the restriction on pets.We have a nine-week-old toy poodle puppy we have purchased for our daughter.

It is a full breed poodle with papers and it will be kept on our grounds. If taken off our grounds, it will be on a leash. We guarantee that our dog will not invade anyone else’s property or create any annoying noise. This is a small dog, a house pet. Please give us consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Theodore and Kristin Morris”

“You memorized our letter?” Kristin asked, amazed. Nikki smirked.

“It wasn’t all that difficult to do,” she said.

“Is that your letter?” Philip asked Ted.

“Yes, it is.”

“Did you want to add anything to your letter, Ted?”

“Not really. It says it all. I know I should have read that restriction, but even if I had, I would have appealed to the committee. We have more than enough space in our yard for so small a pet. The truth is no one will even know he’s there.”

He smiled and shifted in his chair to look at everyone on the committee.

“There is something I want to add,” he said after a dramatic pause. “Moving into a new community, a new home, is a traumatic experience for everyone, especially a child. The puppy has done wonders for my daughter in just the short time we’ve had him,” he

concluded, anticipating, hoping for a nod of understanding from at least one member. Not a head moved; not an eye blinked.

“You should know that you’re not the first resident who has asked for a variance

concerning this restriction,” Larry Sommers said. “Matter of fact, I think we’ve had at least four or five, haven’t we, Nikki?”

“Five,” she said sharply, her eyes fixed on Teddy and Kristin.

“Well, that suggests to me that the restriction is not popular here,” Teddy said quickly.

“Five over five years,” Nikki said with a condescending smile. “That’s less than fifteen percent of our community. Hardly an indication of anything significant.”

“The thing is,” Philip said softly, “we’ve turned down these other five applications for a variance concerning pets.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have,” Kristin said.

“Well, we did. It puts us in something of a bind. We all recognize your arguments and we’re sympathetic, but we just don’t think it would be fair to grant you a variance and not the others.”

“So. Grant the others, too,” Kristin said. “It won’t bring down the development.”

“It will chip away at one of the things that makes our property more valuable and more desirable,” Sid Levine said softly. “When most prospective buyers discover they won’t have problems with neighbors’ pets, they’re happy.”

“Look, we’re guaranteeing no one will have problems with ours. If there’s one justified complaint, we’ll get rid of the dog ourselves,” Teddy pleaded. “That’s reasonable, isn’t it?”

“It’s reasonable, but it’s not fair, nor is it wise. We’ve got to protect our CC and R’s,”

Philip Slater said in a firmer and more formal tone. “They are the fabric, the glue that holds our development together and makes it stand out from all the others in the state, in fact, in the country.”

“But it is fair,” Kristin insisted. “We won’t be violating any of the reasons for having the restriction. No one will be bothered.”

“You didn’t read the restrictions and you went ahead and bought a pet that violates the article,” Nikki said. “Now you want us to cover up your mistake. That is most definitely unfair. To tell you the truth, I was upset that you put the committee in this position. Not to mention the effect it’s already had on other Emerald Lakes children, who have heard your daughter bragging about her poodle. Now they want to know why they can’t have a dog or a cat.”

“I think she has a valid point,” Philip said.

“A toy poodle is going to bring down this development? Is that what you’re telling us?”

Kristin asked in a shrill voice, her eyes wide with fury and frustration. No one spoke for a long moment. Then Philip sat forward.

“One hole in the dike eventually widens and leads to a flood,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’ve seen this happen time after time in other developments. Take Whispering Pines, for example. They’ve granted so many variances, their CC and R’s are a joke. If you

compare our property value with theirs, however, you will see a sharp difference. A comparable home in Whispering Pines sells for fifty to sixty thousand less. We might seem unreasonable and hard to you, but when, if ever, you decide to sell your home, you will appreciate all this and thank us,” he said. He sat back. Everyone relaxed. Nikki put the clipboard on her lap and Sid Levine closed his notebook.

“So that’s it? You read our request and gave us this hearing even though you already had made up your minds?” Kristin asked.

“We granted you the hearing because it’s procedure and we gave you the opportunity to add something to your arguments and request. We will discuss the things you’ve said and take another vote on the matter.”

“Thank you,” Teddy said, quickly jumping in ahead of Kristin, who looked like she was about to tell them all where and how to get off. “As I said at the start, I admit fault in not reading about the restriction, but I hope you will consider the particular circumstances.”

Philip nodded.

“Anyone have any other questions for the Morrises?”

One by one they looked down. Philip stood. Teddy followed, but Kristin didn’t move.

“I don’t believe this,” she said. “I really don’t believe this.”

“Kristin.”

She rose quickly and spun around, pulling the door open before Teddy could get to it. He followed her down the corridor.

“Kristin.”

“Let’s just get out of here, Teddy.” She looked in the living room. “Where’s Jennifer?”

She marched through the living room. “Mrs. Slater!”

“In here,” Marilyn called from the sewing room. Kristin stepped through the doorway and stopped. The room was inundated with dolls—rag dolls, antique dolls, dolls from other countries—doll clothing, doll houses, little carriages.

“Wow,” she said.

“It’s my hobby,” Marilyn said, smiling.

Kristin shook her head.

“Look, Mommy!”

Jennifer was on the floor with two dolls in her lap.

“I see, Jen. This must be a very valuable collection,” Kristin said, gazing around.

“I don’t know. I really don’t do it for the money. It started when I realized I hadn’t thrown out a single doll in my life. My parents and my relatives bought me dolls for every occasion. Philip started me on the dolls from other countries after . . . sometime ago.”

“It’s great. Come on, Jennifer. We’re going home. Thank Mrs. Slater.”

Jennifer stood up and handed the dolls to Marilyn.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome, honey. And you can come up and play with the dolls any time you

want,” Marilyn added. Jennifer’s eyes brightened with expectation. “How was your

meeting?” Marilyn asked.

“Futile, I think,” Kristin said.

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I.” She reached out for Jennifer’s hand and they started toward the front door with Marilyn Slater following. Teddy was waiting at the door.

“Daddy, you should see all the dolls!” Jennifer exclaimed.

“Oh?”

“She has a remarkable collection, Ted.”

“Oh. Thank you for keeping your eye on the little princess,” he said.

“It was nothing. She’s delightful. Come see me again, Jennifer.”

“Okay,” Jennifer said. Teddy opened the door and the three of them walked out. Marilyn watched them go down the driveway and then closed the door and went into the living room to sit in her rocker. She continued to watch them walk down the street until they reached their home and disappeared within. Shortly afterward, she heard the committee meeting break up and rose to say good night. After they had all gone, she turned to Philip.

“What did you decide, Philip?”

“What could we decide?” he responded defensively and returned to his office.

All the way home and even while Kristin was getting her ready for bed, Jennifer went on and on about Mrs. Slater’s dolls. Some of them had names, and there were boy dolls, too!

Then, after Jennifer had brushed her teeth, she stood in the bathroom with a puzzled look on her face.

“Mommy,” she asked, “where is Mrs. Slater’s little boy?”