I hand-delivered it to the HOA president’s mailbox that evening. A man named Gordon Hale. Mid-fifties. Real estate developer. The kind of guy who wears polo shirts with his company logo and thinks volume equals authority.
Then I went home and waited.
The response came two days later—certified mail, return receipt requested, from the HOA’s attorney.
“Dear Mr. Morrison, We are in receipt of your notice of easement revocation dated [date]. While we acknowledge an unfortunate miscommunication regarding tree removal, we do not believe this constitutes grounds for revocation under the agreement. The trees in question were believed to be located on HOA property based on survey records. We request an immediate meeting to resolve this matter amicably.”
I called Patricia. “They’re calling it a miscommunication.”
“Of course they are. Did they offer to pay for the trees?”
“No. They want a meeting to ‘resolve it amicably.’”
