His tone made the promise meaningless.
He expected me to continue arguing with him.
I could see it in his face.
He wanted me angry because anger would let him call me emotional and unreasonable.
So I smiled.
"Have a nice day, Sheldon."
His expression changed for half a second.
Then he gave me a smug little nod.
"You too."
I walked back home.
Once inside, I locked the door and stood in the kitchen until my hands stopped shaking.
Then I checked my security cameras.
I had installed them after someone stole packages from several houses on our block.
One camera covered the driveway and front yard.
The footage showed Sheldon leaving his house at 6:17 that morning.
He looked up and down the street, got into the SUV, backed out of his driveway, and drove directly onto my lawn.
He did not hesitate.
He did not need the space.
He parked, stepped out, looked at my front window, and smiled.
The whole thing was deliberate.
I saved the footage in three places.
Then I took pictures of the tire tracks, damaged flowers, and the SUV's position.
I also photographed the curb and the empty spaces along the street.
My first thought was to call the police.
My second was to have the vehicle towed.
Both options were reasonable, but I wanted Sheldon to understand something more important than the cost of a ticket.
I wanted him to understand that my kindness was not to be taken as weakness.
I called Elise, who served on the homeowners association board.
I did not love our HOA, but it was small and mostly concerned with basic property issues.
When Elise answered, I explained what happened.
She asked me to send the pictures and videos.
I did.
She called back five minutes later.
"That is unbelievable."
"He says it is only grass."
"It is not only grass. He drove over your landscaping."
"He has damaged part of my lawn."
I asked whether the HOA could help.
"We can issue a violation for driving and parking on another owner's lot," she said. "But I need a formal complaint."
