Darlene came. I hadn't expected her to. She walked in at five to seven, alone, in a navy blazer instead of the lavender vest. The room went silent for her the way it had once gone silent for me. She sat down in her old chair at the end of the head table, opened a leather folio, and uncapped a pen.
Trevor leaned toward the microphone. "Um. Mrs. Fisk. Since this meeting was called by petition to consider your removal, the bylaws say it has to be chaired by a director who isn't the subject of the—"
"I'm aware of the bylaws, Trevor," Darlene said. "I wrote half of them."
"Yes, ma'am. It's the other half that says you can't chair this one."
The laugh was short and startled. After a moment, Darlene capped her pen and moved to a folding chair in the front row.
Sharon Pike chaired it, with her hands shaking. Before she opened the floor, she said, "I signed those letters because Darlene told me the board had discussed them, and I didn't want to be the one who asked. I didn't ask a lot of things." She looked at me. "I'm sorry, Nell. I'll be resigning tonight, whatever the vote is."
Then Darlene stood and turned to face the room. She had notes on cream-coloured cardstock. I recognised it with a jolt, because it was mine. I found out later she'd bought it from my shop in June under her sister's name. I still don't know what to do with that.
"For eight years," she said, "I have given my time to this community without pay and without thanks. There's a legal process happening, and I won't discuss it. But I want you to remember who cared. Every one of you with a nice yard and a safe street has me to thank for it." She looked up from the cards. "I protected this neighborhood from people like her."
She didn't point at me. She didn't need to.
Bev had told me not to speak, because of the lawsuit. I stood up anyway, because I had stood up in that room once before and wanted to know whether I still could.
"I didn't come to see anyone punished," I said. "That's happening somewhere else, and it isn't up to me. I came to vote for a board that reads the documents before it enforces them. They're not very long." I looked at Darlene. "And the kenaf comes down on Saturday. You'll have your sunset back. I hope you get to see it."
The vote was by written ballot. Removal passed a hundred and twelve to nine. Nominations came from the floor. Marisol was elected president after Pam Oyelaran nominated her, saying, "She works nights in the ER and she has never once fined me for anything." Hal Brennan became treasurer. Gus was nominated for secretary and declined because he didn't type. He was elected anyway, by a voice vote so loud he gave up and said he'd take the minutes in pencil.