I stared at her for a moment, trying to determine if she was serious. "You want me to power your hot tub with my personal generator during a heat emergency?"
"It's not just a hot tub, Daniel. It's a medical device. I have a prescription for hydrotherapy."
"The power company estimates service will be restored in four to six hours. Your hot tub will be fine."
Patricia's expression hardened. "I'm not asking, Daniel. I'm telling you as HOA president: either you share your generator power voluntarily, or I'll have to call an emergency board meeting to discuss your lack of community spirit. We can make things very difficult for homeowners who don't cooperate."
I felt my jaw tighten. "Are you threatening me?"
"I'm informing you of the consequences of your actions—or inactions, as it were." She pulled out her phone. "I'm also going to need you to power the Hendersons' house next door. Carol Henderson has sensitive skin and absolutely needs her air conditioning."
"Patricia, my generator is sized for my house. I can't safely power additional homes without overloading the system."
"That sounds like an excuse. You work with electricity, don't you? I'm sure you can figure something out." She tapped on her phone screen. "I'm sending you a formal request via email right now. You have one hour to comply before I begin documenting this as a violation."
"A violation of what, exactly?"
"Community standards, cooperation requirements, and failure to assist in an emergency situation. The fines start at $500 per day."
I took a deep breath, reminding myself that getting angry wouldn't help. "Patricia, I'm trying to be patient here, but you need to understand something. First, those violations you're citing don't exist in our HOA bylaws. Second, even if they did, you can't compel a homeowner to provide their personal property for another resident's use. And third, I'm a licensed electrical inspector. What you're asking me to do would be unsafe and illegal."
She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, please, don't try to intimidate me with your fancy job title. I know my rights as HOA president. One hour, Daniel."