Karen tried to smile, but her face twitched instead. "I... I don't need to."
"Good," Lisa said, returning to her seat. "Because the judge will."
Next came Miguel. He walked to the stand in his denim jacket and work boots, looking every bit the retired engineer who'd seen more common sense than most bureaucrats combined.
"Mr. Alvarez," Lisa began, "you helped construct the bridge fifteen years ago?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Was it built to standard?"
"Better than standard. We overengineered it. That bridge could handle ten tons safely. Maybe eleven in a pinch. But you don't argue with physics."
Lisa smiled. "And the HOA's truck was nearly twelve. You do the math."
Karen's lawyer tried to poke holes. "Mr. Alvarez, are you saying the bridge was designed to fail?"
Miguel leaned forward. "No. It was designed to be respected."
Laughter broke out. Even the judge smiled before banging his gavel for order.
By lunchtime, Karen was fuming. Her lawyer whispered furiously, flipping pages while she scowled across the aisle at me. I took a sip of water and gave her a polite nod.
After recess, it was my turn to testify. Lisa kept it simple.
"Mr. Carter, what were your intentions that morning when the bridge sagged under the HOA truck?"
"To protect my property," I said. "To remind people that boundaries mean something."
"Did you intentionally endanger anyone?"
"No, ma'am. I built that bridge to carry families, not egos."
The judge chuckled under his breath.