Darla's response was the response of a person who is lost but has not yet processed it. She said section 14 was subject to interpretation. She said the HOA had a responsibility to uphold community standards. She said it in the tone of someone reciting lines from a script that no longer fits the scene.
The room did not respond the way rooms respond to authority. It responded the way rooms respond to someone reading the wrong speech at the wrong event.
Commissioner Karns spoke from her chair along the wall. She said she had reviewed the documentation and found it comprehensive and credible and that the North Carolina HOA dispute resolution office had formally notified the county of an open inquiry into the matter.
The camera operator in the blue vest made a small adjustment. The Messenger reporter wrote something in her notebook.
Patty moved for a vote of no confidence in the HOA president. Jean seconded.
The vote was called. Five board members, five votes. The result was unanimous.
Darla set her legal pad on the table. She picked up the monogrammed leather cover. She walked to the door of the clubhouse and pushed it open and walked out. The door swung shut behind her with a sound like a period at the end of a very long sentence. The camera caught all of it.