Chapter 3

"It's Alicia, Your Honor," she corrected gently, her voice soft but steady. "Alicia Grant. I am appearing pro se."Shaw let out a loud, derisive snort that echoed through the courtroom speakers. He glanced over at Vance, sharing a knowing, conspiratorial smirk."Pro se? Marvelous. Another amateur hour. Ms. Grant, are you aware of what 'pro se' even means? Or did you just hear it on an episode of Law & Order?""It means I am representing myself, Your Honor," Alicia replied, keeping her expression perfectly blank."It means," Shaw corrected sharply, pointing a thick, accusatory finger at her, "that you are wasting my court's valuable time because you were too cheap or too stubborn to hire a real attorney. This isn't a town hall meeting, young lady. This is a court of law, and I expect you to adhere to the rules of civil procedure—though I highly doubt you even know what a civil procedure is."Thomas Vance chuckled from the defense podium. "Your Honor, if I may, the HOA is simply asking the court to enforce a standard property line violation. Ms. Grant has erected a fence that violates the bylaws. It's a straightforward matter that shouldn't take up more than five minutes of the court's time.""I agree, Mr. Vance," Shaw said, his tone instantly softening, becoming conversational and polite. "It seems fairly cut and dried. Ms. Grant, why exactly are you contesting this? Did you or did you not read the HOA bylaws before moving into that neighborhood?""I did read them, Your Honor," Alicia said, shifting her weight slightly and opening her manila folder. "In fact, I have a copy of them right here. According to Section 4, Paragraph B—""I don't need you to read the bylaws to me, girl!" Shaw snapped, the word girl slipping out with a harsh, derogatory edge.The courtroom went dead silent. A few people in the gallery shifted uncomfortably. Calling a grown Black woman "girl" was a loaded, deeply offensive term in the South, dripping with historical condescension.Alicia's jaw tightened imperceptibly, but she did not break character. Keep talking, Gregory, she thought. Give me everything I need."Your Honor," Alicia continued, maintaining a tone of polite deference, "I only bring up Section 4 because the fence in question was actually constructed by the previous owner in 2015, which places it outside the statute of limitations for HOA enforcement under the Official Code of Georgia Annotated—""Oh Lord, save me from Wikipedia lawyers!" Shaw interrupted loudly, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. He looked out at the gallery, playing to his captive audience. "You people come in here, you read one paragraph on the internet, and suddenly you think you're Clarence Darrow. Let me explain something to you, Miss Grant, in words simple enough for you to understand."

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