Chapter 2 - Operation October
The first person out of the cars was my cousin Mia carrying four plastic storage bins and a six-foot skeleton.
"Mom said Grandma got vandalized," she said. "I brought Kevin."
"Who's Kevin?"
She pointed at the skeleton.
"He is now."
Behind her came Uncle Ray with extension cords, Aunt Denise with two giant bags of candy, and Mrs. Alvarez from across the street carrying a folding table and the expression of a woman who had been waiting years for a neighborhood project.
Grandma stood on the porch in her slippers.
"I said bring whatever you already had," she called. "I didn't say raid a Spirit Halloween."
Mia held up a receipt.
"Technically, Target."
Grandma winced. "Return half of it."
That afternoon, her yard slowly came back to life.
Not fancy. Not expensive. Better.
Kids from two houses down made paper bats. Uncle Ray repaired the porch lights. I glued Grandpa's pumpkin but the crack still showed like a scar.
Grandma refused to repaint over it.
"Leave it," she said.
At 3:10, Brent stepped out of his house.
His face changed when he saw six people in Grandma's yard.
"June."
Grandma didn't turn around.
"Afternoon."
"What exactly is going on?"
"Arts and crafts, apparently."
He walked closer.
"I thought we discussed the decorations."
Grandma finally looked at him.
"You discussed them. I listened."
Melissa came out behind him with her phone in her hand.
"This is getting ridiculous," she said.
Mrs. Alvarez leaned toward me. "She records everything except herself at one in the morning."
I nearly laughed.
Brent pointed toward the giant skeleton.
"This isn't appropriate for September."
Grandma looked at Kevin.
"He's wearing a bow tie."
"That's not the point."
"Then I lost the point somewhere around my destroyed property."
Silence.
Brent's eyes narrowed.
"Are you accusing us of something?"
Grandma's answer was almost cheerful.
"Not yet."
Melissa's hand tightened around her phone.
That evening, just after everyone left, an email arrived from the neighborhood association.
SUBJECT: FORMAL PROPERTY APPEARANCE COMPLAINT.
Grandma read it twice.
Then she handed me the laptop.
"They filed a complaint against me."
At the bottom was the name of the person who submitted it.
Brent Lawson.
Grandma smiled.
"Good," she said. "Now we have paperwork."
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