Immobilizing a vehicle on a public street is not a homeowner’s right. The package held a printed copy of the ordinance and the invoice from the licensed shop that removed her boot at my request. I had also paid two narrow evergreens planted on my own side of the line, high enough that her window would meet leaves before it met my hood. She ran out screaming that I had dared to send her something. I had dared only to stop treating her preference as law.

The renovation ended. The Toyota kept the curb when the driveway was full. Deborah still watches. She does not boot. The granddaughter rides on the lawn without asking which angle pleases the glass next door. A rusted car can be a lawful presence. A view is not a deed. Being unseen on your own street is how a neighbor learns to deputize herself. Freedom is a public curb and a changed habit of apology. Self-worth does not move a legal life out of sight to protect someone else’s window.