I moved into a new complex, only to find that my neighbor had already spent two million dollars buying out every parking space in the whole place.
If you wanted to park, your only option was to rent one of his spaces for five thousand dollars a month.
I decided it wasn't worth it, so I just parked on the empty lot outside the complex for the time being.
The next morning, I found my neighbor slapping a ticket on my car,
and when he saw me, he actually smiled and taunted me:
"Don't want to rent from me? Then you can pay five hundred bucks a day in tickets. We'll see who outlasts who!"
Then he turned around and went to ticket the other residents' cars too.
Watching the residents pile up complaints in the group chat, I posted a message:
"I did the math. Renting his spaces isn't nearly as worth it as all of us pooling money to build our own parking lot."
"Anyone want in?"
Watching everyone jump in one after another, I smiled.
Now we'd see who outlasted who.
……
"What gives you the right to put a ticket on my car?"
I clutched the five-hundred-dollar ticket and stared coldly at my neighbor.
Lucius Armstrong, still holding a whole stack of identical tickets, answered without a care.
"What gives me the right?"
He let out a snort and looked me up and down.
"The fact that I moonlight with the traffic enforcement unit, and the fact that your junk car is parked where it shouldn't be."
I forced down the anger rising in my chest and argued with him.
"This is the empty lot outside the complex. There's no no-parking sign, and it doesn't block traffic."
"You're a part-timer. What authority do you have to write tickets on your own?"
Lucius straightened up and walked over to stand in front of me.
His eyes were full of contempt.
"Caroline Swanson, there are no white lines marking a space here, which means you can't park here."
"Every ticket I write is perfectly legitimate and by the book."
He reached out and flicked the paper in my hand.
"If you want to weasel out of it and not pay, that's fine too."
"But let me warn you, once these parking violations stack up past a certain point, they get posted publicly and put on record."
"By then your name will be right up there on the traffic enforcement unit's website."
"And if that embarrassment reaches your workplace, that wouldn't look too good, now would it?"
I gritted my teeth and glared at his smug face.
By now a few residents from the complex had gathered around.
They looked at the ticket in my hand, every one of them wearing the expression of someone who was furious but didn't dare say a word.
Alison Ball, a resident I knew fairly well, squeezed out of the crowd and tugged at my sleeve.
"Caroline, let it go. This guy's someone we can't afford to cross."
She lowered her voice, her tone heavy with helplessness.
"Everyone parks outside, and he's been going car to car all morning slapping on tickets. He's already done more than a dozen."
I turned my head and looked at the same white slips on a few windshields not far off.
The anger in me shot straight up.
This wasn't a parking penalty at all. This was extortion, plain and simple, just dressed up as something else.
Lucius watched my darkening face and only grinned wider.
"What? Think five hundred's too steep?"
"If it's too steep, then come rent one of my spaces. Five grand a month, and I guarantee you park nice and easy."
"And if you can't even scrape together five grand, then sell the car now and take the bus."
I clenched my fists, feeling powerless inside.
Reason told me there was nothing to gain from getting physical with him right now.
If I really ended up on a public record over something this petty, it would only invite trouble I didn't need.
I drew in a deep breath, forced the anger back down, folded the ticket, and stuffed it into my pocket.
"Fine. I'll pay the five hundred."
Lucius turned away, smug all over his face, and walked toward the next car parked at the curb.
Watching his arrogant back, I could barely breathe.
I opened the residents' group chat.
The messages were flying by nonstop.
"Has Lucius Armstrong lost his mind? Five grand a month, he might as well just rob us!"
"I parked at the curb today and got hit with five hundred too. There's no living like this."
The next day, I found a public parking spot with white lines painted on it and parked there.
But by evening, I found yet another new ticket on my car.
I grabbed that fresh ticket and planted myself right in Lucius's path.
"I parked in a public space with white lines. What gives you the right to ticket me anyway?"
He'd been humming a little tune, about to head upstairs.
When he saw the ticket in my hand, he stopped.
There wasn't the slightest surprise on his face.
"Caroline Swanson, is your memory a little bad?"
He pointed toward the street outside the complex.
"Didn't I tell you yesterday? Don't rent my spaces, and you pay a fine every single day."
