My parents' old complex had nowhere to charge an electric tricycle. So I spent thirty thousand dollars and put in three thousand EV charging stations—every one of them free—just so they could make their daily vegetable runs without the hassle.
Lantern Festival morning, five a.m., they headed out to pick up wholesale produce. They'd barely made it downstairs when shouting jolted me awake.
A hulking man had smashed their electric tricycle to pieces, and both my parents were pinned flat on the ground.
"These two useless old bastards hog the charger every damn day."
I helped my parents up, then pointed at the words on the sign: RESERVED CHARGING SPOT.
"This spot belongs to my family. Nobody's hogging anything."
Manager Fox from property management stepped in to mediate.
"Ms. Dickerson, the charging stations are communal property. Your parents were out of line."
I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off with an air of magnanimity.
"Apologize to Cedric, and we'll put this whole thing behind us."
Something hot flared through my chest. My jaw locked.
I spent thirty thousand dollars. My parents got beaten. And I'm supposed to apologize? Not a chance.
After every last charger was pulled out, the whole complex erupted.
——
When Manager Fox finished talking, I let out a short laugh.
He wanted me to apologize?
I remembered exactly how it had gone when I first tried to install the chargers. He was the one who'd shown up waving paperwork to make my life difficult.
Said they wouldn't approve a permit for just one complex.
I could still see that grinning face of his.
"Ms. Dickerson, this is literally what your company does. Install a few extra for the complex, and I'll push the permits through for you."
My parents needed to charge their tricycle every day for their vegetable business, and having to drive to another complex to do it was a real pain.
Besides, the residents here were old neighbors, people who'd lived side by side for decades.
So I decided to do everyone a favor. I spent thirty thousand dollars and installed three thousand charging stations for the whole complex.
The day they went live, I made exactly one request.
Reserve one charger downstairs from my parents' building, exclusively for them.
Every other station in the complex was free for anyone to use—no installation fees, no electricity costs.
The "RESERVED" sticker on that charger was one Manager Fox had put on himself.
"Ms. Dickerson, don't you worry. You've done something huge for this community. I personally guarantee this charger is reserved for your mom and dad."
The way he'd thumped his chest making that promise couldn't have looked more different from the man standing here now, smoothing things over, telling me to swallow it.
"This was the guarantee you gave me."
I pulled up the video I'd casually filmed that day, and Manager Fox froze for a second.
"The complex has a lot more residents now than it did back then, Ms. Dickerson. You really can't show a little consideration?"
Cedric rolled up his sleeves and barked at me.
"'Reserved'? Screw your 'reserved.' The chargers belong to this complex. What gives your parents the right to cut in line?"
He waved his fists, trying to intimidate me into backing down.
My parents righted the tricycle and hurried to stand between us, shielding me.
"Shelagh, just let it go. From now on, we'll take turns with the others."
Manager Fox smiled ingratiatingly. "Mr. Dickerson Sr., now that's a man with sense."
He flicked a dismissive glance my way. "Ms. Dickerson, it's a holiday. Peace and harmony, right? Just apologize to Cedric and be done with it."
Cedric stood there glaring, waiting for my apology.
"Apologize? Not happening. He's the one who threw punches. If anyone's apologizing, it's him."
The moment he heard I expected him to apologize, Cedric lunged forward snarling, spit flying.
"Apologize? Not a chance! I've had it up to here with these two useless old bastards."
"I was standing up for everyone else in this complex. I didn't do a damn thing wrong."
He clenched his fists, spitting out "old bastards" with every other breath.
The color drained from my parents' faces.
My mother rubbed her wrist, already swollen black and purple from where he'd shoved her.
"Shelagh, he's not going to listen to reason. Let's just drop it. Worst case, your father and I drive over to the next complex to charge up every day."
I looked at my mother's white hair and the red rims around her eyes.
I pulled her behind me.
"You won't apologize? Fine. Don't any of you dare blame me for what happens next."
I took out my phone and called John Finch, the technician in charge of maintaining the complex's charging stations.
