My Neighbor’s HOA President Spent $100,000 Building A Road Straight Toward My Locked Gate, Then Her Brother Pulled Me Over One Thursday Night. I Thought That Was The Worst Abuse Of Authority I Would Ever See. But Another Woman Named Karen Would Later Use A Small-Town Newspaper To Settle An Old Grudge Against A Grieving Husband. Neither Woman Expected Anyone To Examine The Records…

About six weeks later, Martin told me Karen would no longer be editor. He didn’t say whether she’d resigned or been dismissed.

I hadn’t asked for her job.

I’d asked why my wife’s announcement had been withheld.

That question had finally received a proper examination, though nothing could give us back the Thursday before the funeral.

I bought two copies of the newspaper.

At the kitchen table, I took Margaret’s old scissors from the drawer. One handle was cracked and wrapped in tape.

I carefully cut out her photograph and notice.

Then I opened the shoe box where she’d kept family announcements for decades.

I placed hers on top of our wedding photograph from 1975, the one where I looked as though I’d just been arrested.

Joan, one of Margaret’s old friends, telephoned that afternoon.

She said the photograph was lovely.

She also said she’d have come to the funeral if she’d known.

I told her I knew she would.

After the call, I put the shoe box away and opened the crossword.

Margaret always completed hers in ink.

I used a pencil.

THE END