The pool cover needed replacing that autumn after years of sunlight and weather had weakened its edges.
I invited three contractors to provide estimates and asked each for clear information about materials, warranties, and maintenance.
The process was uneventful.
Each contractor inspected the site with my permission and submitted a written proposal.
One estimate was substantially higher because it included an automatic mechanism I didn’t need.
Another excluded installation costs that the third included.
I compared them carefully before choosing.
The experience made me think of Victor’s emergency pitch, when a price had been presented before anyone understood the condition of the water.
A legitimate contractor had no reason to fear questions about the work.
The installer I selected arrived on schedule and took care not to damage the maple roots near the patio.
When he finished, he showed me how to operate the new cover and explained what to inspect before winter.
I paid the agreed amount and kept the receipt.
Nobody stood outside with a camera claiming the pool was a public hazard.
Nobody demanded immediate approval of unrelated drainage work.
The whole project took two ordinary visits and a short conversation about the weather.
After the crew left, I sat on the patio and felt almost foolishly happy.
I had forgotten how satisfying a straightforward home repair could be.
Paige came outside and asked why I was smiling at a pool cover.
I told her it was nice when a contractor came to fix exactly what I had asked him to fix.
She laughed and said that should not be such a remarkable achievement.
I agreed.
The fact that it felt remarkable showed how much unnecessary trouble we had endured.
CHAPTER 55: THE INVITATION
Isabel contacted me again when Gloria’s birthday approached.
She wanted to host a small family dinner and wondered whether I might accept a handwritten apology from her grandmother.
She made clear that attendance was not expected and that nobody intended to pressure me into reconciliation.
I thanked her for respecting the distinction.
A few days later, an envelope arrived through the mail.
Gloria wrote that she had entered my yard, contaminated the pool, and falsely accused me of allowing the mess to develop.
She did not describe it as a misunderstanding.
She said she had agreed to Victor’s plan because she feared losing an investment and wanted homeowners to approve the proposed drainage work.
She also acknowledged that she had used the committee’s reputation to make her accusations more convincing.
The letter did not erase the separate questions about the partnership finances.
