The Mosquitoes’ Price

Summary

My ground-floor unit came with a spacious patio, and for three years, I’d poured my life into cultivating one thing: the roses. Every May, they were a cascading tapestry of color and scent, and the entire subdivision was drenched in their perfume.

The HOA notice came in: "A joint complaint signed by 260 homeowners demands the immediate removal of your rose wall, citing inadequate light."

I laughed. A cold, flat sound. They lived on the seventh and eighth floors. Did they think the roses could climb to the sky?

But I followed the instructions anyway.