My cousin Leah texted from a few houses down that afternoon. Two police cruisers outside your parents’ place. What happened?
I called her. She gave me the account from behind her window with barely suppressed laughter in her voice.
My father had stood on the sidewalk telling the responding officers that his daughter had performed unauthorized construction, left the property in an unsafe condition, and abandoned the job without completion. The officer had asked whether there was a contract, whether he had paid me, whether he had invited me to do the work. Yes to the last, no to the first two.
The officer told him it sounded like a civil matter and a poor family decision. My father insisted on filing a report. The officer told him to call a licensed contractor and suggested that perhaps putting family members on a roof and insulting them throughout was not a reliable construction strategy.
