周六晚入睡後，睡夢中似乎聽到門鈴的響聲，迷迷糊糊中，又見一束亮光穿過薄薄的內層窗簾，從樓下街麵照進窗來，在黑暗中一閃一閃，特別可怕。我從沉睡中驚醒，不知道發生了什麽事？我大氣不敢出，貓著腰，踮著腳下了樓。LD已經在門邊上，對著門上的眼孔往外看。我壓低了聲音問，怎麽回事？他急急地問，“車鑰匙？好像有人要拖我們的車”。然後，抓了車鑰匙，一句“你呆著”, 就顧不上身上的睡衣睡褲，衝了出去。我不敢打開燈，疾步走到廚房，烤箱上的電子時間顯示淩晨1：33。 我站在廚房窗口，斜斜地看去，隻見一輛警車停在我那輛紅車邊上。LD在低聲跟警察交談to著，隨後，見他鑽進車子，發動了，往前挪了挪，停下後，又從車裏走了出來。幾分鍾後，他回到家中，告訴我說，是鄰居報告警察，車幾天沒有動，按規定，街邊parking同一個地方不能超過72小時。
自從去年買了輛新車，這輛多餘的車就是個問題。賣吧，沒幾個錢，要找車子的title，要貼廣告，想想車子的裏程數很低，開開也沒有什麽毛病，女兒如果回家，可能還需要開開。留著吧，時不時也要開一開，洗一洗，也麻煩。猶猶豫豫中，把車子今年的smog check也做了，牌照也續了，想著不急的先留著吧，沒想到出了這檔事。這車我一星期肯定會開個一兩回的，以前停在自家門口沒問題，這次停到稍稍遠的地方，就被哪家鄰居給告了。
要說這72小時的規定我是知道的，去年回國還托鄰居照看一下車子，讓幫著隔幾天換個地方。想著自己在家，以為沒事，就疏忽了。唉, 這深更半夜的，嚇得我心怦怦跳。
一晃在這兒住了十餘年了，算來也是個守法的居民，按時繳費，從不拖欠，小區什麽規定也是照辦照做。早已經明白了，在美國居住，得守一切法律，住社區要跟著Hoa的管理走。小區管得嚴，前門的油漆該刷了，後麵的車庫門剝落舊了，連房子後麵樓上的窗戶油漆也不放過，每一次通知來了，還強調油漆的顏色code。社區生活，不僅受Hoa管製，還要擔心被鄰居告。夫妻吵架、罵孩子都可能被告，更別提影響到他們生活的事件，例如，車三天不挪動，養寵物影響到鄰居等等都在被告的範圍。另外，在社區開車，該停停，該等等，該讓讓，大大小小的stop signs得停得穩穩當當，否則警察隨時有可能埋伏在那裏，等著抓你開罰單。
幾年前，一位朋友搬離去別州工作了，就把房子給出租了。租客又不管拔草，結果豆腐大的前院鋪著磚，有那麽一兩處的空地上長了幾棵草，高了點，被社區通知。他聯係了房客讓拔了，結果第二次再長高後，又來通知，不知怎麽錯過了，這張通知單最後到了法庭，朋友飛機飛過來出席，一氣之下，把院子全部鋪上了磚。
雖然Hoa管起居民來一套套，而且每個月的管理費這兩年還漲價好幾次。可真正等你有問題報告他們，需要解決時，他們卻又是拖拖拉拉的。前些年，後院外麵統一種著社區的bougainvillea爬藤的植物，這植物開的花是好看，可是漲勢凶猛，像瘋婆子, 每次他們派人來剪，就負責把牆外的枝條的推一推，裏麵的都得自己爬上去剪。植物發達的根係還入侵到院子裏。跟他們提了很多次意見，說會派人來做個擋板，防止根係入侵。結果人沒來，ticket倒是close，說人已經來過搞好了。實在是沒有時間和精力跟他們據理力爭，隻得自己勤快些。後來不知道，是不是反映的人多了，這植物最後被攔腰斬了，不再爬到院子的架子上。突然間就覺得光線一下充足了很多，原先每隔一陣要“理發”的重負也卸了。我歡天喜地地種上了幾棵火龍果，結果等火龍果上牆上架，社區來通知說，這火龍果要挪走，影響他們給架子上漆(根本沒有漆)。咦，這藤條被你們壓了這麽多年了，沒見你們漆過一次，我就這麽一個夏天，你們就找借口來了。就許州官放火，不許百姓點燈啊？這砍了一次還不夠，還來通知，害得我把火龍果砍的元氣大傷，今年連花也才開了一兩朵。那日，LD又在提，牛油果樹長得太茂盛了，都延伸到鄰居的窗口了，要不砍了？轉眼又猶豫地說，這砍棵自家種的樹是不是也得報批社區啊？
幾年前，門口的樹被大風刮倒了,就一直空著。我隻好寫郵件，貼照片，也遲遲不見人來重新種上。這Hoa不是常常巡視的，為什麽會視而不見的？事情往往還得靠自己follow up才得以最後解決。還有一次，大雨大風的，把樹壓斷了，正巧壓在我路邊停的車上。那日不知為什麽LD不在，我電話Hoa，遲遲不見人來，最後隻好自己和女兒兩個人，一個開車，一個托著樹枝把車開了出來。
都說美國自由，其實這條條框框真是不少。不可否認，它們對社區的維護、整潔、美化起到不容質疑的作用。我發現自己越來越守規矩了，去朋友家，停車位緊張，停在黃色的消防栓幾丈遠。想想不放心，又特意去查，規定距離要五米，趕緊出去重新找車位重新停。當然，守法是我們的義務。但是反過來，幾年前自己車子的muffler在公司的parking lot被盜，報警也無人理睬，又例如現在的法律，$900美元以下的盜竊不算大案，估計報告了都沒什麽人睬你。這種隻對居民嚴管，不提高加強相關管理部門的製度，是不是也有點有失公允呢？
A doorbell ring broke the silence of the night and woke me up from my deep sleep. Then strong flashlights beamed into the second- floor window, where thick layers of curtains were lifted, leaving only the thin ones to let more night wind in. I was still half asleep when I realized something was not right. Scared, and not aware what was happening, I got up, holding my breath and tiptoeing downstairs, where I found my husband standing in front of the door, peering through the door hole. I whispered to him “what is up”. He whispered back, “looked like someone is trying to tow our car”. “You stay” was his last word, before he grabbed the car key hastily, and rushed out of the door in pajama. I brisked to the kitchen window, and there next to my car by the street parked a police one. The timer on the oven blinked brightly its 1:33 in the darkness. I stood still, tried to listen to the conversation outside, but the voices were kept low. Looking through the kitchen’s bamboo curtain, I saw my husband get into the car, start the engine and move the car a yard forward.
After a few minutes, he returned, telling me that some neighbor complained that the car has been parked there for some time. The police kindly told him that a car cannot stay at one spot for more than 72 hours, and that he had marked the position this time. Relieved, we were back to the bed, but I couldn’t go back to sleep in the next one or two hours. My heart was pounding hard, and my mind wildly roaming.
Since we bought a new car last year, this extra car has been a problem. Sell it? It is still in good condition, and the mileage is so low that it does not worth it to sell so cheap, plus the hassles of finding the car title and putting on advertisement. And if my daughter ever comes back home for any vacation, she may need it. Thus, when the notice of renewal came recently, we had the smog checked and the car registration renewed. Now this is just an extra issue for me to attend to now.
The incident is another reminder that we have to adhere to all kinds of compliances and laws living here in America, in the city and the community.
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