Trouble in the Trees (4 page)

Chapter 5

By the time Tuesday evening finally arrived, I was a nervous wreck. I could hardly eat dinner even though Dad made his famous portobello mushroom burgers. I just nibbled on the bun until Mom told me I'd better get going. My butt felt like it was glued to the chair. I really didn't want to go. But I didn't want to be late either. Late would be bad.

“Good luck, Bree,” Dad said as he walked me to the front door. “I wish I could come with you. If it was any other time of year—”

“I know,” I said, cutting him off. “It's okay, Dad.”

I knew even before I'd asked Dad to come to the meeting that he'd probably have a game to go to. It was almost the trade deadline, a busy time for hockey scouts in the NHL. Mom had volunteered to come in his place, but I said no because I was worried she might make me even more nervous.

The smell of barbecued mushrooms was still floating in the air as I walked over to the common room at the far end of our complex. It made me feel a little better, so I tried to think about other happy things. Happy summer things like barbecuing and picnics at the beach. The days were starting to get longer and the rain was getting a little less cold. Spring in Vancouver lasted forever. But summer was coming. And I wanted to be able to climb trees!

Ms. Matheson greeted me at the door. “Good evening, Brianna,” she said. “Glad you made it.”

“Of course,” I said as if it were no big deal. Just another council meeting!

“Your item is second on the agenda. You'll have to sit through the start of the meeting.”

“Okay,” I replied. Ms. Matheson waved me toward a chair at the big long table in the middle of the room. I sat down hesitantly. Last time I was in this room we were celebrating Sammy's first birthday.

That was three years ago, just after the Ambrosia family had moved to Cedar Grove. Sammy was just a baby, and supercute, but his older sister, Salina, couldn't stand him. So I treated him like he was my little brother, which was great because I'd always wanted one. That's why it was me, not Salina, who decorated this room with balloons, toy cars, streamers and a great big
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
banner.

Now the room looked very cold and businesslike.

“Let's get started,” Ms. Matheson said, addressing the six council members who were standing around in little clusters. Probably chatting about the price of gas, their kids' report cards, how bad it is to put plastic in the microwave…you know—the weird stuff grownups care about.

“I now call this meeting to order. Thank you for coming,” Ms. Matheson said once everyone was seated. “We'll begin with the formalities.”

There was a bunch of chatter about motions and minutes. I was too nervous to pay attention, but I dutifully turned my head in the direction of whoever was speaking. I recognized a couple of the other parents, which made me wish that Mom had insisted on coming.

After a lot of back and forth, Ms. Matheson finally said, “Let's get started.” She turned toward the opposite end of the table, where Mrs. Leary sat. I hadn't noticed her until that moment. She's Cedar Grove's oldest and grouchiest resident. She lives next door to Tyler. I was glad she didn't live next to me.

“The first item on the agenda has been brought forward by Noreen Leary, Unit 31.” Ms. Matheson looked at her and said, “Please be brief, Mrs. Leary.”

Mrs. Leary cleared her throat. “Well, thank you in advance for hearing me out,” she said slowly. I sank down into my chair, grateful for the opportunity to observe for a while.

“I've come here tonight to ask the council to consider implementing a new bylaw.” Even though no one made a sound, I could feel the room groan as Mrs. Leary said this. She went on. “It's about pets. I am sick and tired of cleaning up doggie doo-doo in my backyard.”

Laughter tickled the back of my throat when I heard Mrs. Leary say
doo-doo
. I had to suck in my cheeks, hard, to prevent the laughter from erupting. I knew that laughing at a council meeting would be bad. It was just so funny to hear a woman who must be close to a hundred talk about dog poo. Even funnier was the fact that everyone else at the meeting seemed to be taking her so seriously.

“What exactly are you proposing?” Ms. Matheson asked.

“There should be a limit on how many pets are allowed per unit.”

No one said anything. Mr. Morrow, Michael's dad, was busy scribbling notes. He'd been writing since the meeting began.

“Or maybe there should be no pets at all,” Mrs. Leary said, looking around the room.

“But you have three cats!” Debra Williams exclaimed. Mrs. Williams was Ashley's mom. They had a poodle named Puddles.

“Oh, I'm not talking about cats. I'm talking about other pests. I mean,
pets
.” Mrs. Leary looked a bit flustered. I sucked in my cheeks again, but this time I couldn't stop the corners of my lips from moving upward. This was too funny! I couldn't wait to tell Sarah!

“But cats are pets.”

“I mean dogs! They are the ones that are making doo-doo all over my lawn!”

“So,” Ms. Matheson said slowly, “you would like to propose a bylaw that limits the number of dogs per unit?”

“Yes! Limit the number of dogs. Or ban them altogether. That would take care of the doo-doo and the barking. Sometimes the barking keeps me up at night.”

“All right, Mrs. Leary, I think the council understands your concerns. We will discuss the matter further. Thank you for coming.” Ms. Matheson said this quite firmly, using what was probably her best principal voice.

Mrs. Leary persisted. “But really, we need more bylaws. And we need to increase the fines given to Cedar Grove residents who break the rules.”

“We already have the highest fines allowed by the Neighborhood Act,” Mrs. Williams said.

“It's two fifty for the first infraction and five twenty-five for the second. Units in debt to the Cedar Grove Neighborhood Corporation can be forced into foreclosure,” said one of the council members who had been silent until now. “That's a pretty stiff penalty, if you ask me.”

I didn't understand all that, but it sounded similar to what Ethan had said. He's a smart guy.

“Well, something more has to be done.” Mrs. Leary didn't seem to understand either.

“As I said, we'll discuss your concerns at a later date. Right now, we need to move on to the next item on our agenda.”

Mrs. Leary frowned and then rose awkwardly from the table. I guess she realized that she had no choice. But she took forever putting on her coat and scarf and gloves. She had a ridiculous amount of clothing, considering the weather and the fact that she only had to walk a couple of steps to her front door.

When Mrs. Leary was finally gone, Ms. Matheson turned to me. “The second item on the agenda is in regard to interim bylaw 47.21. I'd like to introduce Brianna Bridges, Unit 83, who has asked for an opportunity to address the council on this matter.”

My heart was suddenly racing. During Mrs. Leary's performance, I had forgotten why I was here. I wasn't ready for this!

My throat was dry. I didn't know what to do. Everyone was looking at me. “Do I need to stand up or something?” I asked, absentmindedly running my hand along the leg of my jeans. Even though my jeans were clean, the words
Bree, Bree, crappy capri
floated through my head.

“No, that won't be necessary, Brianna. Just speak loudly so everyone can hear what you have to say.”

Speak loudly? I could hardly even breathe.

Chapter 6

I took a deep breath. And another. My heart felt like the Energizer Bunny's drum. Everyone was staring at me. I had to speak. Silence was bad.

I glanced at my notes.

1. Tree climbing is good for kids because it
is mentally stimulating. Finding your way
up a tree is like solving a puzzle.

2. Tree climbing is good exercise. It
provides a thorough workout for the arms,
legs and spine. It also enhances flexibility
and coordination.

3. There are all kinds of studies showing that
kids are not getting enough exercise.

4. Parents like it when their kids climb trees
because it is free. And they don't have to
drive them anywhere.

5. Our principal, Mr. Lee, is always saying
that kids need to spend more time outside
appreciating nature.

6. You cannot climb trees inside.

7. Tree climbing is very safe.

Some of these ideas came from the tree-climbing website. Some of them came from a brainstorming session I had with Sarah. I added the part about Mr. Lee to impress Ms. Matheson. I figured she was more likely to listen to another school principal than she was to me.

“Well, I, um…” My throat was really dry. I looked at Mrs. Leary's empty seat and said the first thing that came to mind. “Thank you for inviting me to come.”

My heart was still thumping away. I was sure everyone in the room could hear it. But I went on anyway. “I'd like the council to reconsider the bylaw against tree climbing.”

“Go on,” Ms. Matheson prodded.

“I, well, I don't think it's necessary.”

“The council created the bylaw because we felt that tree climbing was putting the children of Cedar Grove at risk.” Ms. Matheson looked around the table as she said this.

This wasn't going the way I had hoped. I looked at my notes again. Then I took another deep breath and said, “But I would like you, and, um, the council to consider some of the many ways that tree climbing is a healthy activity for kids to be involved in.” It was my turn to look around the table. To my surprise, some of the council members were nodding. Mr. Morrow was even smiling at me encouragingly.

That's when things started to get better. Eventually, my heart stopped pounding and I started breathing normally. I didn't follow my notes exactly. But I think I covered everything.

I went over the last point—tree climbing is safe— really quickly. Obviously, safety was the main issue. But I really didn't know how to convince the council that tree climbing wasn't dangerous. Except to compare it to something really, really dangerous like motorcycle racing or skydiving. But I didn't think it would be a good idea to start associating tree climbing with those kinds of sports.

After finding out about Ethan's fall, I'd done some more research online, specifically about safety. I'd found some conflicting information. Although there was nothing about townhouse complexes, I had learned that tree climbing was banned in a lot of school playgrounds across North America. There was even an interview with an American pta member who described tree climbing as a “life threatening activity” responsible for over 140 deaths per year. I wasn't about to tell the council that.

The TCI website didn't have any useful suggestions on its safety page either. It just said stuff like,
Stay on a rope, wear the right gear, get training from a
qualified instructor and never forget the fall
. Most of these suggestions didn't even apply to backyard tree climbing. I mean, the trees in Cedar Grove aren't that big. And I certainly wasn't going to talk about the fall. That would be bad.

I definitely didn't want Ms. Matheson to start thinking about Ethan's fall. I figured it would be game over if that happened. Truth was, although I'd had a few minor injuries from tree climbing, I'd never considered it dangerous. But what if Ethan had really been hurt? Would that have changed the way I felt about it? Could Ashley and everyone else be right about tree climbing—was it really that dangerous?

I was done in less than five minutes, but it felt like forever. When I finished talking, Ms. Matheson thanked me again for coming. “We'll take your points into consideration.”

“But…” I felt like things weren't complete, like I needed to say more. I wanted to scream,
It's not fair! I love climbing trees. I'm not a grouchy old lady like
Mrs. Leary! Please take me seriously!

“I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave now, Brianna”—Ms. Matheson frowned at me—“so we can get on with the rest of the meeting.”