“My mother wanted this building to belong to the people who lived in it,” she said. “That was her dream. But we aren’t obligated to repeat her dream exactly.”
Mr. Harris frowned.
Claire continued.
“We need to decide what works for us now. Some people want ownership. Some want stable rent. Some may want to move. Nobody should be pressured because of something that happened twelve years ago.”
Nathaniel watched her carefully.
Ruby watched Nathaniel.
“You agree with her,” Ruby whispered.
“Completely.”
“How can you tell?”
“Because she’s saying something it took me forty years to learn.”
“What?”
Nathaniel leaned closer.
“Helping people make choices is different from making choices for them.”
Ruby wrote this in the margin of her drawing.
She was collecting good sentences.
By spring, the cooperative had enough commitments to submit an offer.
The owners countered.
The residents countered again.
Banks asked questions.
Inspectors found plumbing repairs that nobody had budgeted for.
