The next evening, Maya called a tenant meeting.
Mrs. Patterson's apartment. The kitchen table. The folding chairs.
Everyone came. Mr. Delgado with his cane. Jasmine in her scrubs. Marco with a box of donuts. Mr. Chen with his squint. The Kims. The woman from 5A. The man from 2C. The young couple from 6B.
Leo stood by the door.
Maya stood in front of them. The tenant list was in her hand.
"The developer's offer is sixty thousand per unit. Plus six months relocation assistance. Plus first right of refusal on new units."
Mr. Delgado tapped his cane. "That's not enough."
"It's more than we had last month."
"It's less than we deserve."
Maya looked at the list. Twelve names. Twelve votes.
"We need to decide," she said. "Together."
Jasmine raised her hand. "I say take it. I can't afford to wait anymore."
Marco raised his hand. "I say take it. Sixty thousand is more than I'll ever save on my own."
Mr. Chen raised his hand. "I say take it. The building is going to be demolished. There's nothing we can do."
One by one, the others agreed.
Only Mr. Delgado dissented. "I've been here twenty-three years. This building is my home. I'm not leaving for sixty thousand."
Maya looked at him. "What would it take?"
"A hundred thousand. Maybe."
"The developer won't go that high."
"Then I'm not leaving."
The room was quiet.
Maya folded the tenant list. "We'll vote. All in favor of accepting the offer, raise your hands."
Eleven hands went up.
Mr. Delgado's hand stayed down.
Maya nodded. "The offer is accepted. I'll call the developer tomorrow."
---
After the meeting, Maya went to the roof.
Leo followed.
"You did the right thing," he said.
"Mr. Delgado is going to stay. He's going to be alone in an empty building."
"He's not alone. He has us."
"For now."
Leo took her hand. "You can't save everyone."
"I know."
"Then stop trying."
She looked at the water tank. The painted eye. "Mrs. Patterson would have taken the offer."
"How do you know?"
"Because she was practical. She would have taken the money and moved somewhere warm."
Leo almost smiled. "Florida?"
"Maybe."
They stood in silence. The city hummed. The water tank hummed.
---
The next morning, Maya called Ms. Chen.
"We accept the offer," Maya said.
"Excellent. I'll have the paperwork sent over today. Each tenant will need to sign individually."
"What about Mr. Delgado? He's not accepting."
"That's his choice. The offer stands for him as well, until the demolition date."
"When is that?"
"March 1st."
Maya wrote it down. March 1st. Three months.
"We'll be out by then," she said.
"I hope so."
---
Maya went to Mr. Delgado's apartment.
He opened the door slowly. His cane was in his hand.
"The developer accepted the offer," Maya said. "But you don't have to. You can stay until March."
"I know."
"What are you going to do?"
Mr. Delgado looked at the floor. "My daughter lives in Ohio. She's been asking me to move for years."
"Are you going to go?"
"I don't know."
Maya touched his arm. "You don't have to decide today."
"I know."
He closed the door.