It wasn’t about the flag.

It was about what it meant to me. I’d hung it out front the day I moved in—not to make a statement, just to feel a little more like home. New street, new neighbors, new everything. I was the outsider. Everyone knew it.

It wasn’t even a big flag—just a modest one, clipped to the post by the porch. I didn’t expect anyone to notice it, let alone take it. But there I was, Tuesday morning, standing barefoot on the porch in my boxers, coffee in one hand… staring at the empty post.

And right below it on the welcome mat—folded small, no name on it—was a crisp $20 bill and a sticky note that read:

“Nothing personal. Hope this covers it.”

No signature. No explanation.

I stared at that bill like it was a riddle I wasn’t smart enough to solve. I picked it up, held it between two fingers, and felt a wave of something I couldn’t name. Anger? Confusion? Sadness?

No. It was disappointment.

Not because of the money. Not because of the flag, either. But because someone out here saw what mattered to me—and decided it mattered less than whatever issue they had with it.

Now, I know how things look.

I’m not exactly a local. I moved here from Arizona after retiring. Bought the smallest house on a quiet street in a small town, hoping for peace. I didn’t grow up with these folks. Didn’t go to the same churches, schools, or bake sales. Didn’t vote the same way, either, I guess