Summary

In “A Very Tight Place,” Tim Grunwald, the neighbor Curtis Jackson referred to as “The Motherfucker” (307) because he killed Curtis’ dog, left a plodding, sorrowful message on Curtis’ phone saying he was in “a very tight place” (309). Grunwald said he was willing to give up the Vinton lot, the property that had originally caused the disagreement between the neighbors, and compensate him for Betsy, Curtis’ dog. He asked Curtis to meet him at Durkin Grove Village, his defunct housing development so he could apologize in person.

The problems between Curtis and Grunwald started when Curtis bought the Vinton lot from Ricky Vinton for 1.5 million dollars. It was an insanely low price. The woman who served as housekeeper for Vinton and Curtis witnessed the signatures. About a month later, Vinton sold the lot again to Grunwald for 5.6 million dollars. Grunwald’s sale...