At 10:47 pm, Antonio pulls out his folder about the fibre cable

‘Before we close the meeting,’ says Antonio Belda, retired, outgoing chair, ‘I have a folder here.’

‘Antonio, it’s quarter to eleven,’ replies Merche Parreño, property manager, twenty-odd years handling this building.

‘It’s quick. The fibre they installed last year.’

‘We approved the fibre unanimously in January.’

‘We did approve it. But I took photos.’

He opens the folder and pulls out three photos printed on A4. Merche steps closer.

‘This is the meter cupboard. This is the same cupboard a month later. And this, the third month.’

‘The cable is hanging loose.’

‘The cable is hanging loose, yes. And in my sister-in-law’s building in Muchamiel, the same cable runs inside a white trunking.’

‘How much does the trunking cost?’

‘Three hundred and forty euros. I’ve got the invoice here.’

‘Did you request it yourself, Antonio?’

‘I did. The fitter comes on the 14th.’

‘Antonio, you can’t hire a fitter for the whole building on your own.’

‘The fitter comes on the 14th. Vote in favour anyone who wants to. I’ll pay my share either way: forty-seven euros, extra levy.’

A short silence. In the back row, a woman raises her hand.

‘I’ll pay my share too, Antonio.’

Merche looks at the agenda stuck to the projector remote. She crosses out item seven with a marker and writes on top, in big letters, ‘trunking’.