me at once. I started swinging at him. It was so bad that the police showed up. I got arrested. I spent the next several years in and out of prison.”
I exhaled slowly.
“While I was locked up, I met another inmate,” he continued. “It turned out he’d been one of the older boys at the quarry that day. He’d been carrying the same guilt for years. He started studying spirituality inside. Said he’d finally forgiven himself.”
My head snapped up.
“I lost control after that.”
Barry sighed. “Before he was released, he helped me face everything I’d been running from. When I got out, I started looking for work. That’s when I saw the name of your store.” He glanced at me carefully.
“You knew it was mine?” I asked.
He nodded. “I applied because I wanted to tell you the truth. I just didn’t know how.”
Karen
