Chapter 9
The town slowly changed.
People stopped crossing the street.
They started waving.
They started bringing their cars to my shop.
Some of them apologized properly.
Mrs. Henderson, the old sheriff's wife, came to see me.
She brought me a pie.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "I had no idea what he'd done. If I had known... I would have stopped him."
I accepted the pie.
"Thank you," I said.
It wasn't forgiveness. Not fully.
But it was a start.
I started a program at the shop.
Hiring kids who were in trouble. Kids who needed a second chance.
Kids like me.
I taught them to work with their hands. To be honest. To stand up for themselves.
To never let anyone tell them who they are.
Ethan helped.
May you like
He was good with the younger kids. Patient. Kind.
He'd been through hell. And he'd come out stronger.
