“It shouldn’t be,” Arthur answered.
“If all we did was recreate the old mistakes, we would have wasted the chance.”
Caleb watched Samuel walk toward the courtyard with his folder under his arm.
The moment was ordinary.
No millionaire arrived to announce a reward.
No camera captured a sudden reversal.
A man had asked for safe lodging and received a clear answer about what the program could provide.
That was enough to make the day matter.
Chapter 41: A Visit Without Reporters
Lewis returned to Boston the following spring for a family wedding.
He contacted Arthur through Mara and asked whether he could visit East Harbor before leaving town.
He did not want a ceremony or a tour arranged for donors.
Arthur agreed to meet him on a quiet afternoon when most residents were at appointments or work.
Caleb was on duty and offered to show Lewis the records room.
Lewis stood in the doorway and looked at the cabinets lined along one wall.
He asked whether a resident could inspect an incorrect record without first proving the mistake.
Caleb explained the request process and showed him a blank correction form.
Lewis read it carefully.
He pointed out a sentence that might discourage people who had difficulty remembering exact dates.
Caleb thanked him and promised to bring the suggestion to his supervisor.
They went into the courtyard where new tomato plants stood in freshly repaired wooden boxes.
Lewis recognized the shape of the old planters even though the boards had been replaced.
“I used to water these on mornings when I couldn’t sleep,” he said.
Arthur stood beside him.
“I remember.”
Lewis turned toward the brick wall.
“I was angry at you for a long time.”
Arthur did not interrupt.
“Your name was on the paperwork, and I thought you had decided we didn’t matter.”
“I signed too much authority over to people I trusted,” Arthur answered.
“I should have checked what was being done with it.”
Lewis watched a bird land on the fence.
“I can’t give you all those years back,” Arthur continued.
“I know,” Lewis replied.
“You can’t.”
They stood in silence while Caleb waited near the doorway.
Then Lewis told Arthur he was glad the building had reopened under different rules.
He said he might visit again, but he wanted to decide that for himself.
Arthur agreed immediately.
When Lewis left, he took a photograph of the green doors with his own phone.
He did not pose in front of them.
