We listed each question under a heading that could be answered with a document or a clear statement
We avoided rumors and personal insults
Margaret wanted the meeting to remain focused on records rather than shouting
She said she had spent too many years watching loud people win simply because quiet people became exhausted
When we finished she had three pages of questions and a list of documents the residents had requested
I left before sunset and found Tyler waiting on the sidewalk near my driveway
He stood beside an old bicycle with a loose chain and a bent rear fender
I could see that he had been practicing what he wanted to say
He asked whether I had a minute
I told him I did
He said his mother had asked him to tell people that I had agreed to let him borrow the Mustang
I felt my jaw tighten
Tyler said he refused
He looked down at his bicycle and admitted that he had repeated the story once before the accident
He had wanted his friends to believe the car was going to be his
He said the lie had become easier each time he told it
I asked whether he had corrected it with the investigators
He said he had
He also said his mother was furious about the statement
I told him that telling the truth did not guarantee an easy evening at home
Tyler laughed once without humor
He said he was beginning to understand that
I asked about his wrist
He moved it carefully and said the doctor expected a full recovery
I was glad because I had never wanted him injured
He stared toward my closed garage and asked whether Laura had really helped build the car
I told him she had done more than help
She had found the body and chosen the engine and argued over every detail of the interior
Tyler said he had assumed I bought it from a collector
I said assumptions were responsible for a remarkable amount of damage in this neighborhood
He accepted the remark without defending himself
Before he left he asked whether I thought people could change after doing something terrible
I considered the question carefully
I said change began when a person stopped asking others to carry the consequences of his choices
Tyler looked at the pavement for a long time
Then he thanked me and walked his bicycle toward the corner
