“You never asked what I wanted,” Daniel said.
He took his groceries and walked toward the registers.
He felt no satisfaction from the conversation.
He had wanted her to admit she was wrong.
She had offered only another explanation for why she believed the outcome was unfair.
Chapter 38: Marisol’s Decision
Marisol Ruiz had avoided discussing the incident publicly because Noah disliked being recognized.
When the community group began sharing inaccurate claims about his injury, she decided to issue a short statement through her lawyer.
The statement confirmed that her family had rented the pool through a commercial listing and had believed the advertised safety measures were available.
It did not describe Noah’s medical treatment in detail.
It asked people to stop distributing images of children at private gatherings.
Daniel read the statement and felt grateful for its restraint.
He knew some neighbors wanted a dramatic confrontation between the families.
Marisol wanted something simpler.
She wanted the facts recorded without making Noah a symbol in a feud.
Later, she told Daniel that Noah had asked whether the pool owner was angry at him.
Daniel wrote a short note explaining that he was not angry with any guest who had believed the booking was legitimate.
Marisol read it aloud to her son.
Noah asked whether the magnolia tree still grew beside the deep end.
Daniel sent a photograph of the tree in bloom.
The boy smiled when he saw it.
Chapter 39: The Question of Permission
Priya prepared Daniel for a deposition by asking him to describe every conversation he had ever had with Brenda about the pool.
He remembered their first meeting and the offer to rent it for a birthday party.
He remembered her asking whether he would consider regular weekend sessions.
He remembered laughing once when she described the yard as a luxury resort.
Priya asked whether he might have said something Brenda could interpret as permission.
Daniel thought carefully.
He recalled telling her that she was welcome to admire the garden from the sidewalk.
He had never invited her to use the pool without him.
He had never discussed prices, guest limits, or insurance.
He had never signed an agreement.
Priya told him not to embellish or pretend his memory was perfect.
“If you don’t remember a detail, say you don’t remember,” she instructed.
Daniel nodded.
He understood that his credibility depended on accuracy rather than confidence.
During the deposition, he answered each question as carefully as he could.
When Brenda’s attorney suggested that Daniel had benefited from cleaner landscaping after events, he explained that he had paid his own maintenance crew throughout the period.
