Barry continued speaking. “I lost control after that. All those years of guilt hit 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 looked at him through red eyes. “So you lied instead?”
“I tried to say it many times,” Barry said. “But when I got close, I froze. I’m sorry.”
“You knew it was mine?”
No one spoke for a long time.
Finally, I pushed back from the table.
“I need some air.”
Then I walked out, and Barry must’ve left, cause he wasn’t around when I returned.
I barely slept that night. Memories of my son haunted me.
But Barry also featured. I thought about everything he’d told us.
He wasn’t around when I returned.
***
When morning came, I drove to the store as per usual.
Barry was already there. When he saw me, he looked nervous.
“Morning,” he said quietly.
“Come with me,” I replied.
We stepped into the office. I sat down.
“Do you know why I hired you?”
