“Hello, old friend,” I whispered.
Julian stood beside me.
“What do you see?”
I opened my eyes.
“Potential.”
He smiled.
“That sounds like Thomas.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
I looked toward the windows.
“That sounds like me.”
Julian laughed.
And together, we began.
The project took eight months.
I hired experienced nonprofit administrators, architects, legal advisers, and builders.
Julian helped design the woodworking and vocational classrooms.
Mr. Harrison advised us on the educational programs.
Lucy insisted on supervising the library.
She was eleven years old and had very strong opinions about bookshelves.
“Children need to reach the books themselves,” she announced.
I smiled.
“Then we'll make the shelves lower.”
She nodded approvingly.
“Good.”
I laughed.
I had never expected to spend my seventies being bossed around by a child.
I loved it.
The building slowly transformed.
The former storeroom became a reading room.
The old warehouse became a workshop.
