“I owe you an apology.”
Noah said nothing.
Dean continued.
“I laughed at you.”
“I kicked that crate.”
“Threw your papers.”
“I tried to make you feel stupid because…”
He stopped.
Noah waited.
“Because I thought you were stupid?”
Dean shook his head.
“That would be easier.”
He looked toward Luke.
“Because what you were proposing threatened money I was making.”
Noah’s face hardened.
“I know.”
Dean looked surprised.
“People told us.”
“Yeah.”
He looked down.
“I had convinced myself consulting payments were fair.”
“I did work.”
“Coordinated pickups.”
“Fixed problems.”
“But I didn’t disclose relationship.”
“Then when your plan appeared, I treated you like a joke so nobody would look seriously at it.”
Noah crossed arms.
Dean continued.
“Your age made it easy.”
“What do you want?”
“Nothing.”
“I work at a marine supply warehouse now.”
“Okay.”
“I just…”
He looked uncomfortable.
“I saw an article about your school award.”
“I realized every time I told story in my head, I made myself victim.”
“Kid embarrassed me.”
“Board overreacted.”
“Brother-in-law dragged me in.”
“And I’m tired of lying to myself.”
Noah looked at Luke.
Luke did nothing.
This was Noah’s conversation.
Dean said:
“I’m sorry.”
Noah wanted to say:
Good.
You should be.
He wanted to make Dean hurt.
Instead he remembered Luke’s words.
Consequences belong to evidence, not satisfaction.
He also remembered being thirteen on wet concrete.
He said:
“You made me feel small.”
Dean nodded.
“I know.”
“No.”
“You know words.”
“I need you to know I almost stopped.”
Dean looked.
Noah continued.
“When you laughed, I thought maybe everybody helping me had just been nice.”
“Maybe Dr. Morales was humoring me.”
“Maybe Dad signed because I’m his kid.”
“Maybe drivers were bored.”
“For about thirty seconds, I thought you were the only adult telling truth.”
Dean’s face changed.
Noah’s voice shook.
“That’s what you did.”
“You made me doubt people who had actually read my work because you didn’t.”
Dean looked at ground.
“I’m sorry.”
Noah breathed.
“I believe you’re sorry.”
Dean looked up.
“That doesn’t mean I like you.”
A faint sad smile.
“I wouldn’t.”
Noah nodded.
“Okay.”
Dean turned to leave.
Then stopped.
“There’s one more thing.”
Luke’s body tightened slightly.
Dean said:
“Your original disposal estimate.”
Noah frowned.
“What?”
“Ninety-four dollars a ton.”
“You were wrong.”