A concrete pavilion in the park soon attracted teenagers whose music carried across nearby gardens. Clara avoided them instinctively. “You cannot judge character from across a path,” Henry told her. She replied that trusting everybody was no wiser than trusting nobody. Henry laughed and accepted the correction. He continued carrying tools into the park on Saturdays. Clara never asked many questions because he always returned cheerful and peppermint-scented.
The park changed in other ways, too. Security cameras appeared, and newspaper reports described bicycle thefts, smashed windows, and late-night disturbances. Clara began avoiding quieter paths after dusk. Henry still greeted everyone, including teenagers gathering beneath the concrete pavilion each Saturday with their battered bicycles and loud music.