I called Marcus, not because he needed to solve anything, but because I wanted somebody to hear what I’d found.

“Do you think people can change?” I asked.

He took a while to answer.

“I think people can choose different things, then keep choosing them.

But you shouldn’t stake your safety on the hope that they will.”

I knew he was right.

I put the letters in fresh envelopes and placed them back in the tin.

They didn’t belong in the trash.