We finished hanging the coats in silence.

Then she showed me the workshop’s proposed volunteer handbook.

It included parental consent, sign-in procedures, emergency contact information, limits on volunteer hours, and a rule against any activity in unsafe or restricted locations.

“These rules sound boring,” she said.

“That’s good.

Boring rules are what allow the useful work to continue.”

I thought of Toby arguing that he had merely wanted to help.

Kindness had given him courage.