“I’ve thought about it every night.”

He explained that he had spent so long making his own decisions that he had become accustomed to ignoring warnings.

He believed that if he could repair one more bicycle or carry one more box, a solution would eventually appear.

The boys had admired that stubborn determination without understanding the danger beneath it.

“I should’ve shut everything down when the city posted the warning,” he said.

“The bikes could’ve waited.