People still ask me about the Shelby. They want the dramatic version: the mother-in-law, the fake buyer, the police, the auction. But the real lesson is simpler. Patricia did not steal the Cobra because she understood its value. She stole it because she believed my judgment did not matter. Mark did not fail because he lacked information. He failed because he asked me to turn disrespect into family harmony.
I do not do that anymore.
Above my garage door now hangs a small metal sign Mia made before leaving for engineering school. It says: ASK BEFORE TOUCHING.
People laugh when they see it.
Then they notice I am not laughing.
And they ask.
