He sounded devastated. The column, he said, had embarrassed and demoralized him. It made him look like a criminal. I heard from his mom, too. I'd never understood until now.
People make untrue assumptions.
Though miffed at their reaction, I drove down Atwells, through Olneyville, to meet with them at their second floor apartment. I was surprised at how finely it was furnished. Lydia picked up on that. People assume things about how others live, she said, and it's often untrue. Because Terryl told me his dad had to move back to Panama 9 years ago due to citizenship problems.