But his heart didn't agree, and soon the pain inside him was so bad he
had trouble keeping his food down. He kept noticing how his colleagues
would look at him and whisper... or how their conversations would stop
when he entered the room. Finally, he resigned, sold everything, and
moved to Arizona. Sometimes he would call his sister; usually, he
talked to his niece, Julia.
The friends he left behind had heard that he had visited Mrs. Nolla the
morning of the shooting. A few even hinted that Justin had believed
that something would happen, but not what or when. Mr. Nolla hadn't
left a note - perhaps there had been an affair? But despite varying
theories, the general consensus was that Justin had left due to his
guilt -- unable to save Mrs. Nolla's life.
They were wrong. Somehow, the life of Mrs. Nolla had seemed, and still
seemed, out of his hands. Not his responsibility that morning.
Instead, he had failed those twenty-six small, shattered lives. That
was what had haunted him and turned his insides out. And as he shut
himself away, he told himself that he was dealing with the problem head
on.
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