Chapter 28 - THE NEW HARRINGTON Two years later, Harrington Holdings was almost unrecognizable.
The pension fund had been restored.
Workers had seats on the board.
Executive compensation was tied to employee protections.
The Ruth Carter Center had expanded into three cities.
The mansion became a permanent legal-aid and education center.
Claire became an advocate for missing persons and institutional abuse survivors.
Margaret dedicated herself to the restitution program.
Daniel remained CEO.
Not because of his last name.
Because the employees chose him.
As for me, I became chair of the trust.
But I kept one rule.
No decision could be made without the people affected by it.
At the center of the west wing, the Harrington Star remained behind glass.
Beside it sat my old handbag.
Visitors often laughed when they first saw it.
Then they read the plaque.
A diamond can be planted.
A lie can be rehearsed.
But a camera remembers.
One afternoon, a little girl asked me:
“Were you scared?”
I smiled.
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't you run?”
I looked toward the portrait of Claire.
“Because someone had already spent twenty-four years running for me.”
The girl nodded.
Then she reached for her mother's hand.
Outside, the gates opened.
May you like
Again.
And stayed open.
