Ray had quit his job as a factory foreman a year or so before in order to go into business for himself. Landscaping was his real calling, but in our part of the country that’s seasonal work spanning four or five months. Ray figured he’d fill in by painting the rest of the year.

There were family ties between my wife and Ray’s wife. We had heard he was struggling in his new career and, with several rooms inside our house in need of painting, we were happy to throw some work his way. We didn’t even talk price before hiring him. We could trust him to do right by us.