Today, however, was different.
He told Priya he would review the packet. Then he closed his door.
He wrote in the margin: “Helical piles permitted where composite shaft meets torque verification per Appendix L (attached).”
He had never noticed that before.
Arthur stood at the head of the table. He held up the blue book.
“You can’t just amend a standard spec,” she said. “There’s a committee. A review cycle. Public comment.”
Arthur sat alone in the conference room for a moment, the red pen still in his hand. Outside, a pile driver began to thud—steady, rhythmic, true. It was not his rhythm. But it was a rhythm he had learned to trust.
