Finally, David paused, wiping his hands on a rag he had found nearby. He looked at Richard with calm confidence and said, “I think I’ve found the problem.” Richard, despite himself, leaned in closer. “It was a faulty ignition coil,” David explained. “And there’s a clog in the fuel line. Simple fixes, really.”

Richard almost laughed—simple fixes, indeed.

Yet, he found himself hoping that David’s diagnosis was correct. There was something about the way David had approached the challenge, something that made Richard want to believe in the possibility of the impossible.