One customer I was never entirely sure about was a man named Tocci who owned a large construction company that built schools and other public buildings on government contracts.

He lived in Natick, the next town over from Wellesley, and he came to the station regularly. Whenever he brought a car in for repairs he arrived with another man who introduced himself as Tocci’s accountant and who handled all the talking — Tocci himself was quiet, rarely got out of the car, and let his companion manage everything. We assumed the accountant was also his bodyguard.

The accountant liked to talk. He would tell us stories about how certain people took care of their own — how when Tocci wanted to go to Florida he was put up in the best hotels at no charge, how private jets were sometimes sent to pick them up, occasionally landing on highways for convenience. We listened and drew our own conclusions.

They liked the fact that we worked hard and stayed open late into the night, and they referred to me as “good people,” which I took as a compliment.

One time Tocci brought in an old large car and asked us to go over it thoroughly and bring it back to good condition, since he intended to give it to his sons. We did a major overhaul and felt we had done a solid job. A few weeks later the accountant appeared at the station, took me into my office, and told me there was a big problem. The car had caught fire on the highway. Tocci’s sons had managed to stop the car and get out without being hurt, but the car was gone.

I was nervous about what this conversation was leading to. I told the accountant I wanted to speak with Mr. Tocci directly. I called him and told him I was very sorry about what had happened, that I was glad his sons were safe, and that I would take full financial responsibility and look into the cause. Mr. Tocci was satisfied with that and the accountant left.

We found out later that the parking brake cable had rusted and the rear brake had seized, heating up the wheel until the tire caught fire. We had failed to check and replace the parking brake cable during the overhaul. It was our mistake.

Mr. Tocci remained one of our best customers. Even after I left the station, the relationship continued. When I was looking at houses to buy, he would come and inspect them for me. On one house that was still under construction he advised me strongly not to buy it and put his reasons in writing — a formal inspection letter that I used to get my deposit returned from the builder. He never took a penny for any of it.