When Tom discovered in the morning

[Bassim]

Have I made any mistakes?

When Tom discovered in the morning that someone had set his car on fire, he sat beside the burnt out shell and cried as if he had never done before. He hated the thugs who had done this to him. They had done it just for fun and out of malice, and they never cared what damage they did to other people. They knew they would never be caught because the police lacked resources. Tom needed the car for his job as a plumber and he didn't have a clue where he was going to find the money for another one. This was the third time in the last two years his car was torched, and he had enough of it. He walked to the bus, thinking that maybe he should give notice and start living on welfare. When the state didn't protect him, the hard-working man, he shouldn't contribute to it with a single penny.

 

[Tarheel]

The first thing you do in such a situation is notice that your car has been destroyed. The second thing you do (even if it's only one second later) is consider how it happened.

Do you mean Tom cried as if he had never cried before?

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

They did it for their own enjoyment and out of malice, taking sadistic pleasure in hurting iothers.

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

It was the third time in two years that his car had been torched, and he had had enough of it.

And:

He walked to the bus stop ....

And:

... contribute a single penny to it.

 

[Bassim]

Tarheel,

Yes. I meant to say Tom cried as if he had never cried before, but I used "done" to avoid using "cried" twice in the same sentence.

 

[Tarheel]

It's hard for me to get my arms around that one. Perhaps:

"He bawled like a baby"

Or something like that.