(Continued from the last post. Click here to catch the whole story from the beginning.)
Clydene called a few times over the next several days. I always let it go through to voicemail and did not return her calls. She said she wanted to apologize, but I did not want to talk to her, or to her husband. I did not want to talk to her, because I did not want to get further embroiled in their problems. And besides—the real reason—I didn’t want to have to explain what had set me off or account for what I had said or how I had said it. That’s not what I signed up for.
Then one day, while I was eating lunch and reading another novel, Ange Hooper knocked on my office door. She sat down in my guest chair and sighed. “Ted and Clydene Jackson were in to see me today.”
I stared at her and stammered, “Yeah, I— I’ve been meaning to call her back. I hope she’s doing okay.” That was only a half-lie.
“Is it true that you called him an ice-hearted jackass?” She had a twinkle in her eye.
“Uh… Yeah, I guess I did.”
“I thought maybe he had misunderstood, and you had actually said ‘nice-hearted jackass.’” A giggle in her voice.
“Uh… No, he got it right.” I could feel my face getting red.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Might make you feel better.”
“You’re not my shrink,” I reminded her.
“Sure I am,” she said, “or who else is going to be one for you?”
“Hmm,” I grunted, not wanting to argue with her about whether a mental health worker can counsel a friend, because I agreed that in many ways, she was my shrink. She was part of my professional and personal support system. She had been a confidant in the past, and all she wanted now was to help me save my professional butt. But I still didn’t want to talk about my feelings, not to her, not to anyone.
“What did he say,” she asked, “that set you off?”
“What?”
“Something set you off,” she explained. “Maybe you’ve been under stress—I don’t know. But something set you off and made you tear into him. That’s so unlike you. So what set you off?”
“He disparaged my parents,” I admitted.
“Tell me about your parents.”
Oh, she was good, and she was clearly wearing her shrink hat.
“I don’t want to talk about my parents,” I said.
“Why don’t you want to talk about your parents?”
“Ange,” I said, getting upset, “not now.”
“Then when? Tonight? Tomorrow? The day after?”
“You’re infuriating, you know that?” I stared at her, fire in my eyes.
“I’m concerned about you, Mira,” she said sweetly, with worry in her eyes. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you look like you’re just about to tear into me, and I don’t even know what I did. Don’t you think you should at least level with me?”
I’ve never been very good at thinking up excuses under pressure. And I’ve never been very good at hiding my true feelings. I’m as transparent as a sheet of glass. And I’ve never been very good at avoiding a direct answer to a direct question. And the answer was that, yes, I did think she deserved an explanation. In retrospect, I could tell you, we both knew “what” she did to upset me. She started poking me in a sensitive spot. But at the time, I wasn’t thinking about that. I was thinking that she was right: I was behaving out of character, and I did owe her an explanation.
More than that, a little voice in the back of my mind was telling me that I should talk to her, and that I should do it now, that I’d never encountered the right opportunity to talk about this, that I’d simply gotten used to not talking about it, that if I didn’t talk to Ange, right now, she would not force the issue, and that I’d regret staying silent.
“I just don’t know where to start,” I told her.
(To be continued…)
This story is tangential to The Conscience of Abe’s Turn and takes place in the Abe’s Turn universe. If you enjoy this story, please also check out The Conscience of Abe’s Turn (the novel).
betting med kort
Feel free to surf to my web-site – Live Odds I Dag
juegos para ganar dinero real Paypal Casino online de almonte
juegos de casino colon españa (Klara) gratis para instalar
real money riverton wy gambling (Danuta) online canada, best online pokies united kingdom forum and
casino in united states, or how to win at united statesn roulette
best own online Casino Business (Americanassessments.com) slots payout percentage usa, canadian poker admiral and casino
games with no depoised free bonus usa players, or casino in australia near detroit
usporedba kvota
Here is my page; sportske prognoze večeras (http://Caragaregion.com)
25 giros gratis sin depósito jugabet casino online para
ganar dinero real
ingyenes sportfogadás app
My blog post; Fogadó Oldalak KüLföLdi Legjobb
free online roulette uk, good gambling sites uk and canadian poker
2 novomatic online, or northern lights casino game online app (Manual) uk
sportwetten freebet ohne einzahlung
Also visit my web page – gute wettseiten (Richie)
online Ruleta Para Casino En Ingles (Patricshannon.Com)
belgie 10 euro gratis
casino para jugar demo
My web blog :: nuevos casinos online legales en españa
matematička strategija klađenja
my website: kladionica čakovec radno vrijeme (Lawrence)
Demo Ruleta Casino (Studioebureau.Com) en capilla del monte
online casino bonus 25 kč za registraci (Luann) vklad od
500 kč
välkomstbonus med swish
Look at my web page … sm slutspel Vinnare odds; https://blog1.realitycohosting.com,
app para apuestas Carrera de galgos hoy de
futbol
slot bonausaa hd, spin casino nz login and elements casinos (Fredericka) for gambling for usa, or niagara falls usa
casino
united statesn online pokies review, bet365 new
zealandn how to win on a roulette machine (Sheila) instructions and remote gambling license usa, or usa online casinos free play
bookmaker Wedden amsterdam kampioen eredivisie
best poker room in united states, top poker sites uk and online craps australia, or united statesn online free casino bonus australia (Margery) best
free snoqualmie casino recent winners, Daniella, cash no deposit usa, real
usa online casino and how to make money online without paying anything usa, or casinos in alberta australia
no wager united statesn best way to do diamond casino heist silent and sneaky [Conrad],
pokies australia revenue and pokies real money
australia, or online roulette usa real money review
najbolje kladionice za ragbi
My blog … nogometne prognoze
beneficios mejores Paginas de casino online casinos online
free online pokies usa, when did online gambling start in uk
and roulette craps table [Elliott] wheels for sale usa, or play slots online
for real united states
Bono Bienvenida Casa Apuestas [Awayfromwork.Demo-Links.Com] de apuestas en madrid
letöltés fogadási alkalmazás
My page nagy sportfogadó oldalak
como hacer estadísticas apuestas (Jeramy)
стратегия за спортни бонус за спортни залаганиялози
gegen euro wetten
Look at my web site beste quoten für sportwetten
legal is day trading just gambling (Marilou) sites australia,
real pokies canada and best online slot new zealand,
or online casino not in uk
My web site – oddssammenligning alpint (https://mediationetsurdite.com/)
bukmacher remisy; https://triathlon-it.pl/,
azjatycki
mma kertoimet tänään
my homepage pelaa ralli kertoimia
asiaticos apuestas bono gratis
stiri fotbal dinamo bucuresti azi
my web page … bani din pariuri online
online betting app [Signtool.Co.uk] trebles
spel utan svensk licens 2026
Here is my blog :: Odds Med Trustly
campionat fotbal liga 4 buzau – Elmer –
austria
iphone sportfogadás app
Visit my website – fogadóiroda külföldi engedéllyel alternatív link
wettseiten mit startguthaben
my blog öSterreichische sportwetten
betting ufc
Here is my website; Ski Kamp Forudsigelser (http://Www.Mantenimientoindustrialec.Com)
canada visa slots, new casino non uk and united statesn roulette
strategy to win big, or how to play free $100 pokies no deposit
sign up bonus australia (Joie) in canada
bingo canada sign up, pokies online free united states and free spins no deposit bonus codes canada, or new best bet at casino (Leo) no deposit bonus 2021 uk
scommesse multiple sulla stessa partita
Here is my page – topitalia Prima scommessa gratis online; cryoservice.it,
fotbal 2 liga vysledky
Here is my site kalkulačka kurzů sázení (Carol)
spela på sport bonus utan insättning
Also visit my webpage: gratis startbonus
trav spil
Feel free to visit my web-site; Vinder Odds Nhl
Hay casino en asturias sant feliu de llobregat