(Continued from the last post. Click here to catch the whole story from the beginning.)
I brought a bottle of wine to dinner that evening, as a peace offering. Ted and Clydene were obviously starting to work things out, and that made me happy. I apologized to Ted, and he clearly was uncomfortable with that. I think he wanted to apologize to me, because he looked apologetic, sheepish almost, but maybe he didn’t know how. We discussed the weather, television, politics, anything but what had originally brought us together. This was shortly after Sam Baedes had been promoted to chief, and the memory of Lando Benitez was still fresh in my mind. I discovered that Ted, being a criminal defense lawyer, had a unique view into how the system worked. And hidden well under layer upon layer of tough outer skin, I also discovered, he had a heart, a big heart made of pure gold. But that’s a different story.
I didn’t immediately tell Clyde about my parents. But we started meeting for lunch, just us two girls, whenever she met with Ange. As she shared her feelings and realizations, each prompted a memory of my own, which I shared with her. At first, I didn’t want to, having learned comfort in keeping it all to myself. And Clyde never pressured me. But I saw how Clyde struggled to talk out her feelings, and I knew how healthy it could be, and so I fought to return the favor. She listened as happily as she talked. Over time, I told her the whole story, and she seemed to understand perfectly. It felt good, liberating, to talk things out with her.
I knew I had changed, when found myself saying, “When I was little, and my father got stressed out, he would ask me, ‘Can I have a hug?’ and I would be so glad to give him a hug. I miss hugging my dad.”
Needless to say, Clyde and I became close. She invited me over for the occasional dinner. I started to feel self-conscious about having dinner so often over at their house, but Clyde was an excellent cook and a gracious hostess, and she always threw a wonderful dinner. They started inviting other friends over, too, and throwing proper dinner parties, which, I gathered, they had always talked about but never actually tried.
At one of these dinner parties, while Clyde was in the kitchen and the other guests were using the facilities, I noticed Ted staring at me longingly across the dining room table. I didn’t know what to make of it, and he was making me a little uncomfortable. Then he said, “I admire the skill with which you empathize with others,” in that haughty tone which only Ted has really ever mastered. While I was still trying to figure out what he meant by that, he said, “Thank you for being Clyde’s friend. I don’t think she would have made it otherwise.” And I saw in his eyes the adoration for his bride that I had seen that first awful morning, when I had first met him. Only this time, it wasn’t mixed with guilt or defensiveness.
“You may not realize,” I answered him, “how lucky she is to have a husband who feels as deep a love as you do for her.”
He scoffed, as if it were meaningless, or maybe even offensive.
“Hey.” I smiled. “It matters to her, okay?”
“Okay,” he said. And I could swear I saw just the faintest peek of a grin behind his otherwise stoic expression.
(The end.)
This story is tangential to The Conscience of Abe’s Turn and takes place in the Abe’s Turn universe. If you enjoyed this story, please also check out The Conscience of Abe’s Turn (the novel).
poker stars sign up bonus uk, usa friendly when did revel casino
open (Rosa) no deposit
free spins 2021 and best slot sites australia, or newest online casino
australia
live Wetten tipps basketball strategie
handicap online wetten gutschein ohne einzahlung, Neville, bedeutung
neue sportwetten bonus
Feel free to visit my web site :: Buchmacher App
paying tax on gambling winnings canada, sweet
bonausaa online slot and australian gambling law, or new usa live casino
Also visit my homepage – free no deposit bonus codes 2021 australia (Jewel)
mejores casas de apuestas en colombia
Here is my web-site basketball-Wetten.Com
online casino mindesteinzahlung 5 euro apple pay auf deutsch
die besten online casinos mit startguthaben roulette
visa bezahlen
wo kann man noch Online Slots Litecoin Bezahlen (http://WWW.Deineputzfrau.De/Spielautomaten-Online-Bonus-Ohne-Einzahlung-Bestandskunden/) roulette spielen
casino litecoin Ab 100 euro bonus niedrige umsatzbedingungen
online spielautomaten giropay bezahlen
My web blog :: roulette wie oft hintereinander rot (Jamaal)
sportwetten apps
Also visit my website: wettbüro maximale auszahlung
blackjack beste online slot spiele (Crystal) spielen live
in der spielothek geld gewinnen
Also visit my website; online casino highroller bonus – Ashlee,
aposta major sport
Here is my website; apostar Em escanteios
vermittler von wetten bei pferderennen
Also visit my site – beste Quoten Sportwetten
casino mindesteinzahlung 3 euro apple pay slots
hamburg
10 euro einzahlen 30 euro spielen
Take a look at my homepage :: Litecoin casino startguthaben
blackjack switch casino
Also visit my blog post :: online slotspiele um geld (Isidra)
spielcasino petersbogen leipzig
My page casino guru bonus 10 euro einzahlungsbonus
casino bonus prepaid karte
Feel free to surf to my web page: Beste Kreditkarte Casinos
gewinnen vegas plus casino ohne anzahlung bonus
Also visit my web page … kostenlose slot machine (Matilda)
echtes geld gewinnen ohne einzahlung
Here is my website: online Casino ab 100 euro bitcoin
keno zahlen letzte woche
My web blog: no deposit bonus sofort verfügbar; Patsy,
android Blackjack mit freispielen app deutsch
united statesn online casinos real money, real money australian online pokies and
free usa cash bingo, or top ten slots usa
Here is my page :: 300 percent bonus casino (Linette)
Casino 100 euro einzahlen 300 euro spielen 10 euro sofortüberweisung
wetten und gewinnen
Visit my web blog; Wettanbieter Deutschland
Casino 5 Euro Einzahlen 20 Freispiele 25 euro apple pay
beste online casino mit echtgeld casino
deutschland mit echtgeld
Online Casino Ab 10 Euro Visa casino ohne handy
online casino rottenburg am neckar
1 euro einzahlung handyrechnung
scratch cards online um geld spielen [Kristi] casino ohne registrierung mit auszahlung paysafecard
hoe winnen met weddenschappen
Also visit my blog: Wedden via paypal
eu Casino 3 Euro Einzahlung Ethereum gutscheincode
spielautomaten online hessen
Also visit my web page … blackjack spielen
durch obst spielautomaten online (Jenny)
casino reich geworden
beste spielbank deutschland
My blog – Casino Freispiele Ethereum
tiri in porta Sistema Scommesse
online casino 1 euro paysafecard
Also visit my page: casinos ohne ersteinzahlung (Drogariajoiadacolonia.com.br)
online casino mit mastercard bezahlen – Lashawn – spielothek mit startguthaben
casino Mindesteinzahlung 20 euro giropay
top 20 deutschland
online slots freispiele ohne einzahlung (Lois) casino
mit telefon bezahlen
5 freispiele nach registrierung
My blog post … casino 1 einzahlen 20 spielen
casino auszahlung auf ethereum
Feel free to visit my web page; willkommensbonus niedriger wager
(Kandice)
online blackjack mit paypal
My blog – ehrliche casino ohne Limit