Sober Duncan is doing great after an eighty-minute bubble bath (Twilight Woods has another convert over here) and a good nights sleep. He asked for roast potatoes and tea, which was a very Jacob-like maneuver. (I made it for him and watched as he picked up his plate and took it to his room to eat while he caught up on emails and reading. Jacob wouldn't have done that.) Duncan also expressed surprise that the kids grew so much in the month he was gone and he was glad to see Ben doing better since he left tour early.
He was not, however, very impressed with the way Caleb ambushed Loch and I out in the middle of nowhere but he was proud of the way we handled it.
Yeah, me too, Dunk, but I'm really glad you're back.
Certain people just serve to make the whole mood of the house a little more laid-back and even-keel. Duncan is one of them.
***
Who was that? I saw a tall blonde with a briefcase leaving the boathouse just before noon today. My curiosity spills over so I call Caleb and ask him.
A counselor. She comes highly recommended.
A what?
A counselor, Bridget. To help me get over you.
How did it go?
It's going to take a while. Years. She was astounded when she took my history, to say the least.
I don't doubt it.
She might want to meet with you at some point.
Leave me out of this.
I think it would be beneficial to her to have the whole picture, instead of just my side.
We'll see.
That's all I can ask.
What will we spend our days doing when you're all fixed up and perfect again?
I don't know how to answer that, Bridget.
I'm...well, I'm proud of you for getting help.
I shock him so much he doesn't know what to say, and after a strangled silence, he says he'll let me go now. I fail to realize he means from the phone call and tell him he should have done it years ago. Why every single word has to be weighed down so heavily, I don't know. He gracefully avoids correcting me and says goodbye. When I hang up I instantly want to place a bet on how long this lasts and what end this is a means to, but instead I go and ask Duncan if he's hungry again yet.
Because Duncan is never ever evil and usually always hungry.
