“Why’s that? If one of us broke your heart you tell me his name and I’ll personally deliver an ass-kicking.”
She smiles and sits on my bed. “No, it’s nothing like that. I used to be engaged. He was a police officer and I loved him very much. We built a life together and we were happy.”
She’s crying now and gasps for air.
“One night, he didn’t come home when he was supposed to. I didn’t make a big deal of it. I put his dinner plate in the oven and watched TV. I got worried when I texted him and he didn’t reply. I could feel something has gone terribly wrong. Few hours later, his partner showed up— ”
Penelope breaks off, and closes her eyes. I want to hold her, comfort her. But I know the timing would be awful—grabbing this poor woman like a hungry bear while she’s in the middle of pouring her heart out would be a bad idea. Even a moron like me knows better.
“Anyway,” she says, getting her bearings, “I haven’t been the same since. I know the pain of losing the one you love, and I just can’t go through that again. You could have died falling through that roof. I don’t think I’m not strong enough to spend every day wondering if that’s going to happen.”
“I’m sorry, Penelope.”
“Yeah. Me too.” She clears her throat and stands up. “Anyway, I just thought you should know. I felt bad saying no to you without an explanation. I think it’s better to say things instead of keeping them inside, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I’m glad you told me, and I understand where you’re coming from. But there’s nothing wrong with being friends. A man and a woman can be friends, right?”
“Oh is that what you want, Harper Matthews? To be my friend.” She looks at me with a playful smirk tugging at her rounded lips.
“It would be nice having someone to talk to.”
“You’re sweet. You’ll find someone great.” She wipes her tears and leaves.
Ouch. Did I misread the situation not once, but twice? I have to be more subtle next time. I’m not giving up.
5
Operation: Dinner
“Okay,”I say to my daughter, who’s sitting at the foot of my bed. “Here she comes. Are you ready for Operation Dinner?”
“Yep.”
“Wanna practice?”
Kailee delivers her line without a single stutter.
Penelope walks into my room a few seconds later. Her cheerful face beams even brighter when she sees my daughter. “Good morning. This must be the famous Kailee.” Penelope leans forward, putting her hands on her knees, so that she’s on my daughter’s level.
Kailee hides her face in my chest, tugging on my hospital gown. This causes the garment to slip down and reveal the top of my chest tattoo, which goes across my collarbone and looks vaguely like antlers. I got it the week before I shipped out for my first tour. Drunk in Tijuana. It has no meaning.
“Sweet potato, this is Penelope. That really nice nurse daddy was telling you about.”
My arm is around my daughter’s shoulders. She’s still burrowing her face into me. That’s how Kailee is: shy when she first meets you, but give her ten minutes and she’ll be talking your ear off.
“You wanna say hi to Penelope?” I say.
Kailee turns toward her. “Hi.”
“Hi, Kailee. Your dad’s told me a lot about you. I hear you’re in second-grade. Is that right?”
Kailee nods. Imagine a turtle poking its head out from its shell. That’s Kailee now.
“Do you like your teacher?” Penelope says.
Man, she’s good at this. Not everyone knows how to talk to a sever-year-old. Kaylee nods and her eyes pop wide open. “Iloveher. Her name is Ms. Reeney and she is super nice. And she teaches social studies. But my favorite class is math. Except fractions are kinda hard. My teacher gave me an extra worksheet because I finished the other one so fast but I got confused. So I had to ask Ms. Reeney for help.”
Penelope smiles. I can tell she’s melting inside. The plan’s working.
