“Maybe, just a bit.”
“You can’t control our lives.”
“I’m only protecting what I love, and my sister is what I love most in my life.”
“And sport?”
“It’s only because of her that I have all this. Life gave me just one sister, and Riley gave me the rest.”
“You’re a great player, Jamie. You deserve what you’ve earned.”
“Not without her giving me every possibility in the world,” he sighs pensively, then continues, “you have to do something.”
“What?”
“I’ve watched the little games you’ve both played for too long, and I’ve wanted to stay out of it. I thought at least one of you was a bit brighter than that.”
“Stay out of it, Jamie. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I don’t know what I’m talking about? Oh Jesus, I know it off by heart. You’reboththe problem. You drive me mad.”
“We aren’t doing anything. We haven’t seen each other in…”
“A year. I know.”
One year, two months, twenty days and three hours.
“I can’t even bring up the subject with her. You know you’ve become the unnamable bastard?”
“Okay. Well, she’s hit it on the head.”
“So, I decided to work on you.”
“On me?” I look at him.
“I can’t let her to go into hiding again.”
“Isn’t she sitting right here?”
“I don’t want her to run away from herself. And you, my friend, you’re going to help me.”
“Me? What the fuck do you want me to do?”
“This time, you’re going to do the right thing.”
“I didn’t force her to go into hiding.”
“You hurt her.”
Huh. Sounds like he knows a lot more detail than I thought she’d be willing to share. It’s useless for me to tiptoe around it. I should cut him off now before he gets carried away.
“I’d do it again,” I tell him, looking him in the eyes.
“Well, you’re not going to.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because I’ve seen how you look at her, mate.”
