Thursday, March 28, 2013

After the Talk


 

Sitting behind the wheel, Stevie sensed clouds of discouragement rolling over her. Did he hear anything I said? Did he care at all, or is he hopelessly blind and calloused to mercy and compassion? Did I just waste another fifteen minutes of my life after having thrown six months into the garbage?

Driving out to the road, she criticized herself for being too direct in her approach, calcifying the senator's resolve to ignore his son. Then she criticized herself for not being direct enough. By the time she reached the end of the driveway, Stevie had pulled herself back to center. I went to the man, and I said what I should have said, she assured herself. I'm not responsible for how he responds. Having dealt with the discouragement, she was now filled with a profound sadness for Senator Bellardi. She drove past Ernie with a benign wave and turned the Cherokee toward the hospital.

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