“Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Margot said.
Sarah got up from her chair and put her arm around Alice. She didn’t say a word, knowing words would have been too much.
Alice bit her lower lip. “It was so fast, you know? He was never sick. He was just dead. Gone. In a single night. We were supposed to pick out our wedding cake the next day. Burt was looking forward to that. He loved cake. It was the only kind of dessert he liked,” she rambled.
Margot’s voice was compassionate as she spoke. “And so, Alice, I’m guessing that you feel robbed of that chance that both Sarah and Luke were given to say goodbye. Is that right?”
Alice’s face shattered, and tears ran in rivulets down her cheeks. “I was cheated. There are so many things I would have said to him.”
Margot took Alice’s hand, which had been wadding the tissue into a tight ball. “What’s stopping you?”
“What?” Luke barked. “Her fiancé is dead!”
Sarah’s head shot up. “You don’t talk to your wife?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“I don’t believe you,” Sarah said flatly, staring at him. “In the two years since she’s been dead, you haven’t told her that you miss her? That you wish she were here?”
“Well, yeah, but...”
“It’s the same thing, Luke,” Margot interjected. “Alice, for next week, I want you to write a letter to Burt telling him everything you would have said to him if you’d had the chance. Say everything. The good and the bad. Then bring it next week to share with us. Can you do that?”
“I think so,” Alice replied with a forced, uncertain smile.
Margot turned to Luke. “I was afraid we scared you away last week, Luke. I’m glad you’re back.”
“So are we,” Sarah piped in with a smile. Alice nodded.
“I hadn’t thought I would come back, but I guess you figured that out already. I realized that the reason I came here in the first place was because of my kids. They’re my Achilles heel, I guess you could say. I would do anything for them, but right now, I seem to be alienating them more than being a father to them.”
“Why’s that?” Margot asked.
“I get angry at the least little thing they do, or I don’t notice when they’ve done something special. This is not fair to my oldest, Annie, especially. She’s been the little homemaker for both my son and me since Jenny died. She does half the household chores without my even asking. I don’t know why she does that.”
“She’s assumed her mother’s role,” Margot said. “Because she loves you and sees your unhappiness, she’s taken on the responsibility of your happiness.”
Luke’s face grew stern and pensive. “This is not a good thing at all. She’s just a kid. She should be doing little girl things. Not pretending she’s the adult, which she does well.”
Margot cast him an understanding smile. “Precisely. All the things you can do to promote her being a child will be invaluable. Can you hire a housekeeper to do the chores?”
Luke looked down at his boots and then lifted his head. “No, I can’t.”
“I understand,” Margot said.
Sarah hadn’t taken her eyes off Luke since the conversation began. She could tell he was embarrassed to admit his shortcomings, yet he courageously plunged into his explanations. He wasn’t holding anything back. He was earnest in his desire to put his grief behind him. If that were so, then the day would come when he would step out of the shadows of his pain.
Sarah’s heart opened to him, and she had to fight the urge to get up and give him a comforting hug. She truly wanted to help him, as any real friend would.
Sarah was so engrossed in what Luke and Margot were saying, she felt as if she were an integral part of their conversation.
“Is it just the grief? Or are you unhappy, Luke?” Sarah blurted her thought aloud.
Luke shot her a piercing look. “Sarah, didn’t you say earlier that the grief was heavy on you, like you were being crushed or you
“Don’t be,” Margot said.
Sarah got up from her chair and put her arm around Alice. She didn’t say a word, knowing words would have been too much.
Alice bit her lower lip. “It was so fast, you know? He was never sick. He was just dead. Gone. In a single night. We were supposed to pick out our wedding cake the next day. Burt was looking forward to that. He loved cake. It was the only kind of dessert he liked,” she rambled.
Margot’s voice was compassionate as she spoke. “And so, Alice, I’m guessing that you feel robbed of that chance that both Sarah and Luke were given to say goodbye. Is that right?”
Alice’s face shattered, and tears ran in rivulets down her cheeks. “I was cheated. There are so many things I would have said to him.”
Margot took Alice’s hand, which had been wadding the tissue into a tight ball. “What’s stopping you?”
“What?” Luke barked. “Her fiancé is dead!”
Sarah’s head shot up. “You don’t talk to your wife?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“I don’t believe you,” Sarah said flatly, staring at him. “In the two years since she’s been dead, you haven’t told her that you miss her? That you wish she were here?”
“Well, yeah, but...”
“It’s the same thing, Luke,” Margot interjected. “Alice, for next week, I want you to write a letter to Burt telling him everything you would have said to him if you’d had the chance. Say everything. The good and the bad. Then bring it next week to share with us. Can you do that?”
“I think so,” Alice replied with a forced, uncertain smile.
Margot turned to Luke. “I was afraid we scared you away last week, Luke. I’m glad you’re back.”
“So are we,” Sarah piped in with a smile. Alice nodded.
“I hadn’t thought I would come back, but I guess you figured that out already. I realized that the reason I came here in the first place was because of my kids. They’re my Achilles heel, I guess you could say. I would do anything for them, but right now, I seem to be alienating them more than being a father to them.”
“Why’s that?” Margot asked.
“I get angry at the least little thing they do, or I don’t notice when they’ve done something special. This is not fair to my oldest, Annie, especially. She’s been the little homemaker for both my son and me since Jenny died. She does half the household chores without my even asking. I don’t know why she does that.”
“She’s assumed her mother’s role,” Margot said. “Because she loves you and sees your unhappiness, she’s taken on the responsibility of your happiness.”
Luke’s face grew stern and pensive. “This is not a good thing at all. She’s just a kid. She should be doing little girl things. Not pretending she’s the adult, which she does well.”
Margot cast him an understanding smile. “Precisely. All the things you can do to promote her being a child will be invaluable. Can you hire a housekeeper to do the chores?”
Luke looked down at his boots and then lifted his head. “No, I can’t.”
“I understand,” Margot said.
Sarah hadn’t taken her eyes off Luke since the conversation began. She could tell he was embarrassed to admit his shortcomings, yet he courageously plunged into his explanations. He wasn’t holding anything back. He was earnest in his desire to put his grief behind him. If that were so, then the day would come when he would step out of the shadows of his pain.
Sarah’s heart opened to him, and she had to fight the urge to get up and give him a comforting hug. She truly wanted to help him, as any real friend would.
Sarah was so engrossed in what Luke and Margot were saying, she felt as if she were an integral part of their conversation.
“Is it just the grief? Or are you unhappy, Luke?” Sarah blurted her thought aloud.
Luke shot her a piercing look. “Sarah, didn’t you say earlier that the grief was heavy on you, like you were being crushed or you
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