“Why would you spend all your savings on someone you don’t know?”
Emma looked surprised by the question.
“Because you looked lonely.”
Barry lowered his eyes.
“Not every lonely person deserves kindness.”
“Maybe not,” she said. “But lonely people still need it.”
His gaze shifted toward me.
“Did your mother teach you that?”
“Yes.”
Something changed in his expression.
He lifted his coffee, but his hand had begun to shake.
“Where is your father?”
“He died before I was born.”
“I’m sorry. What was his name?”
“Frank.”
Barry’s spoon slipped from his hand and struck the side of his bowl.
I sat up straighter.
Emma continued before I could stop her.
“Mom said his mother’s name is Evelyn.”
All the color drained from Barry’s face.
I reached across the table and took Emma’s hand.
“You knew my husband?”
Barry stared at my daughter.
More precisely, he stared into her eyes.
