The Mare

Paul

When Ginger mentioned sending Velvet to Catholic school I said, “We can’t take that on; it’s too much.” She said she thought something bad was happening at the school, that Velvet was acting strange. I said bad things are always happening at school at that age; bad things will happen at Catholic school too; we can’t protect her from her life. She pushed and I blew up. I didn’t say anything I hadn’t said before, but my voice was more angry than my words and I could see her shut down inside. She didn’t storm out of the room, she just got quiet and looked away. I knew I should put my arms around her, or at least touch her; if I’d done that, it would’ve been all right. But I couldn’t. Polly had broken with me just hours before. She’d gotten her degree and she was going away.