Page 62 of A Constant Reminder

“Well, it sounds like they don’t hold that against you.”

“No, they don’t. I’m pretty sure their mom resented me for a long time, but she was always great about instilling into their heads that I was fighting for my country and that was a good thing.”

“Sounds like a good woman,” I said.

“She is.”

His words made it sound like he still wasn’t over her or their marriage, so I decided to not ask any more questions about that part of his life.

I did ask some more about his daughters, and he reciprocated asking about my family. I’m guessing he caught the fact that I referred to my mom in past tense, so he was gracious enough to not direct any of the questions toward that topic.

Usually, I don’t enjoy talking to people this much when I don’t know them well. Social awkwardness was my middle name, but there was something about Gabe that put me at ease.

Maybe it was that he kind of reminded me of my dad in that he was a genuinely hardworking man who would do anything for his kids.

Maybe it was that I knew we would be spending a lot of time together, so it would be worth it to get to know each other.

Or maybe it was the sheer fact that I was leaving my life in this man’s hands. Maybe it was best to get to know the man who might one day save my life.

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