Thursday, January 21, 2010

21. Ships in the night


Gracie lengthened her stride, “Well, I have worked like hell on my friend, Robert, but I can't bring him to his senses!“ Her tone was an amalgam of exasperation and hubris. Having been on her own for so long, there was a brittleness to her need that was readily apparent, possibly to Robert.

In response, Jan ran the glass-half-full argument, “You'll just have to accept that, and try to be grateful for his terrific friendship. It’s futile laying siege and battering the castle keep. You will lose more than there is to gain.” Jan had a sneaking suspicion that Gracie aimed high deliberately, recalling the list that she had peeled off just the previous Saturday over a fruity white, watching Jack Lemmon steal the show for the umpteenth time as Daphne: young is good, must be sporty, a tasteful dresser, a professional, preferably finance. It was never going to happen.

2 comments:

Vicki said...

Poor Peter. If I were him, I’d be running for the hills. :)

This sets the scene beautifully: “Her tone was an amalgam of exasperation and hubris. Having been on her own for so long, there was a brittleness to her need that was readily apparent, possibly to Peter.”

“It was never going to happen.” The perfect closer.

Joan Elizabeth said...

I love this blog ... usually take a peek earlier in the day so I can enjoy thinking about it until the evening.

You've chosen interesting ground to explore in the "looking for a man after passing a certain age theme". The sad thing is that I now encounter many 30-40 somethings who are in the same predicament having held onto their independence too long.