relationship, and Pip, Philippa, became depressed. I spoke with her before coming here, letting her know I’d be leaving Manhattan in case she ever wanted to contact me, but she was terribly groggy and distant due to anti-depressants, I’m not really sure she was fully aware of the situation.”
“That’s so sad,” I whispered, realizing I’d been lucky enough to have the support and love from friends and family to move on after Caleb’s death.
Jared nodded sorrowfully and his eyes left mine, wandering around the room. He was trying to recompose himself, I guess, following the touchy subject.
“What about Aidan?” I asked naively.
“What about Aidan?” Jared replied, and I thought I saw a flash of suspicion in his eyes, but it quickly dissipated and they filled with insipidness.
“Any close friends he’s lost?”
“Aidan hasn’t allowed many people to get close to him. The mere fact that he’s on a first-name basis with you, considering you’re a case to him, is significant.”
“Okay, so Aidan keeps his distance from other human beings; that’s a very clear sign of a defense mechanism; if he’s detached, he won’t lose anyone close to him.”
“So you’re a psychologist now?” Jared asked with a sly smile on his face; I rolled my eyes.
“I learned that in Psychology 101 in high school; plus, I’m incredibly smart and have an amazing sense of perception, and my intuition is beyond comparison, so that explains it all,” I replied, grinning mischievously.
Jared laughed and it was his turn to roll his eyes.
“You didn’t really answer my question,” I said after a few seconds of silence.
“I’ve met friends of his, but very few. He’s very respectful towards the people he works with. Aidan’s best friend is a guy he met in college, Tim Logan. They’re really close, and as he comes from a fucked up family, having emancipated when he was seventeen and caring for his younger sister, they get each other.”
“What happened to his parents?”
“They are both crack-addicts who never got their lives in order. Tim’s sister, Allie, is five years younger than me, so he pretty much raised her. They had financial help from their grandparents, but as they were old, they couldn’t do much more for them.”
“That sucks,” I said, unsure as to what to say.
Jared smiled tightly. “That’s life,” he replied, shrugging. “We’ve all got a past; there are no fairy tale lives; everyone I know has skeletons, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I think that whatever bad situations may take place, they build character and eventually have positive outcomes. Not all people are the same, of course. Some get bitch-slapped by life and they mature and grow stronger. Others decided to turn to drugs, alcohol or crimes because they can’t face what they’ve been through.”
“I guess that would make us survivors of sorts, right?”
“Exactly.”
“What are your top five moments of your life?” I asked out of the blue.
Jared , surprised by my question, hesitated and thought about his answer before talking.
“Let’s see… The day I received my badge was certainly memorable and emotional. The day I was given my gerbil was pretty nice, too. When the New York Giants won the XLII Super Bowl, and I was in the stadium, enjoying every second of it, I was euphoric. The first time I solved a case; I felt worthy, adequate, sharp…And the first time I slept with Isobel. Don’t get me wrong, it ended up badly, but that first time, we’d gone on a very nice date and she looked absolutely beautiful.”
“Still carrying a torch for her, are we?”
“Not really, but I’ve learned that my relationship with Isobel should not be remembered under a negative light just because she cheated. We’d had a wonderful thing until it went downhill, but I won’t give up the good memories just because the end hurt a lot.”
“How very mature of you, Jared.”
“Thank you very much, Sam. What about
“That’s so sad,” I whispered, realizing I’d been lucky enough to have the support and love from friends and family to move on after Caleb’s death.
Jared nodded sorrowfully and his eyes left mine, wandering around the room. He was trying to recompose himself, I guess, following the touchy subject.
“What about Aidan?” I asked naively.
“What about Aidan?” Jared replied, and I thought I saw a flash of suspicion in his eyes, but it quickly dissipated and they filled with insipidness.
“Any close friends he’s lost?”
“Aidan hasn’t allowed many people to get close to him. The mere fact that he’s on a first-name basis with you, considering you’re a case to him, is significant.”
“Okay, so Aidan keeps his distance from other human beings; that’s a very clear sign of a defense mechanism; if he’s detached, he won’t lose anyone close to him.”
“So you’re a psychologist now?” Jared asked with a sly smile on his face; I rolled my eyes.
“I learned that in Psychology 101 in high school; plus, I’m incredibly smart and have an amazing sense of perception, and my intuition is beyond comparison, so that explains it all,” I replied, grinning mischievously.
Jared laughed and it was his turn to roll his eyes.
“You didn’t really answer my question,” I said after a few seconds of silence.
“I’ve met friends of his, but very few. He’s very respectful towards the people he works with. Aidan’s best friend is a guy he met in college, Tim Logan. They’re really close, and as he comes from a fucked up family, having emancipated when he was seventeen and caring for his younger sister, they get each other.”
“What happened to his parents?”
“They are both crack-addicts who never got their lives in order. Tim’s sister, Allie, is five years younger than me, so he pretty much raised her. They had financial help from their grandparents, but as they were old, they couldn’t do much more for them.”
“That sucks,” I said, unsure as to what to say.
Jared smiled tightly. “That’s life,” he replied, shrugging. “We’ve all got a past; there are no fairy tale lives; everyone I know has skeletons, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I think that whatever bad situations may take place, they build character and eventually have positive outcomes. Not all people are the same, of course. Some get bitch-slapped by life and they mature and grow stronger. Others decided to turn to drugs, alcohol or crimes because they can’t face what they’ve been through.”
“I guess that would make us survivors of sorts, right?”
“Exactly.”
“What are your top five moments of your life?” I asked out of the blue.
Jared , surprised by my question, hesitated and thought about his answer before talking.
“Let’s see… The day I received my badge was certainly memorable and emotional. The day I was given my gerbil was pretty nice, too. When the New York Giants won the XLII Super Bowl, and I was in the stadium, enjoying every second of it, I was euphoric. The first time I solved a case; I felt worthy, adequate, sharp…And the first time I slept with Isobel. Don’t get me wrong, it ended up badly, but that first time, we’d gone on a very nice date and she looked absolutely beautiful.”
“Still carrying a torch for her, are we?”
“Not really, but I’ve learned that my relationship with Isobel should not be remembered under a negative light just because she cheated. We’d had a wonderful thing until it went downhill, but I won’t give up the good memories just because the end hurt a lot.”
“How very mature of you, Jared.”
“Thank you very much, Sam. What about
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