before the divorce.
Jeff hadn’t met anyone he cared about deeply yet, but he’d been dating for about a year. Whenever he brought someone home, he had to live with Izzie’s editorial comments, and she was usually right. He had no desire to get married again, but he would have liked to find a woman he loved enough to live with, particularly when Izzie left for college in two years. He knew just how lonely he would be when she did, and he had no illusions that she would stay in San Francisco. Izzie wanted to see more of the world, even if she came back to the city after that. And Jeff realized that he would have no personal life without her. Everything he did revolved around his daughter.
For the past few months Jeff had been dating a woman at work whom he seemed to like, and he brought her home to have dinner with Izzie. And Izzie hated her. He was fifty-three by then, and the young lawyer he was dating was in her early thirties, and Izzie pointed out to him the next day that she was too young for him, and he looked embarrassed. It had occurred to him too, but it was awkward having it pointed out by his fifteen-year-old daughter, who was closer to her age than he was, though not by much. But women his own age didn’t appeal to him.
“I’m not marrying her. She’s just a date,” he said to Izzie.
“Just keep it that way,” Izzie said sternly. “Besides, she’s not as smart as you are.”
“What makes you think that?” He looked startled.
“She kept asking what things mean, things that she ought toknow, as a lawyer. Either she’s playing stupid, or she really is. Either way, you deserve better,” Izzie said as she rinsed their breakfast dishes and put them in the dishwasher. She was very much the woman of the house now, and had a comfortable adult relationship with her father.
“No one is ever going to be as smart as your mother,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’m not sure I was either. Probably not.”
Or as cold
, he thought to himself, but didn’t say it. “I’m not sure I need to be with a genius, or even want to. Just a nice, friendly woman,” he said, and Izzie looked at him from across the kitchen.
“You need a smart one, Dad. A dumb one would get boring.” Her mother was dating someone too, the CEO of the company she worked for. He was recently divorced. Izzie hadn’t met him yet, but her mother had told her. In the two years since her parents’ divorce, she had grown wise beyond her years.
They had no particular plans for Thanksgiving, so he accepted an invitation for both of them from one of his co-workers at the ACLU, a nice divorced woman with two children roughly the same age as Izzie, and she had invited about a dozen other people. It sounded like an easy invitation and a nice way to spend the day. Katherine was in New York on business, and spending the holiday with friends there.
The O’Haras were planning to entertain relatives and friends and had much to be thankful for this year. Kevin had done well in rehab, and returned as the boy they always hoped he would be. At twenty-two, he was going to City College, getting good grades, and hoping to graduate that year. It was an enormous relief to them, and the two boys were getting on well. Kevin had apologizedto Sean in a family therapy session in Arizona for being such a bad brother to him until then. He had been a different person when he got home.
Andy and his parents were visiting relatives of his mother’s in South Carolina. Judy and Adam were going to the Fairmont Hotel with Michelle, and Gabby was spending Thanksgiving with the Nortons. Marilyn had planned a family dinner with Larry, her two boys, and Gabby. It was a meal Marilyn always prepared, and she did it well, and Gabby had promised to help her.
Gabby got to Billy’s house early enough to help Marilyn get things ready. She had taken out her best linen tablecloth, and Billy and Gabby set the table together. They set it with Marilyn’s best china and crystal,
Jeff hadn’t met anyone he cared about deeply yet, but he’d been dating for about a year. Whenever he brought someone home, he had to live with Izzie’s editorial comments, and she was usually right. He had no desire to get married again, but he would have liked to find a woman he loved enough to live with, particularly when Izzie left for college in two years. He knew just how lonely he would be when she did, and he had no illusions that she would stay in San Francisco. Izzie wanted to see more of the world, even if she came back to the city after that. And Jeff realized that he would have no personal life without her. Everything he did revolved around his daughter.
For the past few months Jeff had been dating a woman at work whom he seemed to like, and he brought her home to have dinner with Izzie. And Izzie hated her. He was fifty-three by then, and the young lawyer he was dating was in her early thirties, and Izzie pointed out to him the next day that she was too young for him, and he looked embarrassed. It had occurred to him too, but it was awkward having it pointed out by his fifteen-year-old daughter, who was closer to her age than he was, though not by much. But women his own age didn’t appeal to him.
“I’m not marrying her. She’s just a date,” he said to Izzie.
“Just keep it that way,” Izzie said sternly. “Besides, she’s not as smart as you are.”
“What makes you think that?” He looked startled.
“She kept asking what things mean, things that she ought toknow, as a lawyer. Either she’s playing stupid, or she really is. Either way, you deserve better,” Izzie said as she rinsed their breakfast dishes and put them in the dishwasher. She was very much the woman of the house now, and had a comfortable adult relationship with her father.
“No one is ever going to be as smart as your mother,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’m not sure I was either. Probably not.”
Or as cold
, he thought to himself, but didn’t say it. “I’m not sure I need to be with a genius, or even want to. Just a nice, friendly woman,” he said, and Izzie looked at him from across the kitchen.
“You need a smart one, Dad. A dumb one would get boring.” Her mother was dating someone too, the CEO of the company she worked for. He was recently divorced. Izzie hadn’t met him yet, but her mother had told her. In the two years since her parents’ divorce, she had grown wise beyond her years.
They had no particular plans for Thanksgiving, so he accepted an invitation for both of them from one of his co-workers at the ACLU, a nice divorced woman with two children roughly the same age as Izzie, and she had invited about a dozen other people. It sounded like an easy invitation and a nice way to spend the day. Katherine was in New York on business, and spending the holiday with friends there.
The O’Haras were planning to entertain relatives and friends and had much to be thankful for this year. Kevin had done well in rehab, and returned as the boy they always hoped he would be. At twenty-two, he was going to City College, getting good grades, and hoping to graduate that year. It was an enormous relief to them, and the two boys were getting on well. Kevin had apologizedto Sean in a family therapy session in Arizona for being such a bad brother to him until then. He had been a different person when he got home.
Andy and his parents were visiting relatives of his mother’s in South Carolina. Judy and Adam were going to the Fairmont Hotel with Michelle, and Gabby was spending Thanksgiving with the Nortons. Marilyn had planned a family dinner with Larry, her two boys, and Gabby. It was a meal Marilyn always prepared, and she did it well, and Gabby had promised to help her.
Gabby got to Billy’s house early enough to help Marilyn get things ready. She had taken out her best linen tablecloth, and Billy and Gabby set the table together. They set it with Marilyn’s best china and crystal,
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