nudge him.â
âWell, you just admitted you were mean to him.â
âI know. I was. And thatâs why Iâm upset. I donât like it when Iâm mean to him.â
âThen donât be.â
âI tried, really I tried. But you see, itâs impossible to be with him and not be a little mean. Sometimes. Heâs so exasperating. He fucked up his fellowship and now he might lose it.â
âSo. You have to realize that what happens to him happens to him. That heâll learn from his mistakes or he wonât and thereâs nothing you can do about it.â
âYou donât think I can hurry him along that learning curve a little?â
âNo. You have to accept his pace. As a teacher you should know that.â
âBut heâs not my student.â
âThen donât treat him like your student.â
âYou think I treat him like a student?â
âYes. Like a student. Or dog. Like a dog student. A dog student in obedience school.â
âBut when he does something, well, something stupid like this, like fucking up his fellowship, how should I respond? I mean, assuming you know everything?â
âBe understanding and encouraging. Be sympathetic. Be helpful.â
âWow. Understanding, encouraging, sympathetic, and helpful. Simultaneously? I think thatâs a little beyond my ken.â
Marc Antony was glancing at his book.
âSo do you think I should call him?â Deirdre asked.
âYes,â said Marc Antony. âAnd your three minutes are up.â
Deirdre went into her bedroom and called Omar. His line was busy. She waited about five minutes and then called again. This time he answered.
âItâs me,â she said. âWho were you talking to?â
âWhen?â he asked.
âWhen? Now. Five minutes ago. I called you and it was busy.â
âOh,â he said. âI was talking to the airline. I called to get information about flights to Uruguay. Itâs not that expensive. I mean, itâs expensive, but not as bad as I thought.â
âAre you going to go?â
âYes. I think so. I reserved the ticket. I have twenty-four hours to decide. Iâll go right after New Yearâs.â
âListen, Omar. I called you because I feel bad about the way I was tonight. Iâm sorry if I was mean to you.â
âNo,â said Omar. âI donât blame you. If I were you, I would be disgusted with me too.â
âIâm not disgusted with you! Omar! I could never be disgusted with you. You can never be disgusted with someone you love. You can be annoyed. I was annoyed, I admit it, and Iâm sorry that sometimes when Iâm annoyed with you it triggers these other, negative emotions, but I want to stop that, really I do. I want to help you. I want to be understanding. I want to be understanding and helpful and a few other things I canât remember at the moment.â
Omar said nothing.
âListen, maybe I should come with you. I think I could help you. Iâve had more experience than you with stuff like this, andââ
âNo,â said Omar. âI think I should do this myself. In fact, I think it is very important that I do this myself.â
âWhy?â
âBecause. Itâs important for me. I got myself into this situation and I should get myself out.â
âBut if somebody else can help youâIf you need help from somebody, itâs okay to take it. Itâs stupid not to.â
âDo you think Iâm stupid?â
âNo,â said Deirdre. âOf course not! Thatâs not what I meant. I meant letting pride stop you from accepting help, when you need help, is stupââisnât wise. Thereâs nothing wrong with letting people help you.â
âI appreciate your offer,â said Omar. âBut I donât want help with this.â
âYou appreciate my offer?â said
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