know why she does it. In some way she thinks she’s protecting me. I can’t stop her, so I’ve stopped trying.”
“ Is that why you told me to bring someone?” Shannon asks. “To backdoor information to me?”
“ No. You looked like you didn’t want to come by yourself. So I figured my choices were either to encourage you to bring someone, running the risk that my sister would spill every bean she could find, but by doing so increase the chances that you would come over this morning, or risk not getting to see you this morning.”
“ But you wouldn’t change Friday from picking trash to jogging?”
“ Nope.”
“ Not even to see me?”
“ Nope. Two reasons why. First, these are my people and this is what I do on Fridays. I like you, but I just met you, and this Friday morning group has been together for over ten years, give and take a few additions and no-shows. Second, you asked me not to pretend. Or maybe you told me not to pretend.”
Shannon considers his answer. She picks up her pace and moves a half step ahead of Joe. She looks back over her shoulder.
“ For future reference, you can tell Mike I’m a Thursday.”
“ Thursday? But today’s Friday! And you’re going home soon.”
“ Just wanted to let you know,” Shannon says.
“ Damn,” Joe says.
Shannon winks at him, whacks him in the butt with her garbage picking tool, and when he acts shocked, she winks again, more dramatically, nearly striking a pose.
“ Definitely a Thursday,” she says.
Shannon
“ I’m going to stay for a little while,” Shannon tells Cara.
Cara says nothing. Arches her eyebrow, sucks in on her cheek.
“ I think I’ll stay here a day or two to supervise everything getting cleaned up just the way I want, and then I’m going to stay in the cottage.”
Cara still says nothing.
“ I’m not going to lie to you. I want to see where, if anywhere, this is going. It sounds like he’s pretty attached to here, and you know I am completely attached to our family, so I don’t really know that it can go anywhere. But it might be fun for a little while. He’s interesting, and we can talk.”
“ Shannon, he’s damaged goods,” Cara says.
“ What am I?” Shannon asks. “What is any single person in their forties?”
“ You’re my sister, and I love you.”
“ But if I wasn’t, and you had to describe me, like you just felt compelled to describe Joe, wouldn’t you have to say that I was ‘damaged goods’ too?”
“ No.”
“ Really? Because I’ve got to tell you that sometimes I feel like damaged goods. It’s not my fault that things turned out the way they did. Not completely. But that doesn’t mean I’m not damaged.”
“ Shannon. Come on,” Cara starts.
Shannon cut her off. “And Joe’s easy. He says what he means and means what he says. I’m hoping he’ll go jogging with me a few more times, and have some more coffees with me. And maybe I’ll even go and pick up some more trash with him next Friday. But I don’t see it going much beyond that.”
“ So what’s the point of staying another week to go jogging and to pick up trash if it isn’t going anywhere?” Cara asks.
“ Because I’m fine with it being right where it is. Do you know how long it’s been since I had a decent jogging partner? Or someone I could just talk to over coffee?”
“ You mean other than me?”
“ You’re great over coffee, but when it comes to running...”
“ Shannon, I’m only going to say this one time. You’re a fully grown woman. You’re my sister. I love you. I don’t want you to get hurt again. You know I would do anything to protect you.”
“ Do I need protection?”
“ From Joe? While you’re here? Actually no. So this is going to surprise you, especially coming from me. You’ve convinced me, so I’m going to agree with you and actually push you out of the nest a little. You’re right about Joe. He’s intelligent and witty and a good conversationalist. He
“ Is that why you told me to bring someone?” Shannon asks. “To backdoor information to me?”
“ No. You looked like you didn’t want to come by yourself. So I figured my choices were either to encourage you to bring someone, running the risk that my sister would spill every bean she could find, but by doing so increase the chances that you would come over this morning, or risk not getting to see you this morning.”
“ But you wouldn’t change Friday from picking trash to jogging?”
“ Nope.”
“ Not even to see me?”
“ Nope. Two reasons why. First, these are my people and this is what I do on Fridays. I like you, but I just met you, and this Friday morning group has been together for over ten years, give and take a few additions and no-shows. Second, you asked me not to pretend. Or maybe you told me not to pretend.”
Shannon considers his answer. She picks up her pace and moves a half step ahead of Joe. She looks back over her shoulder.
“ For future reference, you can tell Mike I’m a Thursday.”
“ Thursday? But today’s Friday! And you’re going home soon.”
“ Just wanted to let you know,” Shannon says.
“ Damn,” Joe says.
Shannon winks at him, whacks him in the butt with her garbage picking tool, and when he acts shocked, she winks again, more dramatically, nearly striking a pose.
“ Definitely a Thursday,” she says.
Shannon
“ I’m going to stay for a little while,” Shannon tells Cara.
Cara says nothing. Arches her eyebrow, sucks in on her cheek.
“ I think I’ll stay here a day or two to supervise everything getting cleaned up just the way I want, and then I’m going to stay in the cottage.”
Cara still says nothing.
“ I’m not going to lie to you. I want to see where, if anywhere, this is going. It sounds like he’s pretty attached to here, and you know I am completely attached to our family, so I don’t really know that it can go anywhere. But it might be fun for a little while. He’s interesting, and we can talk.”
“ Shannon, he’s damaged goods,” Cara says.
“ What am I?” Shannon asks. “What is any single person in their forties?”
“ You’re my sister, and I love you.”
“ But if I wasn’t, and you had to describe me, like you just felt compelled to describe Joe, wouldn’t you have to say that I was ‘damaged goods’ too?”
“ No.”
“ Really? Because I’ve got to tell you that sometimes I feel like damaged goods. It’s not my fault that things turned out the way they did. Not completely. But that doesn’t mean I’m not damaged.”
“ Shannon. Come on,” Cara starts.
Shannon cut her off. “And Joe’s easy. He says what he means and means what he says. I’m hoping he’ll go jogging with me a few more times, and have some more coffees with me. And maybe I’ll even go and pick up some more trash with him next Friday. But I don’t see it going much beyond that.”
“ So what’s the point of staying another week to go jogging and to pick up trash if it isn’t going anywhere?” Cara asks.
“ Because I’m fine with it being right where it is. Do you know how long it’s been since I had a decent jogging partner? Or someone I could just talk to over coffee?”
“ You mean other than me?”
“ You’re great over coffee, but when it comes to running...”
“ Shannon, I’m only going to say this one time. You’re a fully grown woman. You’re my sister. I love you. I don’t want you to get hurt again. You know I would do anything to protect you.”
“ Do I need protection?”
“ From Joe? While you’re here? Actually no. So this is going to surprise you, especially coming from me. You’ve convinced me, so I’m going to agree with you and actually push you out of the nest a little. You’re right about Joe. He’s intelligent and witty and a good conversationalist. He
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