I said,
“and we don’t expect them to.”
He nodded slowly, eyes on his hands.
“My father served Korea. He never talked about it. I always assumed that meant it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Silence almost always means it was a big deal,”
I replied gently.
He swallowed.
“I see that now.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The air between us felt fragile and sincere. Then, almost reluctantly, Richard said,
“You know, when Daniel first told me he was serious about you, I worried he was making a mistake.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Because I wasn’t from a wealthy family.”
“No,”
he said.
“Because you were quiet. That surprised me.”
He continued,
“I thought quiet meant weak. That you wouldn’t be able to handle the world my son would inherit. Business responsibility, people trying to take advantage of him. I didn’t think you had the spine.”
He winced.
“How wrong I was.”
I didn’t respond. He wasn’t finished.
“I’m not proud of how I spoke to you this morning,”
he said.
“Or the assumptions I made.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“You’ve been carrying things I can’t even imagine.”
I rested my hands loosely in my lap.
“Richard, it isn’t about comparing burdens. We just lived different lives.”
“That’s exactly it,”
he said.
“I lived mine loudly. You lived yours quietly, and yet you have more strength than most of the men I’ve ever known.”
I offered a small, tired smile.
“Stretth comes in different forms.”
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