At the breakfast table, Jacob's face was darkened by lines and furrows of his shadowy past. Diana placed his plate on the table in front of him. Two scrambled eggs, three bacon strips, and some hash brown were in his plate. She had a bowl of cereal and two toasts on her plate.
"I though you said we have just some toast! Is that all you're going to eat?"
"You know I never eat breakfast. I'm just eating to please you and besides I am not planning to eat anything till this evening. Now I'm eating because it's Sunday."
Jacob shook his head and began eating. He never was displeased when his wife cooked for him. Diana got up to bring the two glasses of orange juice which she had squeezed them herself and cooling them off in the refrigerator.
"Do you have any plan for tomorrow?" Jacob asked.
"No, I'm sure we'll go to bed late tonight; probably I like to stay in bed late and just relax."
Before they finished their breakfast, Diana got up a few more times.
"You just can't stay put for a minute. Can you just sit and finish your breakfast?" Jacob, almost irritated said.
"There is so much to do today. We have all these people coming here tonight. I need to get to work."
"What do you mean with all these people? It's only Ed and his wife and Tim and his date."
"You know I just get nervous when we have guests. Who is this Tim by the way? Have I ever met him?"
"I don't think so." Jacob began. "He really is a character. I am sure you like him. He is a professor of Literature, very interesting and intelligent man. I am sure you like to talk to him. He writes poetry like you do."
"How old is he? How come he is not married?" Diana quizzed.
"You know I really don't know. We don't talk about our personal lives. To me, he must be my age. I thinks he'd been married once; but as long as I know him he's been single. He has this reputation of being a womanizer. He always dates younger women."
"You say that you don't talk about your personal lives, yet you know so much about him. That is funny; and besides it seems to me that all your friends are interested in younger women. Look at Ed, he is almost forty years older than his wife, Thui."
"I don't base my friendship on people's personal lives." He looked annoyed. "These men are very bright and successful. I don't care what kind of woman they choose."
"Isn't that part of their characters, I mean their personal lives?" Diana now seemed irritated. Why was her husband's conditions for friendship were success and intelligence? Could someone find friendship in person who did not have a college degree? One of the things about her husband that always displeased her was that he never even wanted to try to associate with ordinary people that their IQs' were not as high as his.
"Oh, Diana, stop it. I know you don't like Ed and only tolerate him because of me. What has he done to you?"
"He has't done anything to me. I just think he is very manipulative person. He uses his position to use people and he is very prejudicial and somewhat even ... If someone doesn't have Italian background, like him, they are not worthy of him."
"Why didn't you finish what you wanted to say? What you are accusing of is not true." Jacob waved his hands in protest. "I don't have Italian Background and we're best friends."
"I know, I know; there is another part to his personality. Whatever suits his needs is okay for his choice of friends. I think you two somehow use each other, and that is why he likes you."
"That was a mean thing to say." Jacob frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know. He is a powerful lawyer, soon to become a judge; and you like to show him up in your circle of friends; and you're a distinguished professor and a famous writer and he likes to do the same."
Jacob stayed silent. He knew his wife was right.
"You know that I've never showed my dislike to him." She said. "So, don't worry, I'll be a good girl. About your new friend, Tim, I give him a chance, too. You know I'm always proper."
"I know sweet heart; and I love you for that."
"You know tomorrow is Labor Day. I wish like old days, Vickie was here. I miss those days that we went to the lake with her, did different things with her." Diana was at the verge of tears.
Jacob held her hand and then brought it to his lips and kissed it.
"We've done our best, She is an adult now. It's so hard for both of us, especially you, but what can we do?"
Diana wiped her tears with the napkin; and quietly said:
"Nothing!"
~*
To Be Continued
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