quite an accomplishment.”
“That’s just how he is. Everybody loves him, he’s a great guy. He has sort of this boyish charm, not to mention that he’s funny and he loves to help people. He’s always getting involved in some cause. Even when he was a kid, he’d rake leaves or have lemonade stands for charity. He drove my aunt crazy, always bringing home some stray or injured animal. He’s going into social work, naturally.”
“He sounds like a really special guy. I can tell you love him a lot.”
“I do. Even when we were kids, we shared everything from Halloween candy to deep dark secrets.”
“What does Brendan think of Gregg?”
My smiley thoughts faded. “He’s not a fan.”
“Really? Why not?” Darrios asked a bit smugly.
I definitely picked up sarcasm. Glaring at him, I walked past him. He caught up in two strides. I blew out an exasperated breath. “He thinks Gregg is a self-absorbed bore. He thinks he’s narcissistic and controlling, and he definitely wasn’t pleased when Gregg and I moved away. Happy now?”
“A little,” Darrios admitted. “So, what attracted you to Gregg, anyway?”
I shrugged thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I guess...I was younger, and a little naive. He was older. He’d just turned thirty. He seemed so sophisticated. Then once we got together, he started giving me tips on how to improve myself...”
Darrios stopped and looked at me again. “Was there something wrong with the way you were?”
“No...I mean...I don’t think so. He was only trying to be helpful and encouraging—”
“Why can’t you see what he does to you? Being encouraging would be supporting you when you want to do something. It seems like he was trying to, I don’t know, fix you, to turn you into what he wanted you to be and then brainwash you into thinking he was the good guy. Tell me, Maggie, does he ever make you feel good about yourself? You know, compliment you? Say nice things? Or is it always a self-help session?”
Holy shit. He was right. Why had I never seen that before? That little revelation was not doing wonders for my self-esteem. Darrios just looked at me thoughtfully for a minute and then he said, “Maggie, you are a beautiful woman and you’re just fine the way you are.”
I wasn’t ready to hear that and I desperately wanted to change the subject, so I asked Darrios about his family. He shrugged.
“It was just my mom and me. She was usually too drunk or too busy with one of her boyfriends to worry about me. Hell, I’d be surprised if she even noticed I was gone. I think the moltergs are more motherly than she was.”
Darrios smiled, his dark outburst seeming to have passed. He motioned up ahead. The trees and shrubbery were thickening and more varieties emerged as we walked. The greener landscape gave the place a much friendlier feel.
“Once we get through this brush and up past that darker green patch, we can stop and eat something. I brought some...well, it’s kind of like a sweetbread. I promise, Maggie, we’ll eat better once we reach Inland.”
I nodded and smiled back. Seeming anxious to break the silence and talk again...about anything...Darrios asked me, “How did you and Gregg actually meet?”
“He was a friend of one of my friend’s older brothers. He saw me at my friend’s house one day and I guess was attracted to me. He asked her brother to introduce us. My friend wasn’t crazy about Gregg and she thought he was too old for me, but eventually she got over it. That was only a year and a half ago, but it seems like a lot longer, maybe because we’ve been so miserable lately.”
“You sounded a whole lot happier talking about your brother and your aunt.”
I sighed. “There was a time when I thought we might be able to work it out. I tried to talk to him, to actually have a conversation about our problems.”
“How did that turn out?”
“It didn’t. He refused to discuss it. He said our problems stem from my insecurities and him
“That’s just how he is. Everybody loves him, he’s a great guy. He has sort of this boyish charm, not to mention that he’s funny and he loves to help people. He’s always getting involved in some cause. Even when he was a kid, he’d rake leaves or have lemonade stands for charity. He drove my aunt crazy, always bringing home some stray or injured animal. He’s going into social work, naturally.”
“He sounds like a really special guy. I can tell you love him a lot.”
“I do. Even when we were kids, we shared everything from Halloween candy to deep dark secrets.”
“What does Brendan think of Gregg?”
My smiley thoughts faded. “He’s not a fan.”
“Really? Why not?” Darrios asked a bit smugly.
I definitely picked up sarcasm. Glaring at him, I walked past him. He caught up in two strides. I blew out an exasperated breath. “He thinks Gregg is a self-absorbed bore. He thinks he’s narcissistic and controlling, and he definitely wasn’t pleased when Gregg and I moved away. Happy now?”
“A little,” Darrios admitted. “So, what attracted you to Gregg, anyway?”
I shrugged thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I guess...I was younger, and a little naive. He was older. He’d just turned thirty. He seemed so sophisticated. Then once we got together, he started giving me tips on how to improve myself...”
Darrios stopped and looked at me again. “Was there something wrong with the way you were?”
“No...I mean...I don’t think so. He was only trying to be helpful and encouraging—”
“Why can’t you see what he does to you? Being encouraging would be supporting you when you want to do something. It seems like he was trying to, I don’t know, fix you, to turn you into what he wanted you to be and then brainwash you into thinking he was the good guy. Tell me, Maggie, does he ever make you feel good about yourself? You know, compliment you? Say nice things? Or is it always a self-help session?”
Holy shit. He was right. Why had I never seen that before? That little revelation was not doing wonders for my self-esteem. Darrios just looked at me thoughtfully for a minute and then he said, “Maggie, you are a beautiful woman and you’re just fine the way you are.”
I wasn’t ready to hear that and I desperately wanted to change the subject, so I asked Darrios about his family. He shrugged.
“It was just my mom and me. She was usually too drunk or too busy with one of her boyfriends to worry about me. Hell, I’d be surprised if she even noticed I was gone. I think the moltergs are more motherly than she was.”
Darrios smiled, his dark outburst seeming to have passed. He motioned up ahead. The trees and shrubbery were thickening and more varieties emerged as we walked. The greener landscape gave the place a much friendlier feel.
“Once we get through this brush and up past that darker green patch, we can stop and eat something. I brought some...well, it’s kind of like a sweetbread. I promise, Maggie, we’ll eat better once we reach Inland.”
I nodded and smiled back. Seeming anxious to break the silence and talk again...about anything...Darrios asked me, “How did you and Gregg actually meet?”
“He was a friend of one of my friend’s older brothers. He saw me at my friend’s house one day and I guess was attracted to me. He asked her brother to introduce us. My friend wasn’t crazy about Gregg and she thought he was too old for me, but eventually she got over it. That was only a year and a half ago, but it seems like a lot longer, maybe because we’ve been so miserable lately.”
“You sounded a whole lot happier talking about your brother and your aunt.”
I sighed. “There was a time when I thought we might be able to work it out. I tried to talk to him, to actually have a conversation about our problems.”
“How did that turn out?”
“It didn’t. He refused to discuss it. He said our problems stem from my insecurities and him
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