Re: Lakeside:Theodore/Hugh
Theodore ran a hand through his hair, looking almost embarrassed. "Ah, I'm telling this all backward, I think. Yes, my daughter. Her name is Elaine, and I would be happy to bring her around for dinner one evening before she leaves for school at the end of the month." He needed another sip of wine to wet his throat before continuing. "Jamie, my husband, passed away four years ago." Theodore was proud of how he delivered that news, the way it didn't instantly cause a sting of tears, or a pain somewhere near where his heart was. It would never be good, of course, never right, but time had made it easier.
"And, so..." He nodded, trying to move on. "Jamie grew up near Salem. After school and...once we'd gotten a little established, we moved there. For me, I think it was a little terrifying, at first. I didn't know the first thing about America," he said with a fond little laugh. "But I came to love it, thanks to him, thanks to everything we shared, there. So yes, I will always think of it as home." He sighed a little, lost in his memories for a moment, of the day they'd bought the house, moving their things in, bringing Elaine home for the first time...so many good memories.
The hesitation definitely caught his ear, as well as his attention. "Inexplicable?" Theodore questioned, eyebrow raised slightly.