It was getting harder and harder to go on, not to mention the physical difficulty of speaking while his voice insisted on breaking. But he fought against it with bit of strength he had left, with some success. He looked at the floor to obscure his sad eyes.
"My daughter and I have a strained relationship already. Getting along with her mother has been... difficult. When I thought I might lose her altogether... I went out a bought a gun. For protection." He stopped short of describing his visit to the firing range, and the dream about the woman on the dock. "But my wife, she didn't agree with the decision. Her sister was shot and killed, so I can't blame her."
Ben lifted his head. "But I did. I felt she didn't understand. So I left. I chose the gun over her." He nodded grimly. "So... that's why I'm here."