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And Susanna got it. But Nate didn’t want to give it up just yet. He had the White House begging him and he wanted to milk it for all it was worth.

“I am only saying I will look into the condition. Possibly it has deteriorated and possibly not. But she was someone I liked, so I will take a personal interest.” Susanna now played along perfectly.

“I appreciate that. I’m sure since you were friends you know how much his mother would appreciate it, too.”

“I will look into it. And by the way, Susanna, I don’t talk to my ex-wives.”

And that was the end of that discussion. For the rest of the lunch it was never mentioned.

* * *

Kathy had never seen Max really depressed before. After they got back from Dallas, he went into a serious funk. She still loved him, but now she was watching a man change before her eyes and she didn’t know if it was positive or not. He was angrier. More easily upset. One night they were having dinner at her house and he bit into a prune and got part of a pit. He lost it. He stood up and threw the fruit at the wall. “Why the fuck do they call these pitted if there are still pits? What the fuck is that about?” Kathy got up and recovered the half-eaten fruit, cleaning off the mark it had made. Max left the table and walked outside. He sat on the curb, smoking a joint. Kathy followed him out and stood there, saying nothing, waiting for him to suggest that she sit down. He didn’t. For almost a full minute he sat facing the street, getting high, and not saying a word. She turned around and walked back into the house, then closed the door, went to the kitchen, and cried. Really cried. This wasn’t about the moment; it wasn’t even about the relationship. It was about everything.

Max had taken her away from her problems, but they were still there and they were substantial. Kathy knew she had to sell her father’s house at a loss to make any more payments toward the medical loan. She couldn’t afford to attend college, only take some classes electronically, and that still was viewed as second class even though there were laws to make it equivalent. But employers always asked, “Did you actually go?” Kathy had been holding all of this in and now the floodgates opened.

Max walked back into the kitchen. He put his hand on her head and stroked her hair. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m just upset.” Kathy said nothing. She actually wanted him to leave so she could experience these emotions in private. “I just got angry. I thought I chipped my tooth. I don’t know how they can put ‘pitted’ on the package when there are still pits.”

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “They also say that some may contain pits. Didn’t you see that?”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Well, that’s what it says.”

And both of them just stood there.

Kathy walked over to the sink. Try as she might, she couldn’t help but have the conversation. Without turning around she said, “Do you think we should be apart for a while?” She was surprised by how vehement he was.

“No fucking way! Do you think that? Just because I threw a prune? That’s crazy.”

“It has nothing to do with the prune. You’ve been down for a long time now, and it’s getting worse. Possibly it’s us and if so, I don’t want to contribute to your anger.”

Max got serious. He loved this woman more than anyone else he had ever known. Everything she said was right, but it wasn’t about her. He walked over to the sink and turned her around and kissed her.

“Listen to me. You are not the cause of my despair. Yes, I’m in a funk because I want to make a difference. I thought that had something to do with Sam Mueller. But Dallas changed that. I need to do something bigger. So that’s what you’re seeing. I’m taking my frustration out on you and I’m sorry. Please, don’t take it personally.”

Kathy gave him a little smile and went into the living room. She sat down and felt like crying again. She believed what he was saying, but she didn’t understand how this was going to translate into making her life better now. Max followed her.

“What’s wrong?