ODDS OF LOVE SEASON TWELVE

Episode 11

          Email to the Barrington Academy PTA

My dear, dear friends ,

       I thank you and Zipp thanks you for all your good thoughts and prayers on the terrible tragic loss of our wonderful daughter Diamond. Thank you for the flower arrangements. I just wanted to send this out to say, in the unfortunate circumstances, that I shall be resigning effective immediately from my post as vice president of the PTA. I am not leaving you in the lurch though. I have arranged for a fellow parent from the elementary division to take my place. Michael Hara - Handel who is the husband of a judge and owns a independent bookstore in DC and is the father of a young son Jamie Handel ( Jamie is in the first grade at Barrington). Please welcome Michael well , Cassandra, Elizabeth, Reese , and dear Spencer. After the funeral I shall be taking a trip to Italy and France for a little while. I will miss you all.

              Sincerely with much love,
              Florence " Flower " Lawton

Flower hit the email send button on the laptop she held as she sat on her daughter's bed. A tear rolled down her lined cheek.

Diamond. How could she have done it ? , she thought as her body shook against her will.

                   ----------

" Are you.... okay? "

Zipp smiled slightly as he sat across from Ethan in the lounge at the Hyattsville hotel. He hadn't wanted to come outside but his friend had practically kidnapped him out of the room saying he needed food , coffee, sun , air. Zipp didn't like fighting so he went along with the man. So here they sat. Two men in their forties drinking coffee; well , Zipp had tea. Herbal tea. Maybe his partner in life was through with him after their daughter's death but his drinking habits still remained the same.

" How am I supposed to be, Ethan? I'm..... My company is not really mine anymore. Granted they gave me a good deal. Oh. I think Alexi would have screwed me big time but Nigel is a honest man. My wife hates me. My daughter... Diamond.... " His eyes welled up with tears and he lowered his head slowly. " How did my life end up like this? "

Ethan smiled faintly as he drink the last of his coffee. " Maybe you should have finished Harvard law. I think Richard wanted you to join the firm too. Back then. "

Zipp laughed. It sounded hollow. " I would have made a dreadful lawyer. You know that. I was just wasting my time and my father's money. My first love was computers and programming and video games. You know that. " And you , he wanted to say but didn't. " Besides I would have been in the way. Back then you three were inseparable. You , Richard and Claire. I can't believe.... what happened at the firm."

Ethan's smile slipped away. " Yes. Neither can I. " He looked towards his phone. He called and texted Richard occasionally since what had happened but they all went unanswered. Richard remembered him. At least from law school but he was currently content ignoring him. He couldn't blame the man. He still missed him. " You should eat. I hear they do a good steak here. "

Zipp smiled sadly. " We're vegans. Me , Flower and Diamond. We don't believe in killing animals for food."