Caroline

Chapter 26

The smell of freshly-brewed coffee greeted Caroline the next morning, promising better than her night had been. She and Terrence had sat together until very late, much as he'd done with her father before, reminiscing and catching up. Listening to him retell old stories with a knowledge she had not possessed before, she became increasingly melancholy.  All her life, she had never really known her own father, the most important man in her world.

Terrence, she could see, was more relaxed with her than he had been since she was a child. The weight of carrying her father's secrets for so long had been a strain on him. Seeing him with his guard down, she finally began to realize something about him, as well. She had teased him, from time to time, about his lack of a wife and family of his own. He usually brushed it off with a "Too busy," or, if he was in the mood to tease back, "I've spent enough time with you to never want a child of my own." That the truth had been staring her in the face for so long without her seeing it, shamed her.

Crowded into her head with the more direct revelations she had been given were thoughts of an ever-loyal friend, watching her father as he fell in love, got married, had a child, had an affair. She wondered if her father had known the truth. Had it ever been discussed between them? She was fairly certain that the answers would never be hers to know. She had too much respect for the man to ask, and he had too much dignity to volunteer.  But that his steadfast faithfulness had been a by-product of love, she had no doubt.  That she had been allowed to share in some measure of it humbled her, and her affection for Terrence increased because of it.

She showered and dressed quickly, eager for a cup of the specially-blended coffee waiting for her.  Terrence stood at his kitchen counter, whisking eggs together in a bowl.  "There you are," he said, with a smile.  "How does an omelette sound this morning?"

"Wonderful," she said, reaching for the cup he had left for her by the coffee maker.  "But don't you have somewhere to be this morning?"  She closed her eyes and took a deep inhale of the coffee aroma as she poured.  No one made coffee like Terry.

"Not yet.  Appointments later, though.  Why?  Trying to get rid of me?"

"You found me out," she said after a long sip.  "There goes my hedonistic morning of cleaning you out of wine and chocolate."

He turned to give her a hug and a kiss on her forehead.  "Thank God I'm here, then, to save you from yourself.  How did you sleep?"

"Not well.  Too many thoughts going through my head.  Can I help with anything?"

He indicated a nearby barstool.  "Just sit and enjoy your coffee.  Had a taste for havarti with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.  Will that do, or would you prefer something else?"

"It sounds delicious," she said with a smile.

As he turned to pour some of the beaten eggs into a pan, he said, "I hate that you didn't sleep."

"I did sleep some, just not enough."  A yawn appeared to prove her point.

"Maybe you should skip the coffee and lie down again after you eat."

She shook her head.  "I need to get a few things straightened out... with my neighbors, and with Derek and Michael."

"Oh?  What are you going to do?"

Her smile was more of a smirk.  "I think I'll just keep that to myself for a little while.  Won't that be a nice change?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her, barely taking attention away from his omelette preparation before focussing on it again, but she could see the worry in his eyes.  "Do you blame me, Carrie?"  His shoulders were visibly stiff, waiting for her response.

"I suppose it would be easy to....  but no, I don't.  I can't."

"I'm sure there were times I could have stopped him, early on, perhaps."  He kept his face turned away from her.  "I shouldn't have let it escalate as it did..."

Caroline slid off the stool and walked to stand behind him.  Reaching to hug him from behind, she said, "No, Terry.  You did what Daddy asked you to do.  And you did try to reason with him; you told me so yesterday.  I may not have known him as well as I thought I did, but I do know how he could be once he set his mind to something.  You were always a good friend to him, and I'm grateful for that."

She felt him relax briefly, then set his back ramrod straight.  "Child!" he scolded.  "Get back!  You know better than to put your hands so close to a hot stove!  You can't even see where they are.  Back off now!"

Lowering her head to hide her smile, she muttered, "Yes sir," and backed away.  By the time she had reseated herself at the counter, Terrence had set her plated omelette down beside her coffee cup.  She admired it for a moment before she realized that he hadn't stepped away.  Curious, she looked up to find him looking at her. 

"Is something wrong?" she asked, automatically running a hand over her hair to smooth it.

"No, Carrie," he said softly.  "I'm just fully appreciating the fine young woman you've grown up to be."  The affection in his eyes was unmistakable.   "I couldn't be prouder of you if you were my very own child."

She smiled, reached out to cover the hand he had placed on the counter with her own, and squeezed.

"I know."