Fancy A Quickie?

"So Be It."

"I'm not upset at what you've done, I'm upset that you didn't tell me! How dare you make those decisions for me? Do you care about me so little that you can't pay me the respect of the truth?"

With an empassioned fury I never thought possible from a person Laura thundered at me, rendering all my carefully crafted answers and logical reasonings as immature as a child's.

I stand mute for a moment hardly daring to break eye contact lest she destroy me.

"I... I wanted to protect you," I mumble but it sounds pathetic even to me. Her eyes narrow dangerously.

"From what?" comes the harsh reply. "From having honest communication? From not being lied to? From not being the only idiot in this whole place to not have a clue? Because you did a great job at that."

My mouth opens and closes a few times. I've made a monumental cock-up and I don't know if she can forgive me for that.

"Never, ever presume to know my mind, Jared," she hisses in a low voice, "and every time you think you've spared me the painful truth like some feeble Victorian lady, what you've actually done is blatantly lie to my face."

I lower my head.

"The truth will hurt, Laura," I say quietly with sadness, "if you want me to tell you everything I will, but there's no going back."

She hardens her face and I see a steel that I didn't know she possessed. She raises her chin.

"That's rather for me to decide, isn't it? I'd rather know the truth and deal with the consequences than to choose ignorance."

I sigh and cross to the sideboard withdrawing the stack of documents which started this whole business.

"So be it."