“Equal leverage.”
He smiled.
The moment ended when his son sprinted outside.
“Dad!”
Both adults released hands too quickly.
The boy stopped.
Looked at them.
Then at their hands.
Then faces.
The Single Dad braced for disaster.
The boy said:
“Bridge competition.”
The father blinked.
“That’s it?”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
The boy ran back.
The CEO whispered:
“He saw.”
“Yes.”
“Does he care?”
“Oh, he cares.”
“How do you know?”
“He’s saving it.”
“For?”
“Maximum embarrassment later.”
She laughed.
That evening, they visited the CEO’s mother.
The older woman looked better.
Color returned.
Immediately noticed the boy.
“Come here.”
The boy approached.
She inspected him like equipment.
“So you’re the scientist.”
“Engineer.”
“Difference?”
The boy looked horrified.
The CEO covered her mouth to hide laughter.
The son spent ten minutes explaining.
The older woman listened seriously.
Then looked at her daughter.
“This one is useful.”
The CEO sighed.
“Mom.”
“What?”
Dinner happened three days later after discharge.
At the older woman’s house.
Not a mansion.
That surprised the Single Dad.
Comfortable.
Warm.
Photographs everywhere.
Old furniture mixed with new.
The CEO had clearly bought expensive things her mother stubbornly arranged beside objects with more history.
On one shelf sat an old chipped ceramic bowl.
Next to a sculpture probably worth thousands.
The Single Dad liked the bowl better.
The CEO’s mother cooked despite orders not to.
The CEO argued.
Lost.
The Single Dad’s son helped set the table.
At dinner, conversation moved easily.
The older woman asked the Single Dad questions.
Work.
Son.
Seattle.
Chicago.
His wife.
Then she asked:
“What do you want?”
He stared.
“Tonight?”
“In life.”
The CEO nearly choked.
“Mom.”
“What?”
The Single Dad smiled.
“I don’t know.”
The older woman nodded.
“Good answer.”
“Why?”
“People who answer that quickly are usually selling something.”
He laughed.
She continued:
“You’ve spent years wanting things for your son.”
“Yes.”
“What do you want for yourself?”
The Single Dad looked toward the CEO.
Accidentally.
Her mother noticed.
Of course.
The CEO kicked her mother lightly beneath the table.
The older woman smiled.
The Single Dad answered:
“Peace.”
The CEO’s mother considered.
“That is not a small thing.”
“No.”
“And companionship?”
The CEO closed her eyes.
“Mom.”
The Single Dad laughed.
“Possibly.”