But I decided to let Jean tell it to me.But I decided to let Jean tell it to me. "Ken, P'nyssa told me recently that she'd like another child." I thought for a while and then said, slowly, "Okay. So what's stopping her?" "You are." "I am?" I said, surprised. "Yes. She's afraid that you won't approve." "But I love children." Dave's voice came on-line for the first time. "Yes, so long as they aren't in your home." That stopped me. Somehow the statement struck me as true; children are great, so long as they're someone else's. But me? A father? No way, I'm not cut out for it. I can't do a 1-hour-before-dawn feeding. I can change a diaper, but only in an emergency. I've done my fair share of babysitting in the castle, but rarely late night or overnight. "A fair statement," I admitted. "Jean, thank you for bringing this to my attention, but I'd like to speak with Dave alone for a moment." "Of course," she answered. There was a short pause and then I pointed up in the general direction of the ceiling with an accusative finger. "You knew, didn't you?" "Yes." Was all Dave said. "Then why didn't you tell me?" "Because it's not my duty to, Ken, you know that. You have been an insensitive boor sometimes, you know that? And at the moment is a perfect example. Your lover for over a century and a half is pining away because something is missing from her life, something she doesn't think she can have, something I'm not sure she can have." "And why not?" "Because she loves you. Because she wants to stay in your bed all the days of her life, but you have your positions and your opinions and she doesn't think you'll let her have both. |