— “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t find the words.”
Zelda sighed.
— “I figured. You were a coward thirty years ago, and you’re scared now.”
The words stung, but he didn’t argue.
— “Tell me more about her,” Andrew asked. — “What’s she really like?”
Zelda began to tell him stories, like she was handing over a treasure:
— “She was born in April. Annie had a hard time with the delivery; they almost didn’t make it. Taylor was a tiny thing, the doctors weren’t sure she’d pull through. But she was a fighter. She has your stubbornness. Straight A’s in school. She wanted to be a doctor, but there was no money for med school. So she became a nurse and started working at eighteen.”
— “What about her life?” Andrew asked cautiously. — “Has she been happy?”
— “She had a fiancé about eight years ago. They were going to get married. But when Annie got sick, he…” Zelda waved a hand dismissively. — “He couldn’t handle the ‘burden.’ He left her when she needed him most. Taylor almost broke then. Her mother was dying, her man was gone. She hasn’t let anyone close since.”
Andrew clenched his fists. He felt a surge of hatred for a man he’d never met. “And how are you any better?” a voice in his head whispered. “You left her before she was even born.”
— “There’s more trouble,” Zelda’s voice turned serious. — “Something you don’t know.”
— “What is it?”
— “The debt is crushing her. She co-signed a loan for a friend who skipped town. Now these predatory collectors are hounding her. They’ve been threatening her, even smashed her car window last week.”
Andrew felt a cold fury rising.
— “Why didn’t you tell me?”
— “Because it’s her life. She has to handle it. But you asked, so I’m telling you.”
— “How much is it?”
— “About forty-five thousand dollars. For her, it might as well be a million.”
For Andrew, it was pocket change.
— “I’ll pay it off tomorrow,” he declared.
— “No!” Zelda snapped. — “Don’t you dare. She won’t take it. If she finds out it’s a handout from a stranger, she’ll hate you for it.”
— “Then what do I do?”
