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times. That, in and of itself, would be enough, because then it would all be his anyway; he would see to that. |
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But neither seemed to be the case. There he was, gloating, still a pompous, posturing mannequin posing as something his father had wanted him to be. And that, in the end, would make it all the more rewarding. To Charlie's way of thinking, taking something from a man who had nothing requires little in the way of skills. Taking something from a man who seems to have everything requires a great deal of skill, because men who covet and possess are themselves people who take. It was Charlie's turn to lean back in his seat and smile. |
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"I figured we'd carried this silly feud on long enough," he finally answered. |
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Theodore continued to study him suspiciously. Despite the eloquence, he doubted him; Charlie would have to do more than show up to prove he had changed. |
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"I missed a lot," Charlie continued. "Dad's last days, the funeral, everything. When it happens like that, there isn't much opportunity to patch things up." |
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"There were a lot of opportunities, but you just didn't take them. The old man was sick for a long time." It was a flat statement, void of compassion, concession or understanding. |
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"I didn't even know he was sick." |
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